Chapter 16 of Dorothy Harcourt's secret is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Dorothy Harcourt's secret is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly. Her two companions looked up in alarm. “By whom, in the name of heaven, do you think??” inquired Parson Shaw. “I am not certain,” she replied. “What shall you do?” asked Lawyer Merritt.
Chapter 16 of Dorothy Harcourt's secret is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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 “abduct” — take away to an undisclosed location against their will and usually in order to extract a ransom
From this reading ““The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly.”
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading “Her two companions looked up in alarm.”
the act of closing something
From this reading ““The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly.”
in a grim implacable manner
From this reading ““The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly.”
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading ““What shall you do?” asked Lawyer Merritt.”
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading ““By whom, in the name of heaven, do you think??” inquired Parson Shaw.”
a member of a people with dark skin and hair who speak Romany and who traditionally live by seasonal work and fortunetelling
From this reading ““The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly.”
United States clarinetist and leader of a swing band (1910-2004)
From this reading ““By whom, in the name of heaven, do you think??” inquired Parson Shaw.”
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.
seek information from
In this reading “Her two companions looked up in alarm.”
In this reading “Her two companions looked up in alarm.”
In this reading ““By whom, in the name of heaven, do you think??” inquired Parson Shaw.”
In this reading “Her two companions looked up in alarm.”
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.
past form of “abduct” — take away to an undisclosed location against their will and usually in order to extract a ransom
From this reading “The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading Her two companions looked up in alarm.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am not certain,” she replied.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “What shall you do?” asked Lawyer Merritt.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “By whom, in the name of heaven, do you think??” inquired Parson Shaw.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading “I am not certain,” she replied.
a young person of either sex
From this reading “The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly.
the act of closing something
From this reading “The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly.
plural of “companion” — a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading Her two companions looked up in alarm.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “By whom, in the name of heaven, do you think??” inquired Parson Shaw.
in a grim implacable manner
From this reading “The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading “By whom, in the name of heaven, do you think??” inquired Parson Shaw.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I am not certain,” she replied.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Her two companions looked up in alarm.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “By whom, in the name of heaven, do you think??” inquired Parson Shaw.
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading “What shall you do?” asked Lawyer Merritt.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading “The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Her two companions looked up in alarm.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What shall you do?” asked Lawyer Merritt.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “By whom, in the name of heaven, do you think??” inquired Parson Shaw.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I am not certain,” she replied.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “By whom, in the name of heaven, do you think??” inquired Parson Shaw.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading “The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly.
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading “By whom, in the name of heaven, do you think??” inquired Parson Shaw.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “I am not certain,” she replied.
a member of a people with dark skin and hair who speak Romany and who traditionally live by seasonal work and fortunetelling
From this reading “The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “What shall you do?” asked Lawyer Merritt.
United States clarinetist and leader of a swing band (1910-2004)
From this reading “By whom, in the name of heaven, do you think??” inquired Parson Shaw.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I am not certain,” she replied.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “By whom, in the name of heaven, do you think??” inquired Parson Shaw.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading “The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Her two companions looked up in alarm.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Her two companions looked up in alarm.
precisely as stated
From this reading “The child has been abducted,” said Roma, turning very pale, and closing her lips very grimly.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What shall you do?” asked Lawyer Merritt.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “By whom, in the name of heaven, do you think??” inquired Parson Shaw.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “By whom, in the name of heaven, do you think??” inquired Parson Shaw.
Chapter 16 of Dorothy Harcourt's secret by Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth holds 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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 16 holds 211 sentences of Dorothy Harcourt's secret, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Dorothy Harcourt's secret by Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 16 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 Dorothy Harcourt's secret by Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7605 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71098 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #71098, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1521 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dorothy Harcourt's secret section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Dorothy Harcourt's secret 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 Dorothy Harcourt's secret, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
