Chapter 9 of The Box with Broken Seals is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Box with Broken Seals is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The captain sank into his easy-chair a little wearily. It had been a long and rather trying vigil. His steward filled two cups with coffee and at a sign from his master withdrew. "Any news?" "I have been compelled," Crawshay announced, stirring his coffee, "to dismantle your wireless."
Chapter 9 of The Box with Broken Seals is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
plural of “cup” — a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading “His steward filled two cups with coffee and at a sign from his master withdrew.”
tear down so as to make flat with the ground
From this reading “"I have been compelled," Crawshay announced, stirring his coffee, "to dismantle your wireless."”
someone who manages property or other affairs for someone else
From this reading “His steward filled two cups with coffee and at a sign from his master withdrew.”
agitating a liquid with an implement
From this reading “"I have been compelled," Crawshay announced, stirring his coffee, "to dismantle your wireless."”
a period of sleeplessness
From this reading “It had been a long and rather trying vigil.”
in a weary manner
From this reading “The captain sank into his easy-chair a little wearily.”
medium for communication
From this reading “"I have been compelled," Crawshay announced, stirring his coffee, "to dismantle your wireless."”
inflected form of “withdraw” — pull back or move away or backward
From this reading “His steward filled two cups with coffee and at a sign from his master withdrew.”
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 The captain sank into his easy-chair a little wearily.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It had been a long and rather trying vigil.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading "I have been compelled," Crawshay announced, stirring his coffee, "to dismantle your wireless."
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Any news?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading His steward filled two cups with coffee and at a sign from his master withdrew.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It had been a long and rather trying vigil.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading The captain sank into his easy-chair a little wearily.
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading His steward filled two cups with coffee and at a sign from his master withdrew.
inflected form of “compel” — force somebody to do something
From this reading "I have been compelled," Crawshay announced, stirring his coffee, "to dismantle your wireless."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I have been compelled," Crawshay announced, stirring his coffee, "to dismantle your wireless."
plural of “cup” — a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading His steward filled two cups with coffee and at a sign from his master withdrew.
tear down so as to make flat with the ground
From this reading "I have been compelled," Crawshay announced, stirring his coffee, "to dismantle your wireless."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The captain sank into his easy-chair a little wearily.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading His steward filled two cups with coffee and at a sign from his master withdrew.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading His steward filled two cups with coffee and at a sign from his master withdrew.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had been a long and rather trying vigil.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have been compelled," Crawshay announced, stirring his coffee, "to dismantle your wireless."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The captain sank into his easy-chair a little wearily.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I have been compelled," Crawshay announced, stirring his coffee, "to dismantle your wireless."
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The captain sank into his easy-chair a little wearily.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had been a long and rather trying vigil.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The captain sank into his easy-chair a little wearily.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading It had been a long and rather trying vigil.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading His steward filled two cups with coffee and at a sign from his master withdrew.
information about recent and important events
From this reading "Any news?"
on the contrary
From this reading It had been a long and rather trying vigil.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading The captain sank into his easy-chair a little wearily.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading His steward filled two cups with coffee and at a sign from his master withdrew.
someone who manages property or other affairs for someone else
From this reading His steward filled two cups with coffee and at a sign from his master withdrew.
agitating a liquid with an implement
From this reading "I have been compelled," Crawshay announced, stirring his coffee, "to dismantle your wireless."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The captain sank into his easy-chair a little wearily.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I have been compelled," Crawshay announced, stirring his coffee, "to dismantle your wireless."
hard to endure
From this reading It had been a long and rather trying vigil.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading His steward filled two cups with coffee and at a sign from his master withdrew.
a period of sleeplessness
From this reading It had been a long and rather trying vigil.
in a weary manner
From this reading The captain sank into his easy-chair a little wearily.
medium for communication
From this reading "I have been compelled," Crawshay announced, stirring his coffee, "to dismantle your wireless."
in the company of; together with
From this reading His steward filled two cups with coffee and at a sign from his master withdrew.
inflected form of “withdraw” — pull back or move away or backward
From this reading His steward filled two cups with coffee and at a sign from his master withdrew.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I have been compelled," Crawshay announced, stirring his coffee, "to dismantle your wireless."
Chapter 9 of The Box with Broken Seals by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim holds 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 9 holds 146 sentences of The Box with Broken Seals, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Box with Broken Seals by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 9 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 Box with Broken Seals by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5309 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9923 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9923, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 442 minutes of reading across 1062 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Box with Broken Seals section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Box with Broken Seals 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 Box with Broken Seals, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
