Chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room is here in full — 775 sentences across 155 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room is here in full — 775 sentences across 155 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Her candle was reflected in the face of the clock on the mantel. Its hands pointed to half-past two. She pulled at the bell cord by the fireplace. Why didn't the butler come? Alone she couldn't climb the enclosed staircase to try the other door.
Chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room is here in full — 775 sentences across 155 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 40/155 · 5 reading units · Lines 196–200
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 manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading “Why didn't the butler come?”
stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading “Her candle was reflected in the face of the clock on the mantel.”
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading “Alone she couldn't climb the enclosed staircase to try the other door.”
a line made of twisted fibers or threads
From this reading “She pulled at the bell cord by the fireplace.”
closed in or surrounded or included within
From this reading “Alone she couldn't climb the enclosed staircase to try the other door.”
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading “She pulled at the bell cord by the fireplace.”
shelf that projects from wall above fireplace
From this reading “Her candle was reflected in the face of the clock on the mantel.”
a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps
From this reading “Alone she couldn't climb the enclosed staircase to try the other door.”
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.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Alone she couldn't climb the enclosed staircase to try the other door.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She pulled at the bell cord by the fireplace.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading She pulled at the bell cord by the fireplace.
a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading Why didn't the butler come?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She pulled at the bell cord by the fireplace.
stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading Her candle was reflected in the face of the clock on the mantel.
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading Alone she couldn't climb the enclosed staircase to try the other door.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading Her candle was reflected in the face of the clock on the mantel.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Why didn't the butler come?
a line made of twisted fibers or threads
From this reading She pulled at the bell cord by the fireplace.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alone she couldn't climb the enclosed staircase to try the other door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why didn't the butler come?
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Alone she couldn't climb the enclosed staircase to try the other door.
closed in or surrounded or included within
From this reading Alone she couldn't climb the enclosed staircase to try the other door.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Her candle was reflected in the face of the clock on the mantel.
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading She pulled at the bell cord by the fireplace.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Its hands pointed to half-past two.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Its hands pointed to half-past two.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her candle was reflected in the face of the clock on the mantel.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Her candle was reflected in the face of the clock on the mantel.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Its hands pointed to half-past two.
shelf that projects from wall above fireplace
From this reading Her candle was reflected in the face of the clock on the mantel.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Her candle was reflected in the face of the clock on the mantel.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Her candle was reflected in the face of the clock on the mantel.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Alone she couldn't climb the enclosed staircase to try the other door.
having a point
From this reading Its hands pointed to half-past two.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading She pulled at the bell cord by the fireplace.
(especially of incident sound or light) bent or sent back
From this reading Her candle was reflected in the face of the clock on the mantel.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She pulled at the bell cord by the fireplace.
a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps
From this reading Alone she couldn't climb the enclosed staircase to try the other door.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Her candle was reflected in the face of the clock on the mantel.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Its hands pointed to half-past two.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading Alone she couldn't climb the enclosed staircase to try the other door.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Its hands pointed to half-past two.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Her candle was reflected in the face of the clock on the mantel.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why didn't the butler come?
Chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room by Wadsworth Camp holds 775 sentences, grouped into 155 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 775 sentences of The Abandoned Room, unabridged, divided into 155 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room by Wadsworth Camp exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 775 sentences, grouped into 155 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 155 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 155 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 The Abandoned Room by Wadsworth Camp on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Abandoned Room section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Abandoned Room, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
