Chapter 2 of The Ashiel mystery is here in full — 248 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Ashiel mystery is here in full — 248 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door. "Oh yes, Miss Juliet Byrne," he said when Juliet had told him her name. "Mr. Findlay is expecting you. Will you walk upstairs, Miss Byrne, please. I think you have an appointment for twelve o'clock?
Chapter 2 of The Ashiel mystery is here in full — 248 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
the act of putting a person into a non-elective position
From this reading “I think you have an appointment for twelve o'clock?”
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading “A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.”
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading “A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.”
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “"Mr. Findlay is expecting you.”
depressingly dark
From this reading “A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.”
according to the clock
From this reading “I think you have an appointment for twelve o'clock?”
a simple seat without a back or arms
From this reading “A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.”
on a floor above
From this reading “Will you walk upstairs, Miss Byrne, please.”
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 A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I think you have an appointment for twelve o'clock?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.
the act of putting a person into a non-elective position
From this reading I think you have an appointment for twelve o'clock?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh yes, Miss Juliet Byrne," he said when Juliet had told him her name.
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading "Mr. Findlay is expecting you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mr. Findlay is expecting you.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I think you have an appointment for twelve o'clock?
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.
depressingly dark
From this reading A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Oh yes, Miss Juliet Byrne," he said when Juliet had told him her name.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I think you have an appointment for twelve o'clock?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Oh yes, Miss Juliet Byrne," he said when Juliet had told him her name.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Oh yes, Miss Juliet Byrne," he said when Juliet had told him her name.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I think you have an appointment for twelve o'clock?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Mr. Findlay is expecting you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh yes, Miss Juliet Byrne," he said when Juliet had told him her name.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Oh yes, Miss Juliet Byrne," he said when Juliet had told him her name.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Mr. Findlay is expecting you.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Oh yes, Miss Juliet Byrne," he said when Juliet had told him her name.
according to the clock
From this reading I think you have an appointment for twelve o'clock?
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh yes, Miss Juliet Byrne," he said when Juliet had told him her name.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading Will you walk upstairs, Miss Byrne, please.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Oh yes, Miss Juliet Byrne," he said when Juliet had told him her name.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.
a simple seat without a back or arms
From this reading A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I think you have an appointment for twelve o'clock?
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "Oh yes, Miss Juliet Byrne," he said when Juliet had told him her name.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading I think you have an appointment for twelve o'clock?
on a floor above
From this reading Will you walk upstairs, Miss Byrne, please.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading Will you walk upstairs, Miss Byrne, please.
at the time that
From this reading "Oh yes, Miss Juliet Byrne," he said when Juliet had told him her name.
in or at the place that
From this reading A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Will you walk upstairs, Miss Byrne, please.
the act of creating written works
From this reading A gloomy little clerk climbed down from a high stool where he sat writing, and opened the door.
an affirmative
From this reading "Oh yes, Miss Juliet Byrne," he said when Juliet had told him her name.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Mr. Findlay is expecting you.
Chapter 2 of The Ashiel mystery by Marion Bryce holds 248 sentences, grouped into 50 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 2 holds 248 sentences of The Ashiel mystery, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Ashiel mystery by Marion Bryce exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 248 sentences, grouped into 50 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 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 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 2 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 Ashiel mystery by Marion Bryce on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4381 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9746 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9746, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 365 minutes of reading across 877 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ashiel mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Ashiel 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 The Ashiel mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
