Chapter 15 of A Thief in the Night is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of A Thief in the Night is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"So it would," I agreed. "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted? I won't fail you, Bunny. You must see how I can never, never fail you after to-night!" That settled it.
Chapter 15 of A Thief in the Night is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading “"So it would," I agreed.”
a young waitress in a nightclub whose costume includes the tail and ears of a rabbit
From this reading “I won't fail you, Bunny.”
fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading “I won't fail you, Bunny.”
cause to move by striking
From this reading “"Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?”
capable of happening or existing
From this reading “"Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?”
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading “That settled it.”
something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
From this reading “"Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?”
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading “"Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?”
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.
later than; following
From this reading You must see how I can never, never fail you after to-night!"
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading "So it would," I agreed.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
a young waitress in a nightclub whose costume includes the tail and ears of a rabbit
From this reading I won't fail you, Bunny.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading You must see how I can never, never fail you after to-night!"
an occurrence of something
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading I won't fail you, Bunny.
cause to move by striking
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You must see how I can never, never fail you after to-night!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "So it would," I agreed.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "So it would," I agreed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading You must see how I can never, never fail you after to-night!"
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading You must see how I can never, never fail you after to-night!"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
capable of happening or existing
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading You must see how I can never, never fail you after to-night!"
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading That settled it.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So it would," I agreed.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That settled it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You must see how I can never, never fail you after to-night!"
something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I won't fail you, Bunny.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "So it would," I agreed.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Then will you trust me to hit on something--if possible before morning--in any case by the time it's wanted?
Chapter 15 of A Thief in the Night by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung holds 203 sentences, grouped into 41 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 15 holds 203 sentences of A Thief in the Night, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 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 203 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 15 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.
