Chapter 13 of The Amateur Cracksman is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Amateur Cracksman is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
His good spirits disappointed me. But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour. I knew him too well by this time to be deceived. "I've got it!" I cried in his ear.
Chapter 13 of The Amateur Cracksman is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
superlative of “black” — being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading “But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.”
superlative of “bright” — emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading “But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.”
past form of “deceive” — be false to; be dishonest with
From this reading “I knew him too well by this time to be deceived.”
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading “His good spirits disappointed me.”
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading “I cried in his ear.”
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.”
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading “His good spirits disappointed me.”
be dressed in
From this reading “But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.”
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 with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I knew him too well by this time to be deceived.
superlative of “black” — being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.
superlative of “bright” — emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I knew him too well by this time to be deceived.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading I cried in his ear.
past form of “deceive” — be false to; be dishonest with
From this reading I knew him too well by this time to be deceived.
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading His good spirits disappointed me.
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading I cried in his ear.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading His good spirits disappointed me.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "I've got it!"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I knew him too well by this time to be deceived.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His good spirits disappointed me.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've got it!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I've got it!"
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His good spirits disappointed me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading His good spirits disappointed me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I knew him too well by this time to be deceived.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I knew him too well by this time to be deceived.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I knew him too well by this time to be deceived.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading I knew him too well by this time to be deceived.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.
be dressed in
From this reading But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading I knew him too well by this time to be deceived.
which person or people
From this reading But I knew the man: he was one of those who wear their brightest smile in the blackest hour.
Chapter 13 of The Amateur Cracksman by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung holds 207 sentences, grouped into 42 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 13 holds 207 sentences of The Amateur Cracksman, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Amateur Cracksman by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 207 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 13 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 Amateur Cracksman by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3578 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #706 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #706, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 298 minutes of reading across 716 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Amateur Cracksman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Amateur Cracksman 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 The Amateur Cracksman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
