Chapter 17 of The Charing Cross Mystery is here in full — 210 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Charing Cross Mystery is here in full — 210 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick. "That's most unfortunate!" he exclaimed. "And unexpected, too! Of course, the fellow's slipped off to the Continent." Matherfield looked over Hetherwick's shoulder and read the message.
Chapter 17 of The Charing Cross Mystery is here in full — 210 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
one of the large landmasses of the earth
From this reading “Of course, the fellow's slipped off to the Continent."”
possessive form of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading “Of course, the fellow's slipped off to the Continent."”
plural of “label” — a brief description given for purposes of identification
From this reading “THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.”
inflected form of “stride” — walk with long steps
From this reading “THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.”
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading “THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.”
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading “THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.”
not expected or anticipated
From this reading “"And unexpected, too!”
not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune
From this reading “"That's most unfortunate!" he exclaimed.”
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.
take and lift upward
In this reading “THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.”
In this reading “"That's most unfortunate!" he exclaimed.”
take off with ease or speed
In this reading “Of course, the fellow's slipped off to the Continent."”
as might be expected
In this reading “Of course, the fellow's slipped off to the Continent."”
In this reading “Matherfield looked over Hetherwick's shoulder and read the message.”
In this reading “Matherfield looked over Hetherwick's shoulder and read the message.”
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 TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.
one of the large landmasses of the earth
From this reading Of course, the fellow's slipped off to the Continent."
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Of course, the fellow's slipped off to the Continent."
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "That's most unfortunate!" he exclaimed.
possessive form of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading Of course, the fellow's slipped off to the Continent."
at or to or toward the front
From this reading THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Matherfield looked over Hetherwick's shoulder and read the message.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.
plural of “label” — a brief description given for purposes of identification
From this reading THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Matherfield looked over Hetherwick's shoulder and read the message.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Matherfield looked over Hetherwick's shoulder and read the message.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading Matherfield looked over Hetherwick's shoulder and read the message.
a particular point in time
From this reading THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.
used to form the superlative
From this reading "That's most unfortunate!" he exclaimed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Of course, the fellow's slipped off to the Continent."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Of course, the fellow's slipped off to the Continent."
above and across; more than
From this reading THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading Matherfield looked over Hetherwick's shoulder and read the message.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading Matherfield looked over Hetherwick's shoulder and read the message.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading Of course, the fellow's slipped off to the Continent."
inflected form of “stride” — walk with long steps
From this reading THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's most unfortunate!" he exclaimed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "And unexpected, too!
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading "And unexpected, too!
not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune
From this reading "That's most unfortunate!" he exclaimed.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading THE TORN LABELS Penteney strode forward and picked up the telegram; a moment later he passed it over to Hetherwick.
Chapter 17 of The Charing Cross Mystery by J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher holds 210 sentences, grouped into 42 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 210 sentences of The Charing Cross Mystery, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Charing Cross Mystery by J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 210 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 Charing Cross Mystery by J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5519 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59893 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59893, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 459 minutes of reading across 1104 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Charing Cross Mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Charing Cross Mystery 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 Charing Cross Mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
