Chapter 31 of Arthur Mervyn is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Arthur Mervyn is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mervyn's auditors allowed no pause in their attention to this story. Having ended, a deep silence took place. The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us. It was now struck a third time. It was _one_.
Chapter 31 of Arthur Mervyn is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
plural of “auditor” — someone who listens attentively
From this reading “Mervyn's auditors allowed no pause in their attention to this story.”
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading “The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.”
in accordance with convention or custom
From this reading “The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.”
having come or been brought to a conclusion
From this reading “Having ended, a deep silence took place.”
shelf that projects from wall above fireplace
From this reading “The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.”
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading “Mervyn's auditors allowed no pause in their attention to this story.”
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading “The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.”
two times
From this reading “The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Having ended, a deep silence took place.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading Mervyn's auditors allowed no pause in their attention to this story.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading Mervyn's auditors allowed no pause in their attention to this story.
plural of “auditor” — someone who listens attentively
From this reading Mervyn's auditors allowed no pause in their attention to this story.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.
in accordance with convention or custom
From this reading The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading Having ended, a deep silence took place.
having come or been brought to a conclusion
From this reading Having ended, a deep silence took place.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Having ended, a deep silence took place.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mervyn's auditors allowed no pause in their attention to this story.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was now struck a third time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.
shelf that projects from wall above fireplace
From this reading The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mervyn's auditors allowed no pause in their attention to this story.
not any; not one
From this reading Mervyn's auditors allowed no pause in their attention to this story.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It was now struck a third time.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It was _one_.
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading Mervyn's auditors allowed no pause in their attention to this story.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Having ended, a deep silence took place.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Having ended, a deep silence took place.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading Mervyn's auditors allowed no pause in their attention to this story.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading It was now struck a third time.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Mervyn's auditors allowed no pause in their attention to this story.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading It was now struck a third time.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Mervyn's auditors allowed no pause in their attention to this story.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It was now struck a third time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mervyn's auditors allowed no pause in their attention to this story.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Having ended, a deep silence took place.
two times
From this reading The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was now struck a third time.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The clock which stood upon the mantel had sounded twice the customary _larum_, but had not been heard by us.
Chapter 31 of Arthur Mervyn by Charles Brockden Brown holds 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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.
Chapter 31 holds 139 sentences of Arthur Mervyn, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Arthur Mervyn by Charles Brockden Brown exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 31 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 Arthur Mervyn by Charles Brockden Brown on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9110 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18508 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18508, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1822 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Arthur Mervyn section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Arthur Mervyn 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 Arthur Mervyn, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
