Chapter 26 of Old Saint Paul's is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of Old Saint Paul's is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What has become of the prisoners?" he asked. "The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed." "And where are those poor creatures?" cried Leonard, horror-stricken. "In the Stone Hold," replied the turnkey. "And have you left them to perish there?" demanded Leonard.
Chapter 26 of Old Saint Paul's is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
plural of “creature” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “"And where are those poor creatures?" cried Leonard, horror-stricken.”
plural of “debtor” — a person who owes a creditor; someone who has the obligation of paying a debt
From this reading “"The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."”
plural of “felon” — someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
From this reading “"The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."”
United States writer of thrillers (born in 1925)
From this reading “"And where are those poor creatures?" cried Leonard, horror-stricken.”
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading “"And have you left them to perish there?" demanded Leonard.”
plural of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading “"What has become of the prisoners?" he asked.”
separated in relationship by a given degree of descent
From this reading “"The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."”
someone who guards prisoners
From this reading “"The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."”
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.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading "The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What has become of the prisoners?" he asked.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading "What has become of the prisoners?" he asked.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading "The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."
plural of “creature” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading "And where are those poor creatures?" cried Leonard, horror-stricken.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "And where are those poor creatures?" cried Leonard, horror-stricken.
plural of “debtor” — a person who owes a creditor; someone who has the obligation of paying a debt
From this reading "The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "And have you left them to perish there?" demanded Leonard.
plural of “felon” — someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
From this reading "The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading "The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What has become of the prisoners?" he asked.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "And have you left them to perish there?" demanded Leonard.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What has become of the prisoners?" he asked.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "In the Stone Hold," replied the turnkey.
stricken with horror
From this reading "And where are those poor creatures?" cried Leonard, horror-stricken.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "In the Stone Hold," replied the turnkey.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading "And have you left them to perish there?" demanded Leonard.
United States writer of thrillers (born in 1925)
From this reading "And where are those poor creatures?" cried Leonard, horror-stricken.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "What has become of the prisoners?" he asked.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading "And have you left them to perish there?" demanded Leonard.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading "And where are those poor creatures?" cried Leonard, horror-stricken.
plural of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading "What has become of the prisoners?" he asked.
separated in relationship by a given degree of descent
From this reading "The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading "In the Stone Hold," replied the turnkey.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "What has become of the prisoners?" he asked.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "And have you left them to perish there?" demanded Leonard.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "And have you left them to perish there?" demanded Leonard.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading "And where are those poor creatures?" cried Leonard, horror-stricken.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "And have you left them to perish there?" demanded Leonard.
someone who guards prisoners
From this reading "The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "The debtors are set free," replied the turnkey addressed, "and all but one or two of the common felons are removed."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What has become of the prisoners?" he asked.
in or at the place that
From this reading "And where are those poor creatures?" cried Leonard, horror-stricken.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "And have you left them to perish there?" demanded Leonard.
Chapter 26 of Old Saint Paul's by William Harrison Ainsworth holds 392 sentences, grouped into 79 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 392 sentences of Old Saint Paul's, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of Old Saint Paul's by William Harrison Ainsworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 392 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Old Saint Paul's by William Harrison Ainsworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10477 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11082 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11082, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2096 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Old Saint Paul's section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Old Saint Paul's 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 Old Saint Paul's, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
