Chapter 17 of The Blue Germ is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Blue Germ is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study. I left Sarakoff sitting tranquilly in the waiting-room and entered the study. A grave, precise, clean-shaven man was standing by the window. He turned as I entered. It was Mr. Clutterbuck.
Chapter 17 of The Blue Germ is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading “CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.”
the action or reaction of something (as a machine or substance) under specified circumstances
From this reading “CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.”
well in the past; former
From this reading “CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.”
a female domestic
From this reading “CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.”
not divisible by two
From this reading “CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.”
a person who requires medical care
From this reading “CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.”
sharply exact or accurate or delimited
From this reading “A grave, precise, clean-shaven man was standing by the window.”
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading “CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.”
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 “A grave, precise, clean-shaven man was standing by the window.”
In this reading “A grave, precise, clean-shaven man was standing by the window.”
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 CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I left Sarakoff sitting tranquilly in the waiting-room and entered the study.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He turned as I entered.
the action or reaction of something (as a machine or substance) under specified circumstances
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A grave, precise, clean-shaven man was standing by the window.
closely shaved recently
From this reading A grave, precise, clean-shaven man was standing by the window.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was Mr. Clutterbuck.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
well in the past; former
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading I left Sarakoff sitting tranquilly in the waiting-room and entered the study.
death of a person
From this reading A grave, precise, clean-shaven man was standing by the window.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He turned as I entered.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I left Sarakoff sitting tranquilly in the waiting-room and entered the study.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was Mr. Clutterbuck.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading I left Sarakoff sitting tranquilly in the waiting-room and entered the study.
a female domestic
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A grave, precise, clean-shaven man was standing by the window.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
a form of address for a man
From this reading It was Mr. Clutterbuck.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
not divisible by two
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
a person who requires medical care
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
sharply exact or accurate or delimited
From this reading A grave, precise, clean-shaven man was standing by the window.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I left Sarakoff sitting tranquilly in the waiting-room and entered the study.
only a very short time before
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading I left Sarakoff sitting tranquilly in the waiting-room and entered the study.
having a supporting base
From this reading A grave, precise, clean-shaven man was standing by the window.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
without emotional agitation
From this reading I left Sarakoff sitting tranquilly in the waiting-room and entered the study.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He turned as I entered.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I left Sarakoff sitting tranquilly in the waiting-room and entered the study.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
at the time that
From this reading CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a patient was waiting to see me in my study.
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 A grave, precise, clean-shaven man was standing by the window.
Chapter 17 of The Blue Germ by Maurice Nicoll holds 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 17 holds 80 sentences of The Blue Germ, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Blue Germ by Maurice Nicoll exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 17 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 Germ by Maurice Nicoll on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4405 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26852 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26852, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 367 minutes of reading across 881 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Blue Germ section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Blue Germ 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 Germ, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
