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The Clue of the Twisted Candle
The Clue of the Twisted Candle

Chapter XXIII · Chapter 23

Chapter 23 of The Clue of the Twisted Candle is here in full — 55 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Clue of the Twisted Candle
Context Illustration Reading 1/11 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.
Belinda Mary had an eager audience all to her very self.
Of course she didn't die,” she said scornfully.
Kara was playing on his fears all the time.
He never even harmed her--in the way Mr. Lexman feared.
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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 Clue of the Twisted Candle

Chapter XXIII · Chapter 23

Chapter 23 of The Clue of the Twisted Candle is here in full — 55 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/11 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.
/ðeɪ went aʊt ənd left ðem əˈloʊn tuː ˈpiːpəl huː faʊnd ɪn ðɪs ˈmoʊmənt ə ˈhevən wɪtʃ ɪz nɑːt bɪˈɑːnd ðə riːtʃ ʌv hjuːˈmænɪti bʌt wɪtʃ ɪz ˈseldəm əˈteɪnd tuː/
Line 2
Belinda Mary had an eager audience all to her very self.
Line 3
Of course she didn't die,” she said scornfully.
Line 4
Kara was playing on his fears all the time.
Line 5
He never even harmed her--in the way Mr. Lexman feared.

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.

attained adjective US /əˈteɪnd/

achieved or reached

From this reading “They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.”

audience noun US /ˈɑːdiəns/

a gathering of spectators or listeners at a (usually public) performance

From this reading “Belinda Mary had an eager audience all to her very self.”

feared verb US /fɪrd/

past form of “fear” — be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event

From this reading “He never even harmed her--in the way Mr. Lexman feared.”

fears noun US /fɪrz/

plural of “fear” — an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)

From this reading ““Kara was playing on his fears all the time.”

harmed verb US /hɑːrmd/

past form of “harm” — cause or do harm to

From this reading “He never even harmed her--in the way Mr. Lexman feared.”

humanity noun US /hjuːˈmænɪti/

the quality of being humane

From this reading “They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.”

seldom adverb US /ˈseldəm/

not often

From this reading “They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.”

self noun US /self/

your consciousness of your own identity

From this reading “Belinda Mary had an eager audience all to her very self.”

All words in this reading · 59

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Belinda Mary had an eager audience all to her very self.

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Belinda Mary had an eager audience all to her very self.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

attainedadjectiveUS /əˈteɪnd/

achieved or reached

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

audiencenounUS /ˈɑːdiəns/

a gathering of spectators or listeners at a (usually public) performance

From this reading Belinda Mary had an eager audience all to her very self.

Belinda

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

From this reading Belinda Mary had an eager audience all to her very self.

beyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

coursenounUS /kɔːrs/

education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings

From this reading “Of course she didn't die,” she said scornfully.

didn't

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

From this reading “Of course she didn't die,” she said scornfully.

dieverbUS /daɪ/

pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading “Of course she didn't die,” she said scornfully.

eageradjectiveUS /ˈiːɡər/

having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy

From this reading Belinda Mary had an eager audience all to her very self.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading He never even harmed her--in the way Mr. Lexman feared.

fearedverbUS /fɪrd/

past form of “fear” — be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event

From this reading He never even harmed her--in the way Mr. Lexman feared.

fearsnounUS /fɪrz/

plural of “fear” — an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)

From this reading “Kara was playing on his fears all the time.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Belinda Mary had an eager audience all to her very self.

harmedverbUS /hɑːrmd/

past form of “harm” — cause or do harm to

From this reading He never even harmed her--in the way Mr. Lexman feared.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He never even harmed her--in the way Mr. Lexman feared.

heavennounUS /ˈhevən/

any place of complete bliss and delight and peace

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Belinda Mary had an eager audience all to her very self.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading “Kara was playing on his fears all the time.

humanitynounUS /hjuːˈmænɪti/

the quality of being humane

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

Kara

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

From this reading “Kara was playing on his fears all the time.

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

Lexman

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

From this reading He never even harmed her--in the way Mr. Lexman feared.

MarynounUS /ˈmeri/

the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics

From this reading Belinda Mary had an eager audience all to her very self.

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading He never even harmed her--in the way Mr. Lexman feared.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading He never even harmed her--in the way Mr. Lexman feared.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading “Kara was playing on his fears all the time.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

playingnounUS /ˈpleɪɪŋ/

the act of playing a musical instrument

From this reading “Kara was playing on his fears all the time.

reachverbUS /riːtʃ/

reach a destination, either real or abstract

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “Of course she didn't die,” she said scornfully.

scornfullyadverb

without respect; in a disdainful manner

From this reading “Of course she didn't die,” she said scornfully.

seldomadverbUS /ˈseldəm/

not often

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

selfnounUS /self/

your consciousness of your own identity

From this reading Belinda Mary had an eager audience all to her very self.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “Of course she didn't die,” she said scornfully.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading “Kara was playing on his fears all the time.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

twonounUS /tuː/

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

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Belinda Mary had an eager audience all to her very self.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “Kara was playing on his fears all the time.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading He never even harmed her--in the way Mr. Lexman feared.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading They went out and left them alone, two people who found in this moment a heaven which is not beyond the reach of humanity, but which is seldom attained to.

Chapter 23 of The Clue of the Twisted Candle by Edgar Wallace holds 55 sentences, grouped into 11 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 23 of The Clue of the Twisted Candle contain?

Chapter 23 holds 55 sentences of The Clue of the Twisted Candle, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 23 of The Clue of the Twisted Candle by Edgar Wallace exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 55 sentences, grouped into 11 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 23 of The Clue of the Twisted Candle?

Work through the 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 11 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 23 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 23 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 Clue of the Twisted Candle

Common questions about reading The Clue of the Twisted Candle by Edgar Wallace on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Clue of the Twisted Candle?

Yes. All 3504 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2688 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Clue of the Twisted Candle is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2688, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Clue of the Twisted Candle take to read?

About 292 minutes of reading across 701 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Clue of the Twisted Candle section by section

How to work through The Clue of the Twisted Candle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Clue of the Twisted Candle 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 Clue of the Twisted Candle

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Clue of the Twisted Candle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Victoria
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Clue of the Twisted Candle; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lewes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Clue of the Twisted Candle; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Three
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Clue of the Twisted Candle; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bridges
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Clue of the Twisted Candle; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.