Chapter 38 of The Beetle: A Mystery is here in full — 68 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVIII
Chapter 38 of The Beetle: A Mystery is here in full — 68 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD-CLASS CARRIAGE I moved to the stranger who was holding the lamp. He was in official uniform. ‘Are you the guard of the 12.0 out from St Pancras?’ ‘I am.’ ‘Where’s your train?
Chapter 38 of The Beetle: A Mystery is here in full — 68 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 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.
a railcar where passengers ride
From this reading “THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD-CLASS CARRIAGE I moved to the stranger who was holding the lamp.”
(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
From this reading “THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD-CLASS CARRIAGE I moved to the stranger who was holding the lamp.”
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading “‘Are you the guard of the 12.0 out from St Pancras?’”
the act of retaining something
From this reading “THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD-CLASS CARRIAGE I moved to the stranger who was holding the lamp.”
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading “THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD-CLASS CARRIAGE I moved to the stranger who was holding the lamp.”
having official authority or sanction
From this reading “He was in official uniform.”
create by training and teaching
From this reading “‘Where’s your train?”
always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences
From this reading “He was in official uniform.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Are you the guard of the 12.0 out from St Pancras?’
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading ‘I am.’
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading ‘Are you the guard of the 12.0 out from St Pancras?’
a railcar where passengers ride
From this reading THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD-CLASS CARRIAGE I moved to the stranger who was holding the lamp.
(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
From this reading THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD-CLASS CARRIAGE I moved to the stranger who was holding the lamp.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading ‘Are you the guard of the 12.0 out from St Pancras?’
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading ‘Are you the guard of the 12.0 out from St Pancras?’
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was in official uniform.
the act of retaining something
From this reading THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD-CLASS CARRIAGE I moved to the stranger who was holding the lamp.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD-CLASS CARRIAGE I moved to the stranger who was holding the lamp.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was in official uniform.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD-CLASS CARRIAGE I moved to the stranger who was holding the lamp.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD-CLASS CARRIAGE I moved to the stranger who was holding the lamp.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD-CLASS CARRIAGE I moved to the stranger who was holding the lamp.
having official authority or sanction
From this reading He was in official uniform.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading ‘Are you the guard of the 12.0 out from St Pancras?’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Are you the guard of the 12.0 out from St Pancras?’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Are you the guard of the 12.0 out from St Pancras?’
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD-CLASS CARRIAGE I moved to the stranger who was holding the lamp.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD-CLASS CARRIAGE I moved to the stranger who was holding the lamp.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD-CLASS CARRIAGE I moved to the stranger who was holding the lamp.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD-CLASS CARRIAGE I moved to the stranger who was holding the lamp.
create by training and teaching
From this reading ‘Where’s your train?
always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences
From this reading He was in official uniform.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD-CLASS CARRIAGE I moved to the stranger who was holding the lamp.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Where’s your train?
which person or people
From this reading THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD-CLASS CARRIAGE I moved to the stranger who was holding the lamp.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘Are you the guard of the 12.0 out from St Pancras?’
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘Where’s your train?
Chapter 38 of The Beetle: A Mystery by Richard Marsh holds 68 sentences, grouped into 14 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 38 holds 68 sentences of The Beetle: A Mystery, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 38 of The Beetle: A Mystery by Richard Marsh exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 68 sentences, grouped into 14 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 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 14 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 38 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 Beetle: A Mystery by Richard Marsh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6966 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5164 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5164, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 580 minutes of reading across 1394 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Beetle: A Mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Beetle: A 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 Beetle: A Mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
