Chapter 1 of The Betrayal is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Betrayal is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He looked out of my uncurtained window into the night. Very often have I wondered what thought it was that passed then through his brain. "I thank you," he said; "the walk is nothing, and they will expect me at Rowchester. You have pencil and paper. Write down what I tell you.--Colonel Mostyn Ray, No. 17, Sussex Square.
Chapter 1 of The Betrayal is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 35/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 171–175
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.
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 “Very often have I wondered what thought it was that passed then through his brain.”
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading “Write down what I tell you.--Colonel Mostyn Ray, No. 17, Sussex Square.”
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “"I thank you," he said; "the walk is nothing, and they will expect me at Rowchester.”
a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood
From this reading “You have pencil and paper.”
a column of light (as from a beacon)
From this reading “Write down what I tell you.--Colonel Mostyn Ray, No. 17, Sussex Square.”
make square
From this reading “Write down what I tell you.--Colonel Mostyn Ray, No. 17, Sussex Square.”
a county in southern England on the English Channel; formerly an Anglo-Saxon kingdom that was captured by Wessex in the 9th century
From this reading “Write down what I tell you.--Colonel Mostyn Ray, No. 17, Sussex Square.”
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading “Very often have I wondered what thought it was that passed then through his brain.”
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 Write down what I tell you.--Colonel Mostyn Ray, No. 17, Sussex Square.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I thank you," he said; "the walk is nothing, and they will expect me at Rowchester.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I thank you," he said; "the walk is nothing, and they will expect me at Rowchester.
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 Very often have I wondered what thought it was that passed then through his brain.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading Write down what I tell you.--Colonel Mostyn Ray, No. 17, Sussex Square.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Write down what I tell you.--Colonel Mostyn Ray, No. 17, Sussex Square.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading "I thank you," he said; "the walk is nothing, and they will expect me at Rowchester.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Very often have I wondered what thought it was that passed then through his brain.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked out of my uncurtained window into the night.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Very often have I wondered what thought it was that passed then through his brain.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Very often have I wondered what thought it was that passed then through his brain.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He looked out of my uncurtained window into the night.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I thank you," he said; "the walk is nothing, and they will expect me at Rowchester.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Very often have I wondered what thought it was that passed then through his brain.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked out of my uncurtained window into the night.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I thank you," he said; "the walk is nothing, and they will expect me at Rowchester.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Write down what I tell you.--Colonel Mostyn Ray, No. 17, Sussex Square.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading He looked out of my uncurtained window into the night.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading He looked out of my uncurtained window into the night.
not any; not one
From this reading Write down what I tell you.--Colonel Mostyn Ray, No. 17, Sussex Square.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "I thank you," he said; "the walk is nothing, and they will expect me at Rowchester.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He looked out of my uncurtained window into the night.
many times at short intervals
From this reading Very often have I wondered what thought it was that passed then through his brain.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He looked out of my uncurtained window into the night.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading You have pencil and paper.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Very often have I wondered what thought it was that passed then through his brain.
a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood
From this reading You have pencil and paper.
a column of light (as from a beacon)
From this reading Write down what I tell you.--Colonel Mostyn Ray, No. 17, Sussex Square.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I thank you," he said; "the walk is nothing, and they will expect me at Rowchester.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I thank you," he said; "the walk is nothing, and they will expect me at Rowchester.
make square
From this reading Write down what I tell you.--Colonel Mostyn Ray, No. 17, Sussex Square.
a county in southern England on the English Channel; formerly an Anglo-Saxon kingdom that was captured by Wessex in the 9th century
From this reading Write down what I tell you.--Colonel Mostyn Ray, No. 17, Sussex Square.
express in words
From this reading Write down what I tell you.--Colonel Mostyn Ray, No. 17, Sussex Square.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading "I thank you," he said; "the walk is nothing, and they will expect me at Rowchester.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Very often have I wondered what thought it was that passed then through his brain.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He looked out of my uncurtained window into the night.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Very often have I wondered what thought it was that passed then through his brain.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I thank you," he said; "the walk is nothing, and they will expect me at Rowchester.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Very often have I wondered what thought it was that passed then through his brain.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Very often have I wondered what thought it was that passed then through his brain.
not provided with curtains
From this reading He looked out of my uncurtained window into the night.
precisely as stated
From this reading Very often have I wondered what thought it was that passed then through his brain.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading "I thank you," he said; "the walk is nothing, and they will expect me at Rowchester.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Very often have I wondered what thought it was that passed then through his brain.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Very often have I wondered what thought it was that passed then through his brain.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "I thank you," he said; "the walk is nothing, and they will expect me at Rowchester.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading He looked out of my uncurtained window into the night.
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading Very often have I wondered what thought it was that passed then through his brain.
produce a literary work
From this reading Write down what I tell you.--Colonel Mostyn Ray, No. 17, Sussex Square.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I thank you," he said; "the walk is nothing, and they will expect me at Rowchester.
Chapter 1 of The Betrayal by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim holds 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 186 sentences of The Betrayal, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Betrayal by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Betrayal by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6547 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16998 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16998, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 545 minutes of reading across 1310 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Betrayal section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Betrayal 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 Betrayal, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
