Chapter 28 of Murder by the clock is here in full — 260 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVIII
Chapter 28 of Murder by the clock is here in full — 260 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above. Somewhere—somewhere was the entrance to the stairs leading farther up to the attic. Ah!—softly now, quietly, not to disturb or shock. Thank God the treads were firm and didn’t creak.
Chapter 28 of Murder by the clock is here in full — 260 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/52 · 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.
floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage
From this reading “Somewhere—somewhere was the entrance to the stairs leading farther up to the attic.”
an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading “6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.”
make a high-pitched, screeching noise
From this reading “Thank God the treads were firm and didn’t creak.”
move deeply
From this reading “Ah!—softly now, quietly, not to disturb or shock.”
aimless wandering from place to place
From this reading “6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.”
become covered with mist
From this reading “6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.”
the sport of engaging in contests of speed
From this reading “6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.”
plural of “tread” — a step in walking or running
From this reading “Thank God the treads were firm and didn’t creak.”
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 “6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ah!—softly now, quietly, not to disturb or shock.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage
From this reading Somewhere—somewhere was the entrance to the stairs leading farther up to the attic.
an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
make a high-pitched, screeching noise
From this reading Thank God the treads were firm and didn’t creak.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thank God the treads were firm and didn’t creak.
move deeply
From this reading Ah!—softly now, quietly, not to disturb or shock.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
aimless wandering from place to place
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading Somewhere—somewhere was the entrance to the stairs leading farther up to the attic.
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading Somewhere—somewhere was the entrance to the stairs leading farther up to the attic.
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading Thank God the treads were firm and didn’t creak.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading Thank God the treads were firm and didn’t creak.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
indicating the most important performer or role
From this reading Somewhere—somewhere was the entrance to the stairs leading farther up to the attic.
a commissioned military officer
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
become covered with mist
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
not any; not one
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Ah!—softly now, quietly, not to disturb or shock.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Ah!—softly now, quietly, not to disturb or shock.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Ah!—softly now, quietly, not to disturb or shock.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
with low volume
From this reading Ah!—softly now, quietly, not to disturb or shock.
the sport of engaging in contests of speed
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading Ah!—softly now, quietly, not to disturb or shock.
with low volume
From this reading Ah!—softly now, quietly, not to disturb or shock.
in or at or to some place
From this reading Somewhere—somewhere was the entrance to the stairs leading farther up to the attic.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading Thank God the treads were firm and didn’t creak.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
plural of “tread” — a step in walking or running
From this reading Thank God the treads were firm and didn’t creak.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 6:00 a. m.—Mist Drifting Through Mist Lieutenant Valcour was out of the door in no time and racing along the corridor up the stairs to the floor above.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Thank God the treads were firm and didn’t creak.
Chapter 28 of Murder by the clock by Rufus King holds 260 sentences, grouped into 52 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 28 holds 260 sentences of Murder by the clock, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 28 of Murder by the clock by Rufus King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 260 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 28 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 Murder by the clock by Rufus King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4710 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75500 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75500, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 392 minutes of reading across 942 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Murder by the clock section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of Murder by the clock 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 Murder by the clock, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
