Chapter 5 of In Direst Peril is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of In Direst Peril is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You gave me that last night,” I said, holding the scrap of paper before me. “You knew what was in it?” “I didn't know, sir; I guessed. Poor gentleman's wife, sir? I thought so, sir.”
Chapter 5 of In Direst Peril is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading ““You gave me that last night,” I said, holding the scrap of paper before me.”
possessive form of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading “Poor gentleman's wife, sir?”
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading ““I didn't know, sir; I guessed.”
the act of retaining something
From this reading ““You gave me that last night,” I said, holding the scrap of paper before me.”
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading ““You gave me that last night,” I said, holding the scrap of paper before me.”
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “Poor gentleman's wife, sir?”
a small fragment of something broken off from the whole
From this reading ““You gave me that last night,” I said, holding the scrap of paper before me.”
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “Poor gentleman's wife, sir?”
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.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “You gave me that last night,” I said, holding the scrap of paper before me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I didn't know, sir; I guessed.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “You gave me that last night,” I said, holding the scrap of paper before me.
possessive form of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading Poor gentleman's wife, sir?
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “I didn't know, sir; I guessed.
the act of retaining something
From this reading “You gave me that last night,” I said, holding the scrap of paper before me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “You gave me that last night,” I said, holding the scrap of paper before me.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “You knew what was in it?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “You knew what was in it?”
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “You knew what was in it?”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I didn't know, sir; I guessed.
immediately past
From this reading “You gave me that last night,” I said, holding the scrap of paper before me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You gave me that last night,” I said, holding the scrap of paper before me.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “You gave me that last night,” I said, holding the scrap of paper before me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “You gave me that last night,” I said, holding the scrap of paper before me.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading “You gave me that last night,” I said, holding the scrap of paper before me.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Poor gentleman's wife, sir?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You gave me that last night,” I said, holding the scrap of paper before me.
a small fragment of something broken off from the whole
From this reading “You gave me that last night,” I said, holding the scrap of paper before me.
term of address for a man
From this reading “I didn't know, sir; I guessed.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I thought so, sir.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “You gave me that last night,” I said, holding the scrap of paper before me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “You gave me that last night,” I said, holding the scrap of paper before me.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I thought so, sir.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “You knew what was in it?”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “You knew what was in it?”
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading Poor gentleman's wife, sir?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You gave me that last night,” I said, holding the scrap of paper before me.
Chapter 5 of In Direst Peril by David Christie Murray holds 195 sentences, grouped into 39 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 5 holds 195 sentences of In Direst Peril, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of In Direst Peril by David Christie Murray exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 195 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 5 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 In Direst Peril by David Christie Murray on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4213 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22205 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22205, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 351 minutes of reading across 843 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In Direst Peril section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of In Direst Peril 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 In Direst Peril, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
