Chapter 10 of His Last Bow is here in full — 587 sentences across 118 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of His Last Bow is here in full — 587 sentences across 118 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Yes, yes.” “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.” “I could only account for it so.” “You are proud of your brains, Holmes, are you not? Think yourself smart, don’t you?
Chapter 10 of His Last Bow is here in full — 587 sentences across 118 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/117 · 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.
plural of “brain” — 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 ““You are proud of your brains, Holmes, are you not?”
reduced in size or pulled together
From this reading ““The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.””
the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
From this reading ““The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.””
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading ““The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.””
a fictitious detective in stories by A. Conan Doyle
From this reading ““You are proud of your brains, Holmes, are you not?”
feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
From this reading ““You are proud of your brains, Holmes, are you not?”
plural of “sailor” — any member of a ship's crew
From this reading ““The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.””
showing mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness
From this reading “Think yourself smart, don’t you?”
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 ““The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.””
In this reading ““The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.””
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.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading “I could only account for it so.”
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “You are proud of your brains, Holmes, are you not?
plural of “brain” — 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 “You are proud of your brains, Holmes, are you not?
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
reduced in size or pulled together
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “I could only account for it so.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Think yourself smart, don’t you?
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
a boy or man
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
a fictitious detective in stories by A. Conan Doyle
From this reading “You are proud of your brains, Holmes, are you not?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I could only account for it so.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “You are proud of your brains, Holmes, are you not?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “You are proud of your brains, Holmes, are you not?
and nothing more
From this reading “I could only account for it so.”
feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
From this reading “You are proud of your brains, Holmes, are you not?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
plural of “sailor” — any member of a ship's crew
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
showing mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness
From this reading Think yourself smart, don’t you?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “I could only account for it so.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Think yourself smart, don’t you?
which person or people
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, yes.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—said that you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You are proud of your brains, Holmes, are you not?
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading Think yourself smart, don’t you?
Chapter 10 of His Last Bow by Arthur Conan Doyle holds 587 sentences, grouped into 118 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 10 holds 587 sentences of His Last Bow, unabridged, divided into 118 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of His Last Bow by Arthur Conan Doyle exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 587 sentences, grouped into 118 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 118 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 118 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 10 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 His Last Bow by Arthur Conan Doyle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4431 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2350 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2350, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 369 minutes of reading across 887 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through His Last Bow section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of His Last Bow 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 His Last Bow, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
