Chapter 3 of Dangerous Deeds is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Dangerous Deeds is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Well, what did you see?" demanded Mr. Ridgeway as the man paused. But he did not answer. He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top. Suddenly he sank to his knees, and peered under the edge. Then he beckoned Mr. Ridgeway and Lawrence.
Chapter 3 of Dangerous Deeds is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
past form of “beckon” — signal with the hands or nod
From this reading “Then he beckoned Mr. Ridgeway and Lawrence.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.”
Roman martyr; supposedly Lawrence was ordered by the police to give up the church's treasure and when he responded by presenting the poor people of Rome he was roasted to death on a gridiron (died in 258)
From this reading “Then he beckoned Mr. Ridgeway and Lawrence.”
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading “He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.”
wood of any of various mahogany trees; much used for cabinetwork and furniture
From this reading “He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.”
imposing in size or bulk or solidity
From this reading “He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.”
past form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading “Suddenly he sank to his knees, and peered under the edge.”
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading “Suddenly he sank to his knees, and peered under the edge.”
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 “He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.”
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 He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
react verbally
From this reading But he did not answer.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Well, what did you see?" demanded Mr. Ridgeway as the man paused.
past form of “beckon” — signal with the hands or nod
From this reading Then he beckoned Mr. Ridgeway and Lawrence.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he did not answer.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "Well, what did you see?" demanded Mr. Ridgeway as the man paused.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Well, what did you see?" demanded Mr. Ridgeway as the man paused.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But he did not answer.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading Suddenly he sank to his knees, and peered under the edge.
Roman martyr; supposedly Lawrence was ordered by the police to give up the church's treasure and when he responded by presenting the poor people of Rome he was roasted to death on a gridiron (died in 258)
From this reading Then he beckoned Mr. Ridgeway and Lawrence.
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
wood of any of various mahogany trees; much used for cabinetwork and furniture
From this reading He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Well, what did you see?" demanded Mr. Ridgeway as the man paused.
imposing in size or bulk or solidity
From this reading He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Well, what did you see?" demanded Mr. Ridgeway as the man paused.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But he did not answer.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading "Well, what did you see?" demanded Mr. Ridgeway as the man paused.
past form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading Suddenly he sank to his knees, and peered under the edge.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, what did you see?" demanded Mr. Ridgeway as the man paused.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading Suddenly he sank to his knees, and peered under the edge.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Well, what did you see?" demanded Mr. Ridgeway as the man paused.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly he sank to his knees, and peered under the edge.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Well, what did you see?" demanded Mr. Ridgeway as the man paused.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he beckoned Mr. Ridgeway and Lawrence.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Suddenly he sank to his knees, and peered under the edge.
the upper part of anything
From this reading He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, what did you see?" demanded Mr. Ridgeway as the man paused.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that Mr. Ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Well, what did you see?" demanded Mr. Ridgeway as the man paused.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, what did you see?" demanded Mr. Ridgeway as the man paused.
Chapter 3 of Dangerous Deeds by Frank Cobb holds 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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 3 holds 176 sentences of Dangerous Deeds, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Dangerous Deeds by Frank Cobb exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 3 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 Dangerous Deeds by Frank Cobb on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2776 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45546 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45546, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 231 minutes of reading across 556 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dangerous Deeds section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Dangerous Deeds 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 Dangerous Deeds, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
