Chapter 12 of Tales of Terror and Mystery is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Tales of Terror and Mystery is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend. My blood had done it, but he was to pay the price. "Get away!" he screamed. "Get away, you devil! Baldwin!
Chapter 12 of Tales of Terror and Mystery is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
United States author who was an outspoken critic of racism (1924-1987)
From this reading “Baldwin!”
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading “Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.”
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading “Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.”
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading “"Get away, you devil!”
a cruel wicked and inhuman person
From this reading “Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.”
the property of having material worth (often indicated by the amount of money something would bring if sold)
From this reading “My blood had done it, but he was to pay the price.”
the ability to recall past occurrences
From this reading “Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.”
past form of “scream” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “"Get away!" he screamed.”
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 Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Get away!" he screamed.
United States author who was an outspoken critic of racism (1924-1987)
From this reading Baldwin!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading My blood had done it, but he was to pay the price.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading "Get away, you devil!
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading My blood had done it, but he was to pay the price.
divisible by two
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
a cruel wicked and inhuman person
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Get away!" he screamed.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading My blood had done it, but he was to pay the price.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading My blood had done it, but he was to pay the price.
the property of having material worth (often indicated by the amount of money something would bring if sold)
From this reading My blood had done it, but he was to pay the price.
the ability to recall past occurrences
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
past form of “scream” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Get away!" he screamed.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
To perceive flavor through the mouth.
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading My blood had done it, but he was to pay the price.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My blood had done it, but he was to pay the price.
at the time that
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Suddenly even in my bemuddled brain a remembrance came of those words of his when he had said that the taste of blood would turn the cat into a fiend.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Get away, you devil!
Chapter 12 of Tales of Terror and Mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle holds 166 sentences, grouped into 34 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 12 holds 166 sentences of Tales of Terror and Mystery, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Tales of Terror and Mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 12 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 Tales of Terror and Mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3999 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #537 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #537, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 333 minutes of reading across 800 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tales of Terror and Mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Tales of Terror and Mystery 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 Tales of Terror and Mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
