Chapter 2 of Falling in with Fortune is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Falling in with Fortune is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE ACCUSATION, AND WHAT FOLLOWED. A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft. It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it. But at last he said indignantly, "I didn't take it. I never stole in my life."
Chapter 2 of Falling in with Fortune is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
a formal charge of wrongdoing brought against a person; the act of imputing blame or guilt
From this reading “THE ACCUSATION, AND WHAT FOLLOWED.”
of a particle or body or system; having a net amount of positive or negative electric charge
From this reading “A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft.”
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading “A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft.”
declare untrue; contradict
From this reading “It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.”
in an indignant manner
From this reading “But at last he said indignantly, "I didn't take it.”
a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
From this reading “I never stole in my life."”
call in an official matter, such as to attend court
From this reading “It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.”
the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
From this reading “A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft.”
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 “A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft.”
find unexpectedly
In this reading “It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.”
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 A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft.
a formal charge of wrongdoing brought against a person; the act of imputing blame or guilt
From this reading THE ACCUSATION, AND WHAT FOLLOWED.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE ACCUSATION, AND WHAT FOLLOWED.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But at last he said indignantly, "I didn't take it.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.
of a particle or body or system; having a net amount of positive or negative electric charge
From this reading A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.
declare untrue; contradict
From this reading It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But at last he said indignantly, "I didn't take it.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading THE ACCUSATION, AND WHAT FOLLOWED.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But at last he said indignantly, "I didn't take it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I never stole in my life."
in an indignant manner
From this reading But at last he said indignantly, "I didn't take it.
free from evil or guilt
From this reading A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.
immediately past
From this reading But at last he said indignantly, "I didn't take it.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading I never stole in my life."
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I never stole in my life."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never stole in my life."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.
a human being
From this reading A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading But at last he said indignantly, "I didn't take it.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.
a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
From this reading I never stole in my life."
happening unexpectedly
From this reading A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft.
call in an official matter, such as to attend court
From this reading It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.
carry out
From this reading But at last he said indignantly, "I didn't take it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE ACCUSATION, AND WHAT FOLLOWED.
the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
From this reading A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading It came upon Robert so suddenly that he could not at first summon presence of mind enough to deny it.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading THE ACCUSATION, AND WHAT FOLLOWED.
at the time that
From this reading A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft.
which person or people
From this reading A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A person who is entirely innocent is likely to look confused when suddenly charged with theft.
Chapter 2 of Falling in with Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 2 holds 156 sentences of Falling in with Fortune, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Falling in with Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 2 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 Falling in with Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4022 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58304 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58304, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 335 minutes of reading across 805 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Falling in with Fortune section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Falling in with Fortune 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 Falling in with Fortune, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
