Chapter 31 of Lady Audley's Secret is here in full — 337 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Lady Audley's Secret is here in full — 337 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE RED LIGHT IN THE SKY. My lady crushed the letter fiercely in her hand, and flung it from her into the flames. "If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!" She snatched up the lamp and rushed into the adjoining room. She shut the door behind her.
Chapter 31 of Lady Audley's Secret is here in full — 337 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/67 · 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.
-ing form of “adjoin” — lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
From this reading “She snatched up the lamp and rushed into the adjoining room.”
treated so as to have a permanently wrinkled appearance
From this reading “My lady crushed the letter fiercely in her hand, and flung it from her into the flames.”
in a physically fierce manner
From this reading “My lady crushed the letter fiercely in her hand, and flung it from her into the flames.”
plural of “flame” — the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
From this reading “My lady crushed the letter fiercely in her hand, and flung it from her into the flames.”
relating to or existing in the mind or thoughts
From this reading “"If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!"”
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading “She snatched up the lamp and rushed into the adjoining room.”
past form of “snatch” — to grasp hastily or eagerly
From this reading “She snatched up the lamp and rushed into the adjoining room.”
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading “"If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do 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 "If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!"
-ing form of “adjoin” — lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
From this reading She snatched up the lamp and rushed into the adjoining room.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading My lady crushed the letter fiercely in her hand, and flung it from her into the flames.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!"
at or toward the back of something
From this reading She shut the door behind her.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!"
treated so as to have a permanently wrinkled appearance
From this reading My lady crushed the letter fiercely in her hand, and flung it from her into the flames.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!"
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading She shut the door behind her.
in a physically fierce manner
From this reading My lady crushed the letter fiercely in her hand, and flung it from her into the flames.
plural of “flame” — the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
From this reading My lady crushed the letter fiercely in her hand, and flung it from her into the flames.
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading My lady crushed the letter fiercely in her hand, and flung it from her into the flames.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading My lady crushed the letter fiercely in her hand, and flung it from her into the flames.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading My lady crushed the letter fiercely in her hand, and flung it from her into the flames.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading My lady crushed the letter fiercely in her hand, and flung it from her into the flames.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!"
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE RED LIGHT IN THE SKY.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading My lady crushed the letter fiercely in her hand, and flung it from her into the flames.
relating to or existing in the mind or thoughts
From this reading "If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading My lady crushed the letter fiercely in her hand, and flung it from her into the flames.
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading "If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!"
a polite name for any woman
From this reading My lady crushed the letter fiercely in her hand, and flung it from her into the flames.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading She snatched up the lamp and rushed into the adjoining room.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading My lady crushed the letter fiercely in her hand, and flung it from her into the flames.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading THE RED LIGHT IN THE SKY.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!"
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading "If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My lady crushed the letter fiercely in her hand, and flung it from her into the flames.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!"
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading THE RED LIGHT IN THE SKY.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading She snatched up the lamp and rushed into the adjoining room.
done under pressure
From this reading She snatched up the lamp and rushed into the adjoining room.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!"
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading She shut the door behind her.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading THE RED LIGHT IN THE SKY.
past form of “snatch” — to grasp hastily or eagerly
From this reading She snatched up the lamp and rushed into the adjoining room.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading "If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!"
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading "If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE RED LIGHT IN THE SKY.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She snatched up the lamp and rushed into the adjoining room.
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading "If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "If he stood before me now, and I could kill him," she muttered in a strange, inward whisper, "I would do itI would do it!"
Chapter 31 of Lady Audley's Secret by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon holds 337 sentences, grouped into 68 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 31 holds 337 sentences of Lady Audley's Secret, unabridged, divided into 68 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Lady Audley's Secret by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 337 sentences, grouped into 68 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 68 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 68 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 31 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 Lady Audley's Secret by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7010 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8954 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8954, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 584 minutes of reading across 1402 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Lady Audley's Secret section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Lady Audley'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 Lady Audley's Secret, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
