Chapter III of The dark eyes of London, “The Secretary,” is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter III of The dark eyes of London, “The Secretary,” is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Room No. 47 was on the floor above that where the Commissioner’s office was situated. It lay at the end of a long corridor, facing the detective. He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau. “Hallo!” he said in surprise. “Am I in the wrong office?”
Chapter III of The dark eyes of London, “The Secretary,” is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
an administrative unit of government
From this reading “He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.”
providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)
From this reading “He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.”
possessive form of “commissioner” — a government administrator
an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading “It lay at the end of a long corridor, facing the detective.”
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “It lay at the end of a long corridor, facing the detective.”
a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening
From this reading “It lay at the end of a long corridor, facing the detective.”
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading “Room No. 47 was on the floor above that where the Commissioner’s office was situated.”
an open receptacle for holding or displaying or serving articles or food
From this reading “He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.”
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 “He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.”
In this reading “Room No. 47 was on the floor above that where the Commissioner’s office was situated.”
In this reading “It lay at the end of a long corridor, facing the detective.”
In this reading “It lay at the end of a long corridor, facing the detective.”
In this reading ““Hallo!” he said in surprise.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Room No. 47 was on the floor above that where the Commissioner’s office was situated.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It lay at the end of a long corridor, facing the detective.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Room No. 47 was on the floor above that where the Commissioner’s office was situated.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “Am I in the wrong office?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It lay at the end of a long corridor, facing the detective.
an administrative unit of government
From this reading He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.
providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)
From this reading He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.
possessive form of “commissioner” — a government administrator
From this reading Room No. 47 was on the floor above that where the Commissioner’s office was situated.
an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading It lay at the end of a long corridor, facing the detective.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading It lay at the end of a long corridor, facing the detective.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading It lay at the end of a long corridor, facing the detective.
a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening
From this reading It lay at the end of a long corridor, facing the detective.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Room No. 47 was on the floor above that where the Commissioner’s office was situated.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Hallo!” he said in surprise.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Am I in the wrong office?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It lay at the end of a long corridor, facing the detective.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading It lay at the end of a long corridor, facing the detective.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading It lay at the end of a long corridor, facing the detective.
not any; not one
From this reading Room No. 47 was on the floor above that where the Commissioner’s office was situated.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It lay at the end of a long corridor, facing the detective.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Room No. 47 was on the floor above that where the Commissioner’s office was situated.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Room No. 47 was on the floor above that where the Commissioner’s office was situated.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Room No. 47 was on the floor above that where the Commissioner’s office was situated.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Hallo!” he said in surprise.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading Room No. 47 was on the floor above that where the Commissioner’s office was situated.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “Hallo!” he said in surprise.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Room No. 47 was on the floor above that where the Commissioner’s office was situated.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Room No. 47 was on the floor above that where the Commissioner’s office was situated.
an open receptacle for holding or displaying or serving articles or food
From this reading He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.
close enough to be walked to
From this reading He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Room No. 47 was on the floor above that where the Commissioner’s office was situated.
in or at the place that
From this reading Room No. 47 was on the floor above that where the Commissioner’s office was situated.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He carried the tray in one hand and opened the door with the other, walking into a comfortable little bureau.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading “Am I in the wrong office?”
Chapter 3 of The dark eyes of London by Edgar Wallace holds 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 3 holds 109 sentences of The dark eyes of London, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The dark eyes of London by Edgar Wallace exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 3 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in The dark eyes of London, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
