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The Desert Moon mystery
The Desert Moon mystery

Chapter XXXIV

Chapter 34 of The Desert Moon mystery is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Desert Moon mystery
Context Illustration Reading 1/31 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Danielle’s Secret We had come to the stream, and to the shade of the aspen trees.
I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:
“Salutations!
Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’
The incident has probably passed from your memory.
0:00 / 0:00
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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 Desert Moon mystery

Chapter XXXIV

Chapter 34 of The Desert Moon mystery is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Danielle’s Secret We had come to the stream, and to the shade of the aspen trees.
Line 2
I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:
/aɪ sæt daʊn ɑːn wʌn ʌv ðə rɑːks əˈbʌv ðə fɜːrst ˈfɪʃɪŋ hoʊl ənd ənˈfoʊldɪd ðə ˈpeɪpərz ʃiː hæd ˈɡɪvən tuː miː ənd red/
Line 3
“Salutations!
Line 4
Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’
Line 5
The incident has probably passed from your memory.
/ðə ˈɪnsədənt hæz ˈprɑːbəbliː pæst frʌm jɔːr ˈmem.ər.i/

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.

aspen noun US /ˈæspən/

any of several trees of the genus Populus having leaves on flattened stalks so that they flutter in the lightest wind

From this reading “Danielle’s Secret We had come to the stream, and to the shade of the aspen trees.”

fishing noun US /ˈfɪʃɪŋ/

the act of someone who fishes as a diversion

From this reading “I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:”

hospital noun US /ˈhɑːspɪtəl/

a health facility where patients receive treatment

From this reading “Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’”

imitated verb US /ˈɪməteɪtɪd/

past form of “imitate” — reproduce someone's behavior or looks

From this reading “Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’”

incident noun US /ˈɪnsədənt/

a single distinct event

From this reading “The incident has probably passed from your memory.”

Mona noun US /ˈmoʊnə/

an island to the northwest of Wales

From this reading “Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’”

trifling noun US /ˈtraɪflɪŋ/

the deliberate act of delaying and playing instead of working

From this reading “Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’”

unfolded verb US /ənˈfoʊldɪd/

past form of “unfold” — develop or come to a promising stage

From this reading “I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:”

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.

in the hospital preposition + article + noun counted as “in … hospital”

In this reading “Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’”

All words in this reading · 66

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 Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:

affairnounUS /əˈfer/

a vaguely specified concern

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Danielle’s Secret We had come to the stream, and to the shade of the aspen trees.

aspennounUS /ˈæspən/

any of several trees of the genus Populus having leaves on flattened stalks so that they flutter in the lightest wind

From this reading Danielle’s Secret We had come to the stream, and to the shade of the aspen trees.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Danielle’s Secret We had come to the stream, and to the shade of the aspen trees.

Danielle's

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

From this reading Danielle’s Secret We had come to the stream, and to the shade of the aspen trees.

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

Doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:

fishingnounUS /ˈfɪʃɪŋ/

the act of someone who fishes as a diversion

From this reading I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The incident has probably passed from your memory.

Gaby

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

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

gayadjectiveUS /ɡeɪ/

bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/

acknowledged as a supposition

From this reading I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Danielle’s Secret We had come to the stream, and to the shade of the aspen trees.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading The incident has probably passed from your memory.

holenounUS /hoʊl/

an opening into or through something

From this reading I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:

hospitalnounUS /ˈhɑːspɪtəl/

a health facility where patients receive treatment

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:

imitatedverbUS /ˈɪməteɪtɪd/

past form of “imitate” — reproduce someone's behavior or looks

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

incidentnounUS /ˈɪnsədənt/

a single distinct event

From this reading The incident has probably passed from your memory.

Lisa

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

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:

memorynounUS /ˈmem.ər.i/

The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.

From this reading The incident has probably passed from your memory.

mistakenounUS /mɪˈsteɪk/

a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

MonanounUS /ˈmoʊnə/

an island to the northwest of Wales

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Danielle’s Secret We had come to the stream, and to the shade of the aspen trees.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:

papersnounUS /ˈpeɪpərz/

writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)

From this reading I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading The incident has probably passed from your memory.

probablyadverbUS /ˈprɑːbəbliː/

with considerable certainty; without much doubt

From this reading The incident has probably passed from your memory.

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:

rememberverbUS /rɪˈmɛm.bər/

To recall to mind.

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

rocksnounUS /rɑːks/

plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

Salutations

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

From this reading “Salutations!

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:

SecretnounUS /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading Danielle’s Secret We had come to the stream, and to the shade of the aspen trees.

shadenounUS /ʃeɪd/

relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body

From this reading Danielle’s Secret We had come to the stream, and to the shade of the aspen trees.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:

smileverbUS /smaɪl/

change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

SorryadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːri/

feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

streamnounUS /striːm/

a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth

From this reading Danielle’s Secret We had come to the stream, and to the shade of the aspen trees.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Danielle’s Secret We had come to the stream, and to the shade of the aspen trees.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Danielle’s Secret We had come to the stream, and to the shade of the aspen trees.

treesnounUS /triːz/

plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms

From this reading Danielle’s Secret We had come to the stream, and to the shade of the aspen trees.

triflingnounUS /ˈtraɪflɪŋ/

the deliberate act of delaying and playing instead of working

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

unfoldedverbUS /ənˈfoʊldɪd/

past form of “unfold” — develop or come to a promising stage

From this reading I sat down on one of the rocks, above the first fishing hole, and unfolded the papers she had given to me, and read:

VnounUS /viː/

a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

visitedverbUS /ˈvɪzɪtɪd/

past form of “visit” — go to see a place, as for entertainment

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Danielle’s Secret We had come to the stream, and to the shade of the aspen trees.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Do you remember, my dear and gay Gaby, after the V. affair, when you visited me in the hospital, that you said, with your imitated Mona Lisa smile, ‘Sorry, old dear, I made a trifling mistake, did I not?’

Chapter 34 of The Desert Moon mystery by Kay Cleaver Strahan holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 34 of The Desert Moon mystery contain?

Chapter 34 holds 156 sentences of The Desert Moon mystery, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 34 of The Desert Moon mystery by Kay Cleaver Strahan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 34 of The Desert Moon mystery?

Work through the 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 32 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 34 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 34 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 Desert Moon mystery

Common questions about reading The Desert Moon mystery by Kay Cleaver Strahan on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Desert Moon mystery?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Desert Moon mystery is used?

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

How long does The Desert Moon mystery take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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How to work through The Desert Moon mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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Vocabulary met early in The Desert Moon mystery

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Desert Moon mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of The Desert Moon mystery, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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