Chapter 2 of The Dark House: A Knot Unravelled is here in full — 469 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Dark House: A Knot Unravelled is here in full — 469 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What do you mean?" he whispered, hastily. She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail. "Why don't you speak?" he cried. "Some things are better left unspoken," she replied. "Don't be rash."
Chapter 2 of The Dark House: A Knot Unravelled is here in full — 469 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/93 · 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.
use to one's advantage
From this reading “She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.”
(plural) the deepest and most remote part
From this reading “She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.”
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading “"What do you mean?" he whispered, hastily.”
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading “She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.”
any red eruption of the skin
From this reading “"Don't be rash."”
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading “She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.”
expressed without speech
From this reading “"Some things are better left unspoken," she replied.”
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “"What do you mean?" he whispered, hastily.”
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.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Some things are better left unspoken," she replied.
use to one's advantage
From this reading She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Don't be rash."
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "Some things are better left unspoken," she replied.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Why don't you speak?" he cried.
(plural) the deepest and most remote part
From this reading She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What do you mean?" he whispered, hastily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why don't you speak?" he cried.
opinion or judgment
From this reading She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading "What do you mean?" he whispered, hastily.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What do you mean?" he whispered, hastily.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.
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 "Some things are better left unspoken," she replied.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "What do you mean?" he whispered, hastily.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.
any red eruption of the skin
From this reading "Don't be rash."
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Some things are better left unspoken," she replied.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Some things are better left unspoken," she replied.
express in speech
From this reading "Why don't you speak?" he cried.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "Some things are better left unspoken," she replied.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.
expressed without speech
From this reading "Some things are better left unspoken," she replied.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What do you mean?" he whispered, hastily.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading "What do you mean?" he whispered, hastily.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why don't you speak?" he cried.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading She looked full in his eyes, and he tried to read the mystery in their depths, but without avail.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What do you mean?" he whispered, hastily.
Chapter 2 of The Dark House: A Knot Unravelled by George Manville Fenn holds 469 sentences, grouped into 94 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 2 holds 469 sentences of The Dark House: A Knot Unravelled, unabridged, divided into 94 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Dark House: A Knot Unravelled by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 469 sentences, grouped into 94 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 94 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 94 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 2 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 Dark House: A Knot Unravelled by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2380 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25637 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25637, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 198 minutes of reading across 476 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dark House: A Knot Unravelled section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Dark House: A Knot Unravelled 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 Dark House: A Knot Unravelled, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
