Chapter 1 of Miss Mephistopheles is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Miss Mephistopheles is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MISS MEPHISTOPHELES. _A NOVEL_. (SEQUEL TO MADAME MIDAS.) AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "MADAME MIDAS," "THE PICCADILLY PUZZLE," ETC. _IN ONE VOLUME_.
Chapter 1 of Miss Mephistopheles is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "MADAME MIDAS," "THE PICCADILLY PUZZLE," ETC.”
a two-wheeled horse-drawn covered carriage with the driver's seat above and behind the passengers
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "MADAME MIDAS," "THE PICCADILLY PUZZLE," ETC.”
(Greek legend) the greedy king of Phrygia who Dionysus gave the power to turn everything he touched into gold
From this reading “(SEQUEL TO MADAME MIDAS.)”
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "MADAME MIDAS," "THE PICCADILLY PUZZLE," ETC.”
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
be a mystery or bewildering to
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "MADAME MIDAS," "THE PICCADILLY PUZZLE," ETC.”
something that follows something else
From this reading “(SEQUEL TO MADAME MIDAS.)”
the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
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.
a two-wheeled horse-drawn covered carriage with the driver's seat above and behind the passengers
In this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "MADAME MIDAS," "THE PICCADILLY PUZZLE," ETC.”
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 _A NOVEL_.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "MADAME MIDAS," "THE PICCADILLY PUZZLE," ETC.
a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "MADAME MIDAS," "THE PICCADILLY PUZZLE," ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "MADAME MIDAS," "THE PICCADILLY PUZZLE," ETC.
a two-wheeled horse-drawn covered carriage with the driver's seat above and behind the passengers
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "MADAME MIDAS," "THE PICCADILLY PUZZLE," ETC.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _IN ONE VOLUME_.
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading (SEQUEL TO MADAME MIDAS.)
evil spirit to whom Faust sold his soul
From this reading MISS MEPHISTOPHELES.
(Greek legend) the greedy king of Phrygia who Dionysus gave the power to turn everything he touched into gold
From this reading (SEQUEL TO MADAME MIDAS.)
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading MISS MEPHISTOPHELES.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "MADAME MIDAS," "THE PICCADILLY PUZZLE," ETC.
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading _A NOVEL_.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "MADAME MIDAS," "THE PICCADILLY PUZZLE," ETC.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading _IN ONE VOLUME_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "MADAME MIDAS," "THE PICCADILLY PUZZLE," ETC.
be a mystery or bewildering to
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "MADAME MIDAS," "THE PICCADILLY PUZZLE," ETC.
something that follows something else
From this reading (SEQUEL TO MADAME MIDAS.)
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "MADAME MIDAS," "THE PICCADILLY PUZZLE," ETC.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading (SEQUEL TO MADAME MIDAS.)
the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading _IN ONE VOLUME_.
Chapter 1 of Miss Mephistopheles by Fergus Hume holds 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 1 holds 129 sentences of Miss Mephistopheles, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Miss Mephistopheles by Fergus Hume exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 1 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 Miss Mephistopheles by Fergus Hume on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3851 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55378 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55378, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 320 minutes of reading across 771 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Miss Mephistopheles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Miss Mephistopheles 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 Miss Mephistopheles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
