An Old Chester Secret

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of An Old Chester Secret is here in full — 237 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Margaret Wade Campbell Deland • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for An Old Chester Secret

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

AFTER Mr. Smith's death the Robertsons stayed on in Old Chester to close the house.

Mary hardly left it, even to walk in the garden behind the circling brick wall.

But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

And sometimes Johnny's father would say, "Yes."

"You didn't speak to him?" she would ask, in a panic.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IV Reading 1/47

An Old Chester Secret

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of An Old Chester Secret is here in full — 237 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/47 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

AFTER Mr. Smith's death the Robertsons stayed on in Old Chester to close the house.

Line 2

Mary hardly left it, even to walk in the garden behind the circling brick wall.

/ˈmeri ˈhɑːrdli left ɪt ˈiːvɪn tuː wɔːk ɪn ðə ˈɡɑːrdən bɪˈhaɪnd ðə ˈsɜːrkəlɪŋ brɪk wɔːl/

Line 3

But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

Line 4

And sometimes Johnny's father would say, "Yes."

/ənd səmˈtaɪmz ˈdʒɑːniz ˈfɑːðər wʊd seɪ jes/

Line 5

"You didn't speak to him?" she would ask, in a panic.

Learner Dictionary

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.

brick noun US /brɪk/

rectangular block of clay baked by the sun or in a kiln; used as a building or paving material

From this reading “Mary hardly left it, even to walk in the garden behind the circling brick wall.”

Chester noun US /ˈtʃestər/

a city of southeastern Pennsylvania on the Delaware river (an industrial suburb of Philadelphia)

From this reading “AFTER Mr. Smith's death the Robertsons stayed on in Old Chester to close the house.”

circling verb US /ˈsɜːrkəlɪŋ/

-ing form of “circle” — travel around something

From this reading “Mary hardly left it, even to walk in the garden behind the circling brick wall.”

errands noun US /ˈerəndz/

plural of “errand” — a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission

From this reading “But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"”

innumerable adjective US /ˌɪˈnuːmərəbəl/

too numerous to be counted

From this reading “But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"”

Johnny's noun US /ˈdʒɑːniz/

possessive form of “johnny” — “Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms

From this reading “And sometimes Johnny's father would say, "Yes."”

panic noun US /ˈpænɪk/

an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety

From this reading “"You didn't speak to him?" she would ask, in a panic.”

Smith's noun US /smɪθs/

possessive form of “smith” — Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)

From this reading “AFTER Mr. Smith's death the Robertsons stayed on in Old Chester to close the house.”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

brick wall noun + noun

In this reading “Mary hardly left it, even to walk in the garden behind the circling brick wall.”

came back verb + particle counted as “come back”

be restored

In this reading “But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"”

in the garden preposition + article + noun counted as “in … garden”

In this reading “Mary hardly left it, even to walk in the garden behind the circling brick wall.”

stayed on verb + particle counted as “stay on”

continue in a place, position, or situation

In this reading “AFTER Mr. Smith's death the Robertsons stayed on in Old Chester to close the house.”

All words in this reading · 53

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "You didn't speak to him?" she would ask, in a panic.

AFTERprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading AFTER Mr. Smith's death the Robertsons stayed on in Old Chester to close the house.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

askverbUS /æsk/

make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading "You didn't speak to him?" she would ask, in a panic.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading Mary hardly left it, even to walk in the garden behind the circling brick wall.

bricknounUS /brɪk/

rectangular block of clay baked by the sun or in a kiln; used as a building or paving material

From this reading Mary hardly left it, even to walk in the garden behind the circling brick wall.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

ChesternounUS /ˈtʃestər/

a city of southeastern Pennsylvania on the Delaware river (an industrial suburb of Philadelphia)

From this reading AFTER Mr. Smith's death the Robertsons stayed on in Old Chester to close the house.

circlingverbUS /ˈsɜːrkəlɪŋ/

-ing form of “circle” — travel around something

From this reading Mary hardly left it, even to walk in the garden behind the circling brick wall.

closeadjectiveUS /kloʊs/

at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other

From this reading AFTER Mr. Smith's death the Robertsons stayed on in Old Chester to close the house.

deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading AFTER Mr. Smith's death the Robertsons stayed on in Old Chester to close the house.

Didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

didn't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "You didn't speak to him?" she would ask, in a panic.

errandsnounUS /ˈerəndz/

plural of “errand” — a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission

From this reading But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading Mary hardly left it, even to walk in the garden behind the circling brick wall.

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading And sometimes Johnny's father would say, "Yes."

gardennounUS /ˈɡɑːrdən/

a plot of ground where plants are cultivated

From this reading Mary hardly left it, even to walk in the garden behind the circling brick wall.

hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/

only a very short time before

From this reading Mary hardly left it, even to walk in the garden behind the circling brick wall.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading AFTER Mr. Smith's death the Robertsons stayed on in Old Chester to close the house.

husbandnounUS /ˈhʌzbənd/

a married man; a woman's partner in marriage

From this reading But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading AFTER Mr. Smith's death the Robertsons stayed on in Old Chester to close the house.

innumerableadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈnuːmərəbəl/

too numerous to be counted

From this reading But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Mary hardly left it, even to walk in the garden behind the circling brick wall.

Johnny'snounUS /ˈdʒɑːniz/

From this reading And sometimes Johnny's father would say, "Yes."

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading Mary hardly left it, even to walk in the garden behind the circling brick wall.

MarynounUS /ˈmeri/

the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics

From this reading Mary hardly left it, even to walk in the garden behind the circling brick wall.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading AFTER Mr. Smith's death the Robertsons stayed on in Old Chester to close the house.

OldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading AFTER Mr. Smith's death the Robertsons stayed on in Old Chester to close the house.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading AFTER Mr. Smith's death the Robertsons stayed on in Old Chester to close the house.

panicnounUS /ˈpænɪk/

an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety

From this reading "You didn't speak to him?" she would ask, in a panic.

Robertsons

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AFTER Mr. Smith's death the Robertsons stayed on in Old Chester to close the house.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

sentnounUS /sent/

100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia

From this reading But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

Smith'snounUS /smɪθs/

possessive form of “smith” — Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)

From this reading AFTER Mr. Smith's death the Robertsons stayed on in Old Chester to close the house.

sometimesadverbUS /səmˈtaɪmz/

on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always

From this reading And sometimes Johnny's father would say, "Yes."

speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading "You didn't speak to him?" she would ask, in a panic.

stayedverbUS /steɪd/

past form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading AFTER Mr. Smith's death the Robertsons stayed on in Old Chester to close the house.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading AFTER Mr. Smith's death the Robertsons stayed on in Old Chester to close the house.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading AFTER Mr. Smith's death the Robertsons stayed on in Old Chester to close the house.

walknounUS /wɔːk/

the act of traveling by foot

From this reading Mary hardly left it, even to walk in the garden behind the circling brick wall.

wallnounUS /wɔːl/

an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading Mary hardly left it, even to walk in the garden behind the circling brick wall.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading And sometimes Johnny's father would say, "Yes."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading But she sent her husband on innumerable errands into Old Chester, and when he came back she would say, "Did you see--_him_?"

Chapter 4 of An Old Chester Secret by Margaret Wade Campbell Deland holds 237 sentences, grouped into 48 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, 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.

What does chapter 4 of An Old Chester Secret contain?

Chapter 4 holds 237 sentences of An Old Chester Secret, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of An Old Chester Secret by Margaret Wade Campbell Deland exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 237 sentences, grouped into 48 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of An Old Chester Secret?

Work through the 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 48 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 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.

Questions about reading An Old Chester Secret

Common questions about reading An Old Chester Secret by Margaret Wade Campbell Deland on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of An Old Chester Secret?

Yes. All 1949 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31792 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of An Old Chester Secret is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #31792, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does An Old Chester Secret take to read?

About 162 minutes of reading across 390 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in An Old Chester Secret

Words and structures a reader meets early in An Old Chester Secret, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author: A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Old Chester Secret; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Chester: A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Old Chester Secret; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Tales: A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Old Chester Secret; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Woman: A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Old Chester Secret; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter IV

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