VELMORA ACADEMY

Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies

Menu Close

The Circular Staircase

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The Circular Staircase is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Mary Roberts Rinehart • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Circular Staircase

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

FOURTEEN ELM STREET It was Monday evening when we found the body of poor old Thomas.

Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace.

Affairs at the Traders’ Bank were progressing slowly.

The failure had hit small stock-holders very hard, the minister of the little Methodist chapel in Casanova among them.

Narrator

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.

Chapter XXI Reading 1/44

The Circular Staircase Mary Roberts Rinehart

Cover illustration for The Circular Staircase

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The Circular Staircase is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

FOURTEEN ELM STREET It was Monday evening when we found the body of poor old Thomas. Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants. Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace. Affairs at the Traders’ Bank were progressing slowly. The failure had hit small stock-holders very hard, the minister of the little Methodist chapel in Casanova among them.

The Circular Staircase

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The Circular Staircase is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/44 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

FOURTEEN ELM STREET It was Monday evening when we found the body of poor old Thomas.

Line 2

Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

Line 3

Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace.

Line 4

Affairs at the Traders’ Bank were progressing slowly.

Line 5

The failure had hit small stock-holders very hard, the minister of the little Methodist chapel in Casanova among them.

All words in this reading · 68

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.

a

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

From this reading Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace.

absence

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

From this reading Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace.

Affairs

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

From this reading Affairs at the Traders’ Bank were progressing slowly.

among

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

From this reading The failure had hit small stock-holders very hard, the minister of the little Methodist chapel in Casanova among them.

and

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

From this reading Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

at

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

From this reading Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

Bank

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

From this reading Affairs at the Traders’ Bank were progressing slowly.

been

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

From this reading Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

body

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

From this reading FOURTEEN ELM STREET It was Monday evening when we found the body of poor old Thomas.

breathed

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

From this reading Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace.

butler

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

From this reading Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace.

carefully

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

From this reading Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

Casanova

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

From this reading Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace.

chapel

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

From this reading The failure had hit small stock-holders very hard, the minister of the little Methodist chapel in Casanova among them.

charge

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

From this reading Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace.

circumstances

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

From this reading Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

death

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

From this reading Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

dining-room

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

From this reading Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace.

doctor

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

From this reading Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace.

ELM

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

From this reading FOURTEEN ELM STREET It was Monday evening when we found the body of poor old Thomas.

evening

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

From this reading FOURTEEN ELM STREET It was Monday evening when we found the body of poor old Thomas.

everything

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

From this reading Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace.

except

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

From this reading Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace.

failure

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

From this reading The failure had hit small stock-holders very hard, the minister of the little Methodist chapel in Casanova among them.

for

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

From this reading Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace.

found

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

From this reading FOURTEEN ELM STREET It was Monday evening when we found the body of poor old Thomas.

FOURTEEN

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

From this reading FOURTEEN ELM STREET It was Monday evening when we found the body of poor old Thomas.

from

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

From this reading Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

had

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

From this reading Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

hard

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

From this reading The failure had hit small stock-holders very hard, the minister of the little Methodist chapel in Casanova among them.

hit

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

From this reading The failure had hit small stock-holders very hard, the minister of the little Methodist chapel in Casanova among them.

house

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

From this reading Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

in

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

From this reading Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace.

It

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

From this reading FOURTEEN ELM STREET It was Monday evening when we found the body of poor old Thomas.

kept

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

From this reading Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

little

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

From this reading The failure had hit small stock-holders very hard, the minister of the little Methodist chapel in Casanova among them.

man's

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

From this reading Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

Methodist

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

From this reading The failure had hit small stock-holders very hard, the minister of the little Methodist chapel in Casanova among them.

minister

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

From this reading The failure had hit small stock-holders very hard, the minister of the little Methodist chapel in Casanova among them.

Monday

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

From this reading FOURTEEN ELM STREET It was Monday evening when we found the body of poor old Thomas.

night

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

From this reading Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

of

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

From this reading FOURTEEN ELM STREET It was Monday evening when we found the body of poor old Thomas.

old

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

From this reading FOURTEEN ELM STREET It was Monday evening when we found the body of poor old Thomas.

pantry

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

From this reading Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace.

peace

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

From this reading Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace.

peculiar

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

From this reading Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

poor

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

From this reading FOURTEEN ELM STREET It was Monday evening when we found the body of poor old Thomas.

progressing

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

From this reading Affairs at the Traders’ Bank were progressing slowly.

quiet

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

From this reading Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

Rosie

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

From this reading Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace.

servants

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

From this reading Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

slowly

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

From this reading Affairs at the Traders’ Bank were progressing slowly.

small

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

From this reading The failure had hit small stock-holders very hard, the minister of the little Methodist chapel in Casanova among them.

stock-holders

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

From this reading The failure had hit small stock-holders very hard, the minister of the little Methodist chapel in Casanova among them.

STREET

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

From this reading FOURTEEN ELM STREET It was Monday evening when we found the body of poor old Thomas.

the

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

From this reading FOURTEEN ELM STREET It was Monday evening when we found the body of poor old Thomas.

them

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

From this reading The failure had hit small stock-holders very hard, the minister of the little Methodist chapel in Casanova among them.

things

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

From this reading Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

Thomas

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

From this reading FOURTEEN ELM STREET It was Monday evening when we found the body of poor old Thomas.

took

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

From this reading Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace.

Traders

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

From this reading Affairs at the Traders’ Bank were progressing slowly.

uneventful

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

From this reading Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

very

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

From this reading The failure had hit small stock-holders very hard, the minister of the little Methodist chapel in Casanova among them.

warning

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

From this reading Rosie took charge of the dining-room and pantry, in the absence of a butler, and, except for the warning of the Casanova doctor, everything breathed of peace.

was

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

From this reading FOURTEEN ELM STREET It was Monday evening when we found the body of poor old Thomas.

we

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

From this reading FOURTEEN ELM STREET It was Monday evening when we found the body of poor old Thomas.

were

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

From this reading Monday night had been uneventful; things were quiet at the house and the peculiar circumstances of the old man’s death had been carefully kept from the servants.

when

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

From this reading FOURTEEN ELM STREET It was Monday evening when we found the body of poor old Thomas.

Chapter 21 of The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart holds 222 sentences, grouped into 45 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 21 of The Circular Staircase contain?

Chapter 21 holds 222 sentences of The Circular Staircase, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 222 sentences, grouped into 45 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 21 of The Circular Staircase?

Work through the 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 45 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 21 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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 Circular Staircase

Common questions about reading The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Circular Staircase?

Yes. All 4811 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #434 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Circular Staircase is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #434, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Circular Staircase take to read?

About 400 minutes of reading across 963 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Circular Staircase section by section

How to work through The Circular Staircase section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Circular Staircase to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in The Circular Staircase

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Circular Staircase, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Story: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Circular Staircase; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Middle-aged: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Circular Staircase; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Spinster: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Circular Staircase; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Deserted: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Circular Staircase; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.