Chapter 2 of The Eye of Dread is here in full — 269 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Eye of Dread is here in full — 269 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive. "Mary, my dear, I see signs of swarming. The bees are hanging out on that hive under the Tolman Sweet. Where's Betty?" "She's down cellar churning, but she can leave.
Chapter 2 of The Eye of Dread is here in full — 269 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
plural of “bee” — any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species
From this reading “WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.”
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading “"She's down cellar churning, but she can leave.”
moving with or producing or produced by vigorous agitation
From this reading “"She's down cellar churning, but she can leave.”
a teeming multitude
From this reading “The bees are hanging out on that hive under the Tolman Sweet.”
weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
From this reading “WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.”
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading “"Mary, my dear, I see signs of swarming.”
-ing form of “swarm” — be teeming, be abuzz
From this reading “"Mary, my dear, I see signs of swarming.”
-ing form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading “WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.”
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 “"She's down cellar churning, but she can leave.”
In this reading “WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.”
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.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The bees are hanging out on that hive under the Tolman Sweet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.
plural of “bee” — any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species
From this reading WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Where's Betty?"
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "She's down cellar churning, but she can leave.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "She's down cellar churning, but she can leave.
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading "She's down cellar churning, but she can leave.
moving with or producing or produced by vigorous agitation
From this reading "She's down cellar churning, but she can leave.
dearly loved
From this reading "Mary, my dear, I see signs of swarming.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "She's down cellar churning, but she can leave.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.
decoration that is hung (as a tapestry) on a wall or over a window
From this reading The bees are hanging out on that hive under the Tolman Sweet.
a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature
From this reading WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.
a teeming multitude
From this reading The bees are hanging out on that hive under the Tolman Sweet.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Mary, my dear, I see signs of swarming.
go away from a place
From this reading "She's down cellar churning, but she can leave.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading "Mary, my dear, I see signs of swarming.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Mary, my dear, I see signs of swarming.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Mary, my dear, I see signs of swarming.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The bees are hanging out on that hive under the Tolman Sweet.
weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
From this reading WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The bees are hanging out on that hive under the Tolman Sweet.
a course of conduct
From this reading WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Mary, my dear, I see signs of swarming.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "She's down cellar churning, but she can leave.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She's down cellar churning, but she can leave.
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading "Mary, my dear, I see signs of swarming.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.
-ing form of “swarm” — be teeming, be abuzz
From this reading "Mary, my dear, I see signs of swarming.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading The bees are hanging out on that hive under the Tolman Sweet.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The bees are hanging out on that hive under the Tolman Sweet.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The bees are hanging out on that hive under the Tolman Sweet.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The bees are hanging out on that hive under the Tolman Sweet.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Where's Betty?"
-ing form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading WATCHING THE BEES Father Ballard walked slowly up the path from the garden, wiping his brow, for the heat was oppressive.
Chapter 2 of The Eye of Dread by Payne Erskine holds 269 sentences, grouped into 54 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 269 sentences of The Eye of Dread, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Eye of Dread by Payne Erskine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 269 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 Eye of Dread by Payne Erskine on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9366 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30031 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30031, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1874 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Eye of Dread section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Eye of Dread 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 Eye of Dread, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
