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Doors of the Night
Doors of the Night

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of Doors of the Night is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Doors of the Night
Context Illustration Reading 1/82 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.
Someone, unless he were curiously mistaken, was out there in the lane at the rear of the place.
He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.
Murder!
That _casual_ discussion of murder!
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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.

Doors of the Night

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of Doors of the Night is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.
Line 2
Someone, unless he were curiously mistaken, was out there in the lane at the rear of the place.
/ˈsʌmwʌn ənˈles hiː wɜːr ˈkjʊriəsli mɪˈsteɪkən wɑːz aʊt ðer ɪn ðə leɪn æt ðə rɪr ʌv ðə pleɪs/
Line 3
He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.
Line 4
Murder!
/ˈmɜːrdər/
Line 5
That _casual_ discussion of murder!
/ðæt ˈkæʒəwəl dɪˈskʌʃən ʌv ˈmɜːrdər/

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.

automatic adjective US /ˌɔːtəˈmætɪk/

operating with minimal human intervention; independent of external control

From this reading “He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
casual adjective US /ˈkæʒəwəl/

marked by blithe unconcern

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
caution noun US /ˈkɑːʃən/

the trait of being cautious; being attentive to possible danger

From this reading “He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
crouched verb US /kraʊtʃt/

past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down

From this reading “Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
divide verb US /dɪˈvaɪd/

separate into parts or portions

From this reading “He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
intently adverb US /ˌɪnˈtentli/

with strained or eager attention

From this reading “He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
purely adverb US /ˈpjʊrli/

restricted to something

From this reading “He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
turmoil noun US /ˈtɜːrmɔɪl/

a violent disturbance

From this reading “He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

against the wall preposition + article + noun counted as “against … wall”

In this reading “Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.”

15,258 times in 426,212 chapters
crouched down verb + adjective counted as “crouch down”

In this reading “Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.”

1,969 times in 426,212 chapters
from the window preposition + article + noun counted as “from … window”

In this reading “Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.”

10,191 times in 426,212 chapters
at the rear preposition + article + noun counted as “at … rear”

In this reading “Someone, unless he were curiously mistaken, was out there in the lane at the rear of the place.”

2,425 times in 426,212 chapters
act of verb + particle

In this reading “He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.”

28,018 times in 426,212 chapters

All words in this reading · 56

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 He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
actverbUS /ækt/

perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Someone, unless he were curiously mistaken, was out there in the lane at the rear of the place.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
attentionnounUS /əˈtenʃən/

the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
automaticadjectiveUS /ˌɔːtəˈmætɪk/

operating with minimal human intervention; independent of external control

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BillynounUS /ˈbɪli/

a short stout club used primarily by policemen

From this reading Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
brainnounUS /breɪn/

that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
buildingnounUS /ˈbɪldɪŋ/

a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place

From this reading Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
casualadjectiveUS /ˈkæʒəwəl/

marked by blithe unconcern

From this reading That _casual_ discussion of murder!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cautionnounUS /ˈkɑːʃən/

the trait of being cautious; being attentive to possible danger

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
crouchedverbUS /kraʊtʃt/

past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down

From this reading Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
curiouslyadverbUS /ˈkjʊriəsli/

in a manner differing from the usual or expected

From this reading Someone, unless he were curiously mistaken, was out there in the lane at the rear of the place.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
discussionnounUS /dɪˈskʌʃən/

an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic

From this reading That _casual_ discussion of murder!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
divideverbUS /dɪˈvaɪd/

separate into parts or portions

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
drewnounUS /druː/

United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)

From this reading Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Someone, unless he were curiously mistaken, was out there in the lane at the rear of the place.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Someone, unless he were curiously mistaken, was out there in the lane at the rear of the place.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
intentlyadverbUS /ˌɪnˈtentli/

with strained or eager attention

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Kane

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

From this reading Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.

Pending verification
lanenounUS /leɪn/

a narrow way or road

From this reading Someone, unless he were curiously mistaken, was out there in the lane at the rear of the place.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
listeningnounUS /ˈlɪsənɪŋ/

the act of hearing attentively

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mistakenadjectiveUS /mɪˈsteɪkən/

wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment

From this reading Someone, unless he were curiously mistaken, was out there in the lane at the rear of the place.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MurderverbUS /ˈmɜːrdər/

kill intentionally and with premeditation

From this reading Murder!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Someone, unless he were curiously mistaken, was out there in the lane at the rear of the place.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading Someone, unless he were curiously mistaken, was out there in the lane at the rear of the place.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
purelyadverbUS /ˈpjʊrli/

restricted to something

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rearnounUS /rɪr/

the back of a military formation or procession

From this reading Someone, unless he were curiously mistaken, was out there in the lane at the rear of the place.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
somehowadverbUS /ˈsʌmhaʊ/

in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SomeonepronounUS /ˈsʌmwʌn/

a person, without saying who

From this reading Someone, unless he were curiously mistaken, was out there in the lane at the rear of the place.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
suddenlyadverbUS /ˈsʌdənli/

happening unexpectedly

From this reading Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Someone, unless he were curiously mistaken, was out there in the lane at the rear of the place.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
turmoilnounUS /ˈtɜːrmɔɪl/

a violent disturbance

From this reading He was listening intently now—but there was a strange turmoil in his brain that seemed somehow to divide his attention, that had made his act of caution one that was almost purely automatic.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
unlessconjunctionUS /ənˈles/

except if; if not

From this reading Someone, unless he were curiously mistaken, was out there in the lane at the rear of the place.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
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 Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Someone, unless he were curiously mistaken, was out there in the lane at the rear of the place.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Someone, unless he were curiously mistaken, was out there in the lane at the rear of the place.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
windownounUS /ˈwɪndoʊ/

a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air

From this reading Billy Kane drew suddenly back from the window, and crouched down again against the wall of the building.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 6 of Doors of the Night by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 6 of Doors of the Night contain?

Chapter 6 holds 412 sentences of Doors of the Night, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 6 of Doors of the Night by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 6 of Doors of the Night?

Work through the 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 83 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 6 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 6 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 Doors of the Night

Common questions about reading Doors of the Night by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Doors of the Night?

Yes. All 5888 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35818 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Doors of the Night is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #35818, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Doors of the Night take to read?

About 490 minutes of reading across 1178 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Doors of the Night section by section

How to work through Doors of the Night section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Doors of the Night

Words and structures a reader meets early in Doors of the Night, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Doors of the Night; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pawned
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Doors of the Night; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Night
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Doors of the Night; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Operator
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Doors of the Night; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.