Chapter 14 of A Thief in the Night is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of A Thief in the Night is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Help yourself," said Maguire, ungallantly, "and don't talk through your hat. Say, what's the matter with the 'phone?" The secretary had picked up the dangling receiver. "It looks to me," said he, "as though the crook had rung up somebody before he went off." I turned and assisted the grand lady to the refreshment that she craved.
Chapter 14 of A Thief in the Night is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
having help; often used as a combining form
From this reading “I turned and assisted the grand lady to the refreshment that she craved.”
wanted intensely
From this reading “I turned and assisted the grand lady to the refreshment that she craved.”
someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
From this reading “"It looks to me," said he, "as though the crook had rung up somebody before he went off."”
the act of suspending something (hanging it from above so it moves freely)
From this reading “The secretary had picked up the dangling receiver.”
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “Say, what's the matter with the 'phone?"”
set that receives radio or tv signals
From this reading “The secretary had picked up the dangling receiver.”
snacks and drinks served as a light meal
From this reading “I turned and assisted the grand lady to the refreshment that she craved.”
a crosspiece between the legs of a chair
From this reading “"It looks to me," said he, "as though the crook had rung up somebody before he went off."”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Help yourself," said Maguire, ungallantly, "and don't talk through your hat.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "It looks to me," said he, "as though the crook had rung up somebody before he went off."
having help; often used as a combining form
From this reading I turned and assisted the grand lady to the refreshment that she craved.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "It looks to me," said he, "as though the crook had rung up somebody before he went off."
wanted intensely
From this reading I turned and assisted the grand lady to the refreshment that she craved.
someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
From this reading "It looks to me," said he, "as though the crook had rung up somebody before he went off."
the act of suspending something (hanging it from above so it moves freely)
From this reading The secretary had picked up the dangling receiver.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Help yourself," said Maguire, ungallantly, "and don't talk through your hat.
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading I turned and assisted the grand lady to the refreshment that she craved.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The secretary had picked up the dangling receiver.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading "Help yourself," said Maguire, ungallantly, "and don't talk through your hat.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It looks to me," said he, "as though the crook had rung up somebody before he went off."
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "Help yourself," said Maguire, ungallantly, "and don't talk through your hat.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I turned and assisted the grand lady to the refreshment that she craved.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It looks to me," said he, "as though the crook had rung up somebody before he went off."
a polite name for any woman
From this reading I turned and assisted the grand lady to the refreshment that she craved.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading "It looks to me," said he, "as though the crook had rung up somebody before he went off."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Help yourself," said Maguire, ungallantly, "and don't talk through your hat.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Say, what's the matter with the 'phone?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "It looks to me," said he, "as though the crook had rung up somebody before he went off."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "It looks to me," said he, "as though the crook had rung up somebody before he went off."
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading Say, what's the matter with the 'phone?"
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading The secretary had picked up the dangling receiver.
set that receives radio or tv signals
From this reading The secretary had picked up the dangling receiver.
snacks and drinks served as a light meal
From this reading I turned and assisted the grand lady to the refreshment that she craved.
a crosspiece between the legs of a chair
From this reading "It looks to me," said he, "as though the crook had rung up somebody before he went off."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Help yourself," said Maguire, ungallantly, "and don't talk through your hat.
express in words
From this reading Say, what's the matter with the 'phone?"
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading The secretary had picked up the dangling receiver.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I turned and assisted the grand lady to the refreshment that she craved.
a person, without saying who
From this reading "It looks to me," said he, "as though the crook had rung up somebody before he went off."
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "Help yourself," said Maguire, ungallantly, "and don't talk through your hat.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I turned and assisted the grand lady to the refreshment that she craved.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Say, what's the matter with the 'phone?"
in spite of the fact that
From this reading "It looks to me," said he, "as though the crook had rung up somebody before he went off."
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "Help yourself," said Maguire, ungallantly, "and don't talk through your hat.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It looks to me," said he, "as though the crook had rung up somebody before he went off."
moved around an axis or center
From this reading I turned and assisted the grand lady to the refreshment that she craved.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Help yourself," said Maguire, ungallantly, "and don't talk through your hat.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The secretary had picked up the dangling receiver.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "It looks to me," said he, "as though the crook had rung up somebody before he went off."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Say, what's the matter with the 'phone?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading Say, what's the matter with the 'phone?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Help yourself," said Maguire, ungallantly, "and don't talk through your hat.
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading "Help yourself," said Maguire, ungallantly, "and don't talk through your hat.
Chapter 14 of A Thief in the Night by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung holds 190 sentences, grouped into 38 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 14 holds 190 sentences of A Thief in the Night, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of A Thief in the Night by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 190 sentences, grouped into 38 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 14 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading A Thief in the Night by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3668 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2098 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2098, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 305 minutes of reading across 734 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Thief in the Night section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of A Thief in the Night to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Thief in the Night, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
