Chapter 10 of After Dark is here in full — 548 sentences across 110 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of After Dark is here in full — 548 sentences across 110 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Three more days have passed. It is evening. Rose, Trudaine and Lomaque are seated together on the bench that overlooks the windings of the Seine. The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time. They talk together seriously and in low voices.
Chapter 10 of After Dark is here in full — 548 sentences across 110 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/109 · 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.
a long seat for more than one person
From this reading “Rose, Trudaine and Lomaque are seated together on the bench that overlooks the windings of the Seine.”
well known or easily recognized
From this reading “The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.”
plural of “overlook” — a high place affording a good view
From this reading “Rose, Trudaine and Lomaque are seated together on the bench that overlooks the windings of the Seine.”
a French river that flows through the heart of Paris and then northward into the English Channel
From this reading “Rose, Trudaine and Lomaque are seated together on the bench that overlooks the windings of the Seine.”
in a serious manner
From this reading “They talk together seriously and in low voices.”
plural of “spread” — process or result of distributing or extending over a wide expanse of space
From this reading “The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.”
not made or become different
From this reading “The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.”
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “They talk together seriously and in low voices.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Rose, Trudaine and Lomaque are seated together on the bench that overlooks the windings of the Seine.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Rose, Trudaine and Lomaque are seated together on the bench that overlooks the windings of the Seine.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
a long seat for more than one person
From this reading Rose, Trudaine and Lomaque are seated together on the bench that overlooks the windings of the Seine.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Three more days have passed.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading It is evening.
at any time
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
well known or easily recognized
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Three more days have passed.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They talk together seriously and in low voices.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is evening.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is evening.
immediately past
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Rose, Trudaine and Lomaque are seated together on the bench that overlooks the windings of the Seine.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading They talk together seriously and in low voices.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Three more days have passed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Rose, Trudaine and Lomaque are seated together on the bench that overlooks the windings of the Seine.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Rose, Trudaine and Lomaque are seated together on the bench that overlooks the windings of the Seine.
plural of “overlook” — a high place affording a good view
From this reading Rose, Trudaine and Lomaque are seated together on the bench that overlooks the windings of the Seine.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Three more days have passed.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Rose, Trudaine and Lomaque are seated together on the bench that overlooks the windings of the Seine.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading Rose, Trudaine and Lomaque are seated together on the bench that overlooks the windings of the Seine.
a French river that flows through the heart of Paris and then northward into the English Channel
From this reading Rose, Trudaine and Lomaque are seated together on the bench that overlooks the windings of the Seine.
in a serious manner
From this reading They talk together seriously and in low voices.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
plural of “spread” — process or result of distributing or extending over a wide expanse of space
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading They talk together seriously and in low voices.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Rose, Trudaine and Lomaque are seated together on the bench that overlooks the windings of the Seine.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Rose, Trudaine and Lomaque are seated together on the bench that overlooks the windings of the Seine.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Three more days have passed.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Rose, Trudaine and Lomaque are seated together on the bench that overlooks the windings of the Seine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Rose, Trudaine and Lomaque are seated together on the bench that overlooks the windings of the Seine.
not made or become different
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading They talk together seriously and in low voices.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Rose, Trudaine and Lomaque are seated together on the bench that overlooks the windings of the Seine.
the day immediately before today
From this reading The old familiar scene spreads before them, beautiful as ever--unchanged, as if it was but yesterday since they had all looked on it for the last time.
Chapter 10 of After Dark by Wilkie Collins holds 548 sentences, grouped into 110 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 10 holds 548 sentences of After Dark, unabridged, divided into 110 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of After Dark by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 548 sentences, grouped into 110 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 110 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 110 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 10 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 After Dark by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5294 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1626 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1626, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 441 minutes of reading across 1059 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through After Dark section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of After Dark 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 After Dark, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
