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The Chase of the Golden Plate
The Chase of the Golden Plate

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of The Chase of the Golden Plate is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Chapter 14 of The Chase of the Golden Plate by Jacques Futrelle holds 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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.

What does chapter 14 of The Chase of the Golden Plate contain?

Chapter 14 holds 132 sentences of The Chase of the Golden Plate, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 14 of The Chase of the Golden Plate by Jacques Futrelle exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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.

How do I study chapter 14 of The Chase of the Golden Plate?

Work through the 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 27 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.

Can chapter 14 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 14 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.

Questions about reading The Chase of the Golden Plate

Common questions about reading The Chase of the Golden Plate by Jacques Futrelle on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Chase of the Golden Plate?

Yes. All 2631 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38981 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Chase of the Golden Plate is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #38981, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Chase of the Golden Plate take to read?

About 219 minutes of reading across 527 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Chase of the Golden Plate section by section

How to work through The Chase of the Golden Plate section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Chase of the Golden Plate to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Chase of the Golden Plate

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Chase of the Golden Plate, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Cardinal
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Chase of the Golden Plate; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Richelieu
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Chase of the Golden Plate; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mikado
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Chase of the Golden Plate; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stepped
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Chase of the Golden Plate; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cover illustration for The Chase of the Golden Plate
Context Illustration Reading 1/27 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Dick Herbert lay stretched lazily on a couch in his room with hands pressed to his eyes.
He had just read the Sunday newspapers announcing the mysterious return of the Randolph plate, and naturally he had a headache.
Somewhere in a remote recess of his brain mental pyrotechnics were at play; a sort of intellectual pinwheel spouted senseless ideas and suggestions of senseless ideas.
The late afternoon shaded off into twilight, twilight into dusk, dusk into darkness, and still he lay motionless.
After a while, from below, he heard the tinkle of a bell and Blair entered with light tread:
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Chase of the Golden Plate

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of The Chase of the Golden Plate is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/27 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Dick Herbert lay stretched lazily on a couch in his room with hands pressed to his eyes.
Line 2
He had just read the Sunday newspapers announcing the mysterious return of the Randolph plate, and naturally he had a headache.
Line 3
Somewhere in a remote recess of his brain mental pyrotechnics were at play; a sort of intellectual pinwheel spouted senseless ideas and suggestions of senseless ideas.
Line 4
The late afternoon shaded off into twilight, twilight into dusk, dusk into darkness, and still he lay motionless.
Line 5
After a while, from below, he heard the tinkle of a bell and Blair entered with light tread:

Learner Dictionary

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, audio, and collocations from this reading.

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “After a while, from below, he heard the tinkle of a bell and Blair entered with light tread:”

Afternoon noun US /ˈafternoon/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “The late afternoon shaded off into twilight, twilight into dusk, dusk into darkness, and still he lay motionless.”

Below preposition US /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading “After a while, from below, he heard the tinkle of a bell and Blair entered with light tread:”

Hands plural noun US /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading “Dick Herbert lay stretched lazily on a couch in his room with hands pressed to his eyes.”

Mysterious adjective US /mɪˈstɪriəs/

difficult to explain or understand

From this reading “He had just read the Sunday newspapers announcing the mysterious return of the Randolph plate, and naturally he had a headache.”

Twilight noun US /ˈtwaɪlaɪt/

the dim light before night or sunrise

From this reading “The late afternoon shaded off into twilight, twilight into dusk, dusk into darkness, and still he lay motionless.”

While conjunction US /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “After a while, from below, he heard the tinkle of a bell and Blair entered with light tread:”

All words in this reading · 69

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Dick Herbert lay stretched lazily on a couch in his room with hands pressed to his eyes.

AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading After a while, from below, he heard the tinkle of a bell and Blair entered with light tread:

afternoonnounUS /ˈafternoon/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading The late afternoon shaded off into twilight, twilight into dusk, dusk into darkness, and still he lay motionless.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading He had just read the Sunday newspapers announcing the mysterious return of the Randolph plate, and naturally he had a headache.

announcing

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had just read the Sunday newspapers announcing the mysterious return of the Randolph plate, and naturally he had a headache.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Somewhere in a remote recess of his brain mental pyrotechnics were at play; a sort of intellectual pinwheel spouted senseless ideas and suggestions of senseless ideas.

bell

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After a while, from below, he heard the tinkle of a bell and Blair entered with light tread:

belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading After a while, from below, he heard the tinkle of a bell and Blair entered with light tread:

Blair

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After a while, from below, he heard the tinkle of a bell and Blair entered with light tread:

brain

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Somewhere in a remote recess of his brain mental pyrotechnics were at play; a sort of intellectual pinwheel spouted senseless ideas and suggestions of senseless ideas.

couch

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Dick Herbert lay stretched lazily on a couch in his room with hands pressed to his eyes.

darkness

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The late afternoon shaded off into twilight, twilight into dusk, dusk into darkness, and still he lay motionless.

Dick

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Dick Herbert lay stretched lazily on a couch in his room with hands pressed to his eyes.

dusk

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The late afternoon shaded off into twilight, twilight into dusk, dusk into darkness, and still he lay motionless.

entered

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After a while, from below, he heard the tinkle of a bell and Blair entered with light tread:

eyes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Dick Herbert lay stretched lazily on a couch in his room with hands pressed to his eyes.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading After a while, from below, he heard the tinkle of a bell and Blair entered with light tread:

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading He had just read the Sunday newspapers announcing the mysterious return of the Randolph plate, and naturally he had a headache.

handsplural nounUS /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading Dick Herbert lay stretched lazily on a couch in his room with hands pressed to his eyes.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He had just read the Sunday newspapers announcing the mysterious return of the Randolph plate, and naturally he had a headache.

headache

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had just read the Sunday newspapers announcing the mysterious return of the Randolph plate, and naturally he had a headache.

heard

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After a while, from below, he heard the tinkle of a bell and Blair entered with light tread:

Herbert

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Dick Herbert lay stretched lazily on a couch in his room with hands pressed to his eyes.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Dick Herbert lay stretched lazily on a couch in his room with hands pressed to his eyes.

ideas

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Somewhere in a remote recess of his brain mental pyrotechnics were at play; a sort of intellectual pinwheel spouted senseless ideas and suggestions of senseless ideas.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Dick Herbert lay stretched lazily on a couch in his room with hands pressed to his eyes.

intellectual

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Somewhere in a remote recess of his brain mental pyrotechnics were at play; a sort of intellectual pinwheel spouted senseless ideas and suggestions of senseless ideas.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading The late afternoon shaded off into twilight, twilight into dusk, dusk into darkness, and still he lay motionless.

just

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had just read the Sunday newspapers announcing the mysterious return of the Randolph plate, and naturally he had a headache.

late

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The late afternoon shaded off into twilight, twilight into dusk, dusk into darkness, and still he lay motionless.

lay

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Dick Herbert lay stretched lazily on a couch in his room with hands pressed to his eyes.

lazily

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Dick Herbert lay stretched lazily on a couch in his room with hands pressed to his eyes.

light

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After a while, from below, he heard the tinkle of a bell and Blair entered with light tread:

mental

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Somewhere in a remote recess of his brain mental pyrotechnics were at play; a sort of intellectual pinwheel spouted senseless ideas and suggestions of senseless ideas.

motionless

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The late afternoon shaded off into twilight, twilight into dusk, dusk into darkness, and still he lay motionless.

mysteriousadjectiveUS /mɪˈstɪriəs/

difficult to explain or understand

From this reading He had just read the Sunday newspapers announcing the mysterious return of the Randolph plate, and naturally he had a headache.

naturally

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had just read the Sunday newspapers announcing the mysterious return of the Randolph plate, and naturally he had a headache.

newspapers

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had just read the Sunday newspapers announcing the mysterious return of the Randolph plate, and naturally he had a headache.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He had just read the Sunday newspapers announcing the mysterious return of the Randolph plate, and naturally he had a headache.

off

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The late afternoon shaded off into twilight, twilight into dusk, dusk into darkness, and still he lay motionless.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Dick Herbert lay stretched lazily on a couch in his room with hands pressed to his eyes.

pinwheel

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Somewhere in a remote recess of his brain mental pyrotechnics were at play; a sort of intellectual pinwheel spouted senseless ideas and suggestions of senseless ideas.

plate

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had just read the Sunday newspapers announcing the mysterious return of the Randolph plate, and naturally he had a headache.

play

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Somewhere in a remote recess of his brain mental pyrotechnics were at play; a sort of intellectual pinwheel spouted senseless ideas and suggestions of senseless ideas.

pressed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Dick Herbert lay stretched lazily on a couch in his room with hands pressed to his eyes.

pyrotechnics

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Somewhere in a remote recess of his brain mental pyrotechnics were at play; a sort of intellectual pinwheel spouted senseless ideas and suggestions of senseless ideas.

Randolph

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had just read the Sunday newspapers announcing the mysterious return of the Randolph plate, and naturally he had a headache.

read

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had just read the Sunday newspapers announcing the mysterious return of the Randolph plate, and naturally he had a headache.

recess

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Somewhere in a remote recess of his brain mental pyrotechnics were at play; a sort of intellectual pinwheel spouted senseless ideas and suggestions of senseless ideas.

remote

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Somewhere in a remote recess of his brain mental pyrotechnics were at play; a sort of intellectual pinwheel spouted senseless ideas and suggestions of senseless ideas.

return

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had just read the Sunday newspapers announcing the mysterious return of the Randolph plate, and naturally he had a headache.

room

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Dick Herbert lay stretched lazily on a couch in his room with hands pressed to his eyes.

senseless

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Somewhere in a remote recess of his brain mental pyrotechnics were at play; a sort of intellectual pinwheel spouted senseless ideas and suggestions of senseless ideas.

shaded

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The late afternoon shaded off into twilight, twilight into dusk, dusk into darkness, and still he lay motionless.

Somewhere

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Somewhere in a remote recess of his brain mental pyrotechnics were at play; a sort of intellectual pinwheel spouted senseless ideas and suggestions of senseless ideas.

sort

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Somewhere in a remote recess of his brain mental pyrotechnics were at play; a sort of intellectual pinwheel spouted senseless ideas and suggestions of senseless ideas.

spouted

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Somewhere in a remote recess of his brain mental pyrotechnics were at play; a sort of intellectual pinwheel spouted senseless ideas and suggestions of senseless ideas.

still

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The late afternoon shaded off into twilight, twilight into dusk, dusk into darkness, and still he lay motionless.

stretched

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Dick Herbert lay stretched lazily on a couch in his room with hands pressed to his eyes.

suggestions

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Somewhere in a remote recess of his brain mental pyrotechnics were at play; a sort of intellectual pinwheel spouted senseless ideas and suggestions of senseless ideas.

Sunday

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had just read the Sunday newspapers announcing the mysterious return of the Randolph plate, and naturally he had a headache.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading He had just read the Sunday newspapers announcing the mysterious return of the Randolph plate, and naturally he had a headache.

tinkle

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After a while, from below, he heard the tinkle of a bell and Blair entered with light tread:

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Dick Herbert lay stretched lazily on a couch in his room with hands pressed to his eyes.

tread

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After a while, from below, he heard the tinkle of a bell and Blair entered with light tread:

twilightnounUS /ˈtwaɪlaɪt/

the dim light before night or sunrise

From this reading The late afternoon shaded off into twilight, twilight into dusk, dusk into darkness, and still he lay motionless.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Somewhere in a remote recess of his brain mental pyrotechnics were at play; a sort of intellectual pinwheel spouted senseless ideas and suggestions of senseless ideas.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading After a while, from below, he heard the tinkle of a bell and Blair entered with light tread:

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Dick Herbert lay stretched lazily on a couch in his room with hands pressed to his eyes.