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The cloven foot
The cloven foot

Chapter XXXIX

Chapter 39 of The cloven foot is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/16 · 5 lines
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THREE WITNESSES.
In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.
The same witnesses were present who had been examined on the previous occasion.
Two medical men gave their evidence as to the dagger, which had been sent to them for examination.
One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The cloven foot

Chapter XXXIX

Chapter 39 of The cloven foot is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/16 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THREE WITNESSES.
/θriː ˈwɪtnəsəz/
Line 2
In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.
Line 3
The same witnesses were present who had been examined on the previous occasion.
/ðə seɪm ˈwɪtnəsəz wɜːr ˈprezənt huː hæd bɪn ɪɡˈzæmənd ɑːn ðə ˈpriːviəs əˈkeɪʒən/
Line 4
Two medical men gave their evidence as to the dagger, which had been sent to them for examination.
/tuː ˈmedəkəl men ɡeɪv ðer ˈevədəns æz tuː ðə ˈdæɡ.ər wɪtʃ hæd bɪn sent tuː ðem fɔːr ɪɡˌzæməˈneɪʃən/
Line 5
One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.
/wʌn dɪˈklerd ðæt ðə bleɪd bɔːr ˌʌnmɪˈsteɪkəbəl ˈtreɪsəz ʌv blʌd steɪnz ənd ɡeɪv ɪt æz hɪz əˈpɪnjən ðæt stiːl wʌns soʊ ˈsʌlid ˈnevər lɔːst ðə steɪn/

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, and audio.

dagger noun US /ˈdæɡ.ər/

A short knife with a pointed and edged blade, used as a stealth weapon.

From this reading “Two medical men gave their evidence as to the dagger, which had been sent to them for examination.”

magistrate noun US /ˈmædʒəstreɪt/

a lay judge or civil authority who administers the law (especially one who conducts a court dealing with minor offenses)

From this reading “In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.”

stain noun US /steɪn/

a soiled or discolored appearance

From this reading “One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.”

stains noun US /steɪnz/

plural of “stain” — a soiled or discolored appearance

From this reading “One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.”

sullied verb US /ˈsʌlid/

inflected form of “sully” — place under suspicion or cast doubt upon

From this reading “One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.”

Tuesday noun US /ˈtuːzdi/

the third day of the week; the second working day

From this reading “In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.”

unmistakable adjective US /ˌʌnmɪˈsteɪkəbəl/

clearly evident to the mind

From this reading “One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.”

witnesses noun US /ˈwɪtnəsəz/

plural of “witness” — someone who sees an event and reports what happened

From this reading “THREE WITNESSES.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

previous occasion adjective + noun

In this reading “The same witnesses were present who had been examined on the previous occasion.”

blood stains noun + noun counted as “blood stain”

In this reading “One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.”

before the magistrate preposition + article + noun counted as “before … magistrate”

In this reading “In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.”

medical men adjective + noun

In this reading “Two medical men gave their evidence as to the dagger, which had been sent to them for examination.”

In the forenoon preposition + article + noun counted as “in … forenoon”

In this reading “In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.”

appeared before verb + particle counted as “appear before”

In this reading “In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.”

never lost adverb + adjective

In this reading “One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.”

All words in this reading · 62

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.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

appearedverbUS /əˈpɪrd/

past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Two medical men gave their evidence as to the dagger, which had been sent to them for examination.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The same witnesses were present who had been examined on the previous occasion.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.

bladenounUS /bleɪd/

especially a leaf of grass or the broad portion of a leaf as distinct from the petiole

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

bloodnounUS /blʌd/

The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

boreverbUS /bɔːr/

cause to be bored

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

BownounUS /baʊ/

a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces

From this reading In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.

daggernounUS /ˈdæɡ.ər/

A short knife with a pointed and edged blade, used as a stealth weapon.

From this reading Two medical men gave their evidence as to the dagger, which had been sent to them for examination.

declaredadjectiveUS /dɪˈklerd/

made known or openly avowed

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

evidencenounUS /ˈevədəns/

your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief

From this reading Two medical men gave their evidence as to the dagger, which had been sent to them for examination.

examinationnounUS /ɪɡˌzæməˈneɪʃən/

the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)

From this reading Two medical men gave their evidence as to the dagger, which had been sent to them for examination.

examinedverbUS /ɪɡˈzæmənd/

past form of “examine” — consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning

From this reading The same witnesses were present who had been examined on the previous occasion.

followingadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːloʊɪŋ/

about to be mentioned or specified

From this reading In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Two medical men gave their evidence as to the dagger, which had been sent to them for examination.

forenoonnoun

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.

gaveverbUS /ɡeɪv/

inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading Two medical men gave their evidence as to the dagger, which had been sent to them for examination.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The same witnesses were present who had been examined on the previous occasion.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

JohnnounUS /dʒɑːn/

a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

From this reading In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.

lostadjectiveUS /lɔːst/

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

magistratenounUS /ˈmædʒəstreɪt/

a lay judge or civil authority who administers the law (especially one who conducts a court dealing with minor offenses)

From this reading In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.

medicaladjectiveUS /ˈmedəkəl/

relating to the study or practice of medicine

From this reading Two medical men gave their evidence as to the dagger, which had been sent to them for examination.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading Two medical men gave their evidence as to the dagger, which had been sent to them for examination.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

occasionnounUS /əˈkeɪʒən/

an event that occurs at a critical time

From this reading The same witnesses were present who had been examined on the previous occasion.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The same witnesses were present who had been examined on the previous occasion.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

opinionnounUS /əˈpɪnjən/

a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

Police-court

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

From this reading In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.

presentverbUS /ˈprezənt/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading The same witnesses were present who had been examined on the previous occasion.

previousadjectiveUS /ˈpriːviəs/

just preceding something else in time or order

From this reading The same witnesses were present who had been examined on the previous occasion.

sameadjectiveUS /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

From this reading The same witnesses were present who had been examined on the previous occasion.

sentnounUS /sent/

100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia

From this reading Two medical men gave their evidence as to the dagger, which had been sent to them for examination.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

stainnounUS /steɪn/

a soiled or discolored appearance

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

stainsnounUS /steɪnz/

plural of “stain” — a soiled or discolored appearance

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

steelnounUS /stiːl/

an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

StreetnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.

sulliedverbUS /ˈsʌlid/

inflected form of “sully” — place under suspicion or cast doubt upon

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Two medical men gave their evidence as to the dagger, which had been sent to them for examination.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Two medical men gave their evidence as to the dagger, which had been sent to them for examination.

THREEnounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading THREE WITNESSES.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Two medical men gave their evidence as to the dagger, which had been sent to them for examination.

tracesnounUS /ˈtreɪsəz/

plural of “trace” — a just detectable amount

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

Treverton

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

From this reading In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.

TuesdaynounUS /ˈtuːzdi/

the third day of the week; the second working day

From this reading In the forenoon of the following Tuesday John Treverton again appeared before the magistrate, at the Police-court in Bow Street.

TwonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading Two medical men gave their evidence as to the dagger, which had been sent to them for examination.

unmistakableadjectiveUS /ˌʌnmɪˈsteɪkəbəl/

clearly evident to the mind

From this reading One declared that the blade bore unmistakable traces of blood stains, and gave it as his opinion that steel once so sullied never lost the stain.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading The same witnesses were present who had been examined on the previous occasion.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Two medical men gave their evidence as to the dagger, which had been sent to them for examination.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading The same witnesses were present who had been examined on the previous occasion.

WITNESSESnounUS /ˈwɪtnəsəz/

plural of “witness” — someone who sees an event and reports what happened

From this reading THREE WITNESSES.

Chapter 39 of The cloven foot by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon holds 81 sentences, grouped into 17 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 39 of The cloven foot contain?

Chapter 39 holds 81 sentences of The cloven foot, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 39 of The cloven foot by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 81 sentences, grouped into 17 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 39 of The cloven foot?

Work through the 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 17 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 39 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 39 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 cloven foot

Common questions about reading The cloven foot by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The cloven foot?

Yes. All 9199 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73931 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The cloven foot is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #73931, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The cloven foot take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1840 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The cloven foot section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

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  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 cloven foot

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

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The cloven foot; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Audley
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The cloven foot; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Secret
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The cloven foot; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Aurora
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The cloven foot; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.