Chapter 13 of The Clock and the Key is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Clock and the Key is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I reached Venice by the midnight express. St. Hilary was waiting for me on the platform. “St. Hilary!” I cried with affected gaiety, “what brings you here at two o’clock in the morning?” “Ah, what!” he grumbled.
Chapter 13 of The Clock and the Key is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
acted upon; influenced
From this reading “I cried with affected gaiety, “what brings you here at two o’clock in the morning?””
third-person singular of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “I cried with affected gaiety, “what brings you here at two o’clock in the morning?””
give expression to
From this reading “I reached Venice by the midnight express.”
past form of “grumble” — show one's unhappiness or critical attitude
From this reading ““Ah, what!” he grumbled.”
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading “I reached Venice by the midnight express.”
according to the clock
a raised horizontal surface
From this reading “St. Hilary was waiting for me on the platform.”
the provincial capital of Veneto; built on 118 islands within a lagoon in the Gulf of Venice; has canals instead of streets; one of Italy's major ports and a famous tourist attraction
From this reading “I reached Venice by the midnight express.”
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.
In this reading “St. Hilary was waiting for me on the platform.”
In this reading “I cried with affected gaiety, “what brings you here at two o’clock in the morning?””
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.
acted upon; influenced
From this reading I cried with affected gaiety, “what brings you here at two o’clock in the morning?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah, what!” he grumbled.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I cried with affected gaiety, “what brings you here at two o’clock in the morning?”
third-person singular of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading I cried with affected gaiety, “what brings you here at two o’clock in the morning?”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I reached Venice by the midnight express.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading I cried with affected gaiety, “what brings you here at two o’clock in the morning?”
give expression to
From this reading I reached Venice by the midnight express.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading St. Hilary was waiting for me on the platform.
a gay feeling
From this reading I cried with affected gaiety, “what brings you here at two o’clock in the morning?”
past form of “grumble” — show one's unhappiness or critical attitude
From this reading “Ah, what!” he grumbled.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Ah, what!” he grumbled.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading I cried with affected gaiety, “what brings you here at two o’clock in the morning?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading St. Hilary was waiting for me on the platform.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I reached Venice by the midnight express.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I cried with affected gaiety, “what brings you here at two o’clock in the morning?”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading St. Hilary was waiting for me on the platform.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading I reached Venice by the midnight express.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading I cried with affected gaiety, “what brings you here at two o’clock in the morning?”
according to the clock
From this reading I cried with affected gaiety, “what brings you here at two o’clock in the morning?”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading St. Hilary was waiting for me on the platform.
a raised horizontal surface
From this reading St. Hilary was waiting for me on the platform.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading I reached Venice by the midnight express.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading St. Hilary was waiting for me on the platform.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I reached Venice by the midnight express.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading I cried with affected gaiety, “what brings you here at two o’clock in the morning?”
the provincial capital of Veneto; built on 118 islands within a lagoon in the Gulf of Venice; has canals instead of streets; one of Italy's major ports and a famous tourist attraction
From this reading I reached Venice by the midnight express.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading St. Hilary was waiting for me on the platform.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading St. Hilary was waiting for me on the platform.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I cried with affected gaiety, “what brings you here at two o’clock in the morning?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading I cried with affected gaiety, “what brings you here at two o’clock in the morning?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I cried with affected gaiety, “what brings you here at two o’clock in the morning?”
Chapter 13 of The Clock and the Key by A. H. (Arthur Henry) Vesey holds 169 sentences, grouped into 34 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 13 holds 169 sentences of The Clock and the Key, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Clock and the Key by A. H. (Arthur Henry) Vesey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 169 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 13 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 Clock and the Key by A. H. (Arthur Henry) Vesey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4970 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54888 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54888, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 414 minutes of reading across 994 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Clock and the Key section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Clock and the Key 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 Clock and the Key, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
