Chapter X of Clubfoot the Avenger, “The Footstep in the Dark,” is here in full — 243 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter X
Chapter X of Clubfoot the Avenger, “The Footstep in the Dark,” is here in full — 243 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7. Desmond opened and Francis darted in. He caught his brother’s arm. “Clubfoot!” he gasped. Swiftly Desmond laid his finger on his lips.
Chapter X of Clubfoot the Avenger, “The Footstep in the Dark,” is here in full — 243 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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.
possessive form of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
past form of “dart” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading “Desmond opened and Francis darted in.”
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading “At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading ““Clubfoot!” he gasped.”
plural of “nail” — horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits
From this reading “At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.”
plural of “panel” — sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something
From this reading “At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.”
make short successive sounds
From this reading “At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.”
in a swift manner
From this reading “Swiftly Desmond laid his finger on his lips.”
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.
In this reading “At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.”
In this reading “At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.”
In this reading “Swiftly Desmond laid his finger on his lips.”
In this reading “At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Desmond opened and Francis darted in.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading He caught his brother’s arm.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.
possessive form of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading He caught his brother’s arm.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading He caught his brother’s arm.
congenital deformity of the foot usually marked by a curled shape or twisted position of the ankle and heel and toes
From this reading “Clubfoot!” he gasped.
past form of “dart” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading Desmond opened and Francis darted in.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Desmond opened and Francis darted in.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.
being one more than seven
From this reading At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading Swiftly Desmond laid his finger on his lips.
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Desmond opened and Francis darted in.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “Clubfoot!” he gasped.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He caught his brother’s arm.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He caught his brother’s arm.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Desmond opened and Francis darted in.
set down according to a plan
From this reading Swiftly Desmond laid his finger on his lips.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Swiftly Desmond laid his finger on his lips.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.
plural of “nail” — horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits
From this reading At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Desmond opened and Francis darted in.
plural of “panel” — sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something
From this reading At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.
make short successive sounds
From this reading At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.
in a swift manner
From this reading Swiftly Desmond laid his finger on his lips.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.
in or at that place or location
From this reading At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At ten minutes to eight that evening there came the rattle of nails on the glass panels of the door of Flat 7.
Chapter 10 of Clubfoot the Avenger by Valentine Williams holds 243 sentences, grouped into 49 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 10 holds 243 sentences of Clubfoot the Avenger, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of Clubfoot the Avenger by Valentine Williams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 243 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 Clubfoot the Avenger by Valentine Williams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4123 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65416 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65416, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 343 minutes of reading across 825 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Clubfoot the Avenger section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Clubfoot the Avenger 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 Clubfoot the Avenger, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
