Chapter XII of The Blue Balloon, “A Duel in the Dark,” is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter XII of The Blue Balloon, “A Duel in the Dark,” is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water. But Ephraim held him back. ‘Steady, Luce!’ he exclaimed. ‘Lie low! It’s the boat he sees—not us.’
Chapter XII of The Blue Balloon, “A Duel in the Dark,” is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
frightening because of an awareness of danger
From this reading “As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.”
a cheap disreputable nightclub or dance hall
From this reading “As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.”
temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work
From this reading “As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.”
inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading “As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.”
United States publisher of magazines (1898-1967)
From this reading “‘Steady, Luce!’ he exclaimed.”
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.”
plural of “see” — the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
From this reading “It’s the boat he sees—not us.’”
utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking)
From this reading “As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.”
keep a low profile, try to be inconspicuous
In this reading “‘Lie low!”
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.
anew
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
frightening because of an awareness of danger
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading But Ephraim held him back.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading It’s the boat he sees—not us.’
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Ephraim held him back.
a cheap disreputable nightclub or dance hall
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Ephraim held him back.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading ‘Steady, Luce!’ he exclaimed.
temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading But Ephraim held him back.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But Ephraim held him back.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
an opening into or through something
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s the boat he sees—not us.’
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading ‘Lie low!
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading ‘Lie low!
United States publisher of magazines (1898-1967)
From this reading ‘Steady, Luce!’ he exclaimed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It’s the boat he sees—not us.’
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
plural of “see” — the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
From this reading It’s the boat he sees—not us.’
utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking)
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
make steady
From this reading ‘Steady, Luce!’ he exclaimed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It’s the boat he sees—not us.’
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading As this alarming shout rang in their ears, Lucius, forgetting his fatigue, sprang to the mouth of the hole and made as if he would dive again into the water.
Chapter 12 of The Blue Balloon by Reginald Horsley holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 12 holds 411 sentences of The Blue Balloon, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Blue Balloon by Reginald Horsley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 12 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 Blue Balloon by Reginald Horsley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4832 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64039 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64039, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 402 minutes of reading across 967 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Blue Balloon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Blue Balloon 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 Blue Balloon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
