Chapter 8 of Flames is here in full — 481 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Flames is here in full — 481 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE TRANCE Gaining no reply to his call, Julian grew alarmed. He sprang up from the table and turned on the electric light. Valentine was leaning back nervelessly in his chair. His face was quite pale and cold. His lips were slightly parted.
Chapter 8 of Flames is here in full — 481 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/96 · 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.
experiencing a sudden sense of danger
From this reading “THE TRANCE Gaining no reply to his call, Julian grew alarmed.”
using or providing or producing or transmitting or operated by electricity
From this reading “He sprang up from the table and turned on the electric light.”
-ing form of “gain” — obtain
From this reading “THE TRANCE Gaining no reply to his call, Julian grew alarmed.”
Roman Emperor and nephew of Constantine; he restored paganism as the official religion of the Roman Empire and destroyed Christian temples but his decision was reversed after his death (331?-363)
From this reading “THE TRANCE Gaining no reply to his call, Julian grew alarmed.”
having a margin incised almost to the base so as to create distinct divisions or lobes
From this reading “His lips were slightly parted.”
to a small degree or extent
From this reading “His lips were slightly parted.”
a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation
From this reading “THE TRANCE Gaining no reply to his call, Julian grew alarmed.”
a sweetheart chosen to receive a greeting on Saint Valentine's Day
From this reading “Valentine was leaning back nervelessly in his chair.”
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.
experiencing a sudden sense of danger
From this reading THE TRANCE Gaining no reply to his call, Julian grew alarmed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He sprang up from the table and turned on the electric light.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Valentine was leaning back nervelessly in his chair.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading THE TRANCE Gaining no reply to his call, Julian grew alarmed.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Valentine was leaning back nervelessly in his chair.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading His face was quite pale and cold.
using or providing or producing or transmitting or operated by electricity
From this reading He sprang up from the table and turned on the electric light.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His face was quite pale and cold.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He sprang up from the table and turned on the electric light.
-ing form of “gain” — obtain
From this reading THE TRANCE Gaining no reply to his call, Julian grew alarmed.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading THE TRANCE Gaining no reply to his call, Julian grew alarmed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He sprang up from the table and turned on the electric light.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE TRANCE Gaining no reply to his call, Julian grew alarmed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Valentine was leaning back nervelessly in his chair.
Roman Emperor and nephew of Constantine; he restored paganism as the official religion of the Roman Empire and destroyed Christian temples but his decision was reversed after his death (331?-363)
From this reading THE TRANCE Gaining no reply to his call, Julian grew alarmed.
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading Valentine was leaning back nervelessly in his chair.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading He sprang up from the table and turned on the electric light.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading His lips were slightly parted.
in a composed and unconcerned manner
From this reading Valentine was leaning back nervelessly in his chair.
not any; not one
From this reading THE TRANCE Gaining no reply to his call, Julian grew alarmed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He sprang up from the table and turned on the electric light.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading His face was quite pale and cold.
having a margin incised almost to the base so as to create distinct divisions or lobes
From this reading His lips were slightly parted.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading His face was quite pale and cold.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading THE TRANCE Gaining no reply to his call, Julian grew alarmed.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading His lips were slightly parted.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading He sprang up from the table and turned on the electric light.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading He sprang up from the table and turned on the electric light.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TRANCE Gaining no reply to his call, Julian grew alarmed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE TRANCE Gaining no reply to his call, Julian grew alarmed.
a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation
From this reading THE TRANCE Gaining no reply to his call, Julian grew alarmed.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He sprang up from the table and turned on the electric light.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He sprang up from the table and turned on the electric light.
a sweetheart chosen to receive a greeting on Saint Valentine's Day
From this reading Valentine was leaning back nervelessly in his chair.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Valentine was leaning back nervelessly in his chair.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His lips were slightly parted.
Chapter 8 of Flames by Robert Hichens holds 481 sentences, grouped into 97 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 8 holds 481 sentences of Flames, unabridged, divided into 97 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Flames by Robert Hichens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 481 sentences, grouped into 97 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 97 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 97 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 8 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 Flames by Robert Hichens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 12894 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14253 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14253, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2579 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Flames section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Flames 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 Flames, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
