Chapter 26 of Lightning Express is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of Lightning Express is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE NEW STEAMER. However much Tommy Toppleton deserved the fate which had befallen him, I really pitied him. I am sure that not a single emotion of triumph had a place in my heart. I neither said nor thought that it served him right. I was sorry for him, and my regret was entirely unselfish.
Chapter 26 of Lightning Express is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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 “befall” — become of; happen to
From this reading “However much Tommy Toppleton deserved the fate which had befallen him, I really pitied him.”
properly deserved
From this reading “However much Tommy Toppleton deserved the fate which had befallen him, I really pitied him.”
any strong feeling
From this reading “I am sure that not a single emotion of triumph had a place in my heart.”
inflected form of “pity” — share the suffering of
From this reading “However much Tommy Toppleton deserved the fate which had befallen him, I really pitied him.”
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading “I was sorry for him, and my regret was entirely unselfish.”
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading “I neither said nor thought that it served him right.”
a clam that is usually steamed in the shell
From this reading “THE NEW STEAMER.”
a successful ending of a struggle or contest
From this reading “I am sure that not a single emotion of triumph had a place in my heart.”
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.
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 I am sure that not a single emotion of triumph had a place in my heart.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am sure that not a single emotion of triumph had a place in my heart.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I was sorry for him, and my regret was entirely unselfish.
inflected form of “befall” — become of; happen to
From this reading However much Tommy Toppleton deserved the fate which had befallen him, I really pitied him.
properly deserved
From this reading However much Tommy Toppleton deserved the fate which had befallen him, I really pitied him.
any strong feeling
From this reading I am sure that not a single emotion of triumph had a place in my heart.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading I was sorry for him, and my regret was entirely unselfish.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading However much Tommy Toppleton deserved the fate which had befallen him, I really pitied him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I was sorry for him, and my regret was entirely unselfish.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading However much Tommy Toppleton deserved the fate which had befallen him, I really pitied him.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading I am sure that not a single emotion of triumph had a place in my heart.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading However much Tommy Toppleton deserved the fate which had befallen him, I really pitied him.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading However much Tommy Toppleton deserved the fate which had befallen him, I really pitied him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading However much Tommy Toppleton deserved the fate which had befallen him, I really pitied him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I am sure that not a single emotion of triumph had a place in my heart.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I neither said nor thought that it served him right.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading However much Tommy Toppleton deserved the fate which had befallen him, I really pitied him.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I am sure that not a single emotion of triumph had a place in my heart.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading I neither said nor thought that it served him right.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading THE NEW STEAMER.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading I neither said nor thought that it served him right.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I am sure that not a single emotion of triumph had a place in my heart.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I am sure that not a single emotion of triumph had a place in my heart.
inflected form of “pity” — share the suffering of
From this reading However much Tommy Toppleton deserved the fate which had befallen him, I really pitied him.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading I am sure that not a single emotion of triumph had a place in my heart.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading However much Tommy Toppleton deserved the fate which had befallen him, I really pitied him.
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading I was sorry for him, and my regret was entirely unselfish.
precisely, exactly
From this reading I neither said nor thought that it served him right.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I neither said nor thought that it served him right.
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading I neither said nor thought that it served him right.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading I am sure that not a single emotion of triumph had a place in my heart.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading I was sorry for him, and my regret was entirely unselfish.
a clam that is usually steamed in the shell
From this reading THE NEW STEAMER.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading I am sure that not a single emotion of triumph had a place in my heart.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I am sure that not a single emotion of triumph had a place in my heart.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE NEW STEAMER.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I neither said nor thought that it served him right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading However much Tommy Toppleton deserved the fate which had befallen him, I really pitied him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading However much Tommy Toppleton deserved the fate which had befallen him, I really pitied him.
a successful ending of a struggle or contest
From this reading I am sure that not a single emotion of triumph had a place in my heart.
disregarding your own advantages and welfare over those of others
From this reading I was sorry for him, and my regret was entirely unselfish.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was sorry for him, and my regret was entirely unselfish.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading However much Tommy Toppleton deserved the fate which had befallen him, I really pitied him.
Chapter 26 of Lightning Express by Oliver Optic holds 376 sentences, grouped into 76 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 26 holds 376 sentences of Lightning Express, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of Lightning Express by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 376 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 26 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 Lightning Express by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3354 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76892 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76892, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 279 minutes of reading across 671 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Lightning Express section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Lightning Express 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 Lightning Express, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
