Chapter 16 of The Dragon's Secret is here in full — 84 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Dragon's Secret is here in full — 84 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
RAGS TO THE RESCUE Phyllis whirled about. "What is the matter? Why do you say that?" she demanded in a fierce whisper. Eileen shrank back, evidently appalled by what she had unconsciously revealed. "I--I--didn't mean anything!" she stammered.
Chapter 16 of The Dragon's Secret is here in full — 84 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading “Eileen shrank back, evidently appalled by what she had unconsciously revealed.”
plural of “rag” — a small piece of cloth or paper
From this reading “RAGS TO THE RESCUE Phyllis whirled about.”
free from harm or evil
From this reading “RAGS TO THE RESCUE Phyllis whirled about.”
past form of “reveal” — make visible
From this reading “Eileen shrank back, evidently appalled by what she had unconsciously revealed.”
inflected form of “shrink” — wither, as with a loss of moisture
From this reading “Eileen shrank back, evidently appalled by what she had unconsciously revealed.”
without awareness
From this reading “Eileen shrank back, evidently appalled by what she had unconsciously revealed.”
past form of “whirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading “RAGS TO THE RESCUE Phyllis whirled about.”
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading “Why do you say that?" she demanded in a fierce whisper.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Why do you say that?" she demanded in a fierce whisper.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading RAGS TO THE RESCUE Phyllis whirled about.
any thing at all
From this reading "I--I--didn't mean anything!" she stammered.
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading Eileen shrank back, evidently appalled by what she had unconsciously revealed.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Eileen shrank back, evidently appalled by what she had unconsciously revealed.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Eileen shrank back, evidently appalled by what she had unconsciously revealed.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading Why do you say that?" she demanded in a fierce whisper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I--I--didn't mean anything!" she stammered.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Why do you say that?" she demanded in a fierce whisper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eileen shrank back, evidently appalled by what she had unconsciously revealed.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Eileen shrank back, evidently appalled by what she had unconsciously revealed.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading Why do you say that?" she demanded in a fierce whisper.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Eileen shrank back, evidently appalled by what she had unconsciously revealed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I--I--didn't mean anything!" she stammered.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Why do you say that?" she demanded in a fierce whisper.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is the matter?
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "What is the matter?
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "I--I--didn't mean anything!" she stammered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RAGS TO THE RESCUE Phyllis whirled about.
plural of “rag” — a small piece of cloth or paper
From this reading RAGS TO THE RESCUE Phyllis whirled about.
free from harm or evil
From this reading RAGS TO THE RESCUE Phyllis whirled about.
past form of “reveal” — make visible
From this reading Eileen shrank back, evidently appalled by what she had unconsciously revealed.
express in words
From this reading Why do you say that?" she demanded in a fierce whisper.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Why do you say that?" she demanded in a fierce whisper.
inflected form of “shrink” — wither, as with a loss of moisture
From this reading Eileen shrank back, evidently appalled by what she had unconsciously revealed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I--I--didn't mean anything!" she stammered.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Why do you say that?" she demanded in a fierce whisper.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading RAGS TO THE RESCUE Phyllis whirled about.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading RAGS TO THE RESCUE Phyllis whirled about.
without awareness
From this reading Eileen shrank back, evidently appalled by what she had unconsciously revealed.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is the matter?
past form of “whirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading RAGS TO THE RESCUE Phyllis whirled about.
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading Why do you say that?" she demanded in a fierce whisper.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why do you say that?" she demanded in a fierce whisper.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Why do you say that?" she demanded in a fierce whisper.
Chapter 16 of The Dragon's Secret by Augusta Huiell Seaman holds 84 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.
Chapter 16 holds 84 sentences of The Dragon's Secret, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Dragon's Secret by Augusta Huiell Seaman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 84 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.
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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 16 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 Dragon's Secret by Augusta Huiell Seaman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2487 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25770 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25770, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 207 minutes of reading across 498 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dragon's Secret section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Dragon's Secret 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 Dragon's Secret, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
