Chapter 8 of The Call of the Blood is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Call of the Blood is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There was no reply. "Maurice!" she called again. Then she got up and looked into the bedroom. It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing. He was asleep already; she had not received his kiss or tucked him up.
Chapter 8 of The Call of the Blood is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
in a state of sleep
From this reading “He was asleep already; she had not received his kiss or tucked him up.”
a room used primarily for sleeping
From this reading “Then she got up and looked into the bedroom.”
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading “It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.”
possessive form of “husband” — a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading “It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.”
the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading “He was asleep already; she had not received his kiss or tucked him up.”
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading “It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.”
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle
From this reading “It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.”
having tucked or being tucked
From this reading “He was asleep already; she had not received his kiss or tucked him up.”
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 It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.
anew
From this reading "Maurice!" she called again.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading He was asleep already; she had not received his kiss or tucked him up.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then she got up and looked into the bedroom.
in a state of sleep
From this reading He was asleep already; she had not received his kiss or tucked him up.
a room used primarily for sleeping
From this reading Then she got up and looked into the bedroom.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Maurice!" she called again.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Then she got up and looked into the bedroom.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He was asleep already; she had not received his kiss or tucked him up.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was asleep already; she had not received his kiss or tucked him up.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He was asleep already; she had not received his kiss or tucked him up.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was asleep already; she had not received his kiss or tucked him up.
possessive form of “husband” — a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Then she got up and looked into the bedroom.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.
the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading He was asleep already; she had not received his kiss or tucked him up.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Then she got up and looked into the bedroom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Maurice!" she called again.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no reply.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was asleep already; she had not received his kiss or tucked him up.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He was asleep already; she had not received his kiss or tucked him up.
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading He was asleep already; she had not received his kiss or tucked him up.
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle
From this reading It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading There was no reply.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Maurice!" she called again.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading It was nearly dark, but she could see her husband's black head on the pillow and hear a sound of regular breathing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then she got up and looked into the bedroom.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then she got up and looked into the bedroom.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no reply.
having tucked or being tucked
From this reading He was asleep already; she had not received his kiss or tucked him up.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then she got up and looked into the bedroom.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no reply.
Chapter 8 of The Call of the Blood by Robert Hichens holds 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 8 holds 390 sentences of The Call of the Blood, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Call of the Blood by Robert Hichens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 8 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 Call of the Blood by Robert Hichens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11888 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20157 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20157, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2378 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Call of the Blood section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Call of the Blood 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 Call of the Blood, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
