Chapter 7 of The Hand in the Dark is here in full — 293 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Hand in the Dark is here in full — 293 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
As they reached the library again a small silver clock on the mantelpiece gave a single chime. Merrington looked at it, and then glanced at his watch. "Half-past eight!" he said. "That clock is five minutes slow--by me. The people who have been staying here will go off after breakfast.
Chapter 7 of The Hand in the Dark is here in full — 293 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/58 · 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.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading “The people who have been staying here will go off after breakfast.”
a percussion instrument consisting of a set of tuned bells that are struck with a hammer; used as an orchestral instrument
From this reading “As they reached the library again a small silver clock on the mantelpiece gave a single chime.”
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading “As they reached the library again a small silver clock on the mantelpiece gave a single chime.”
being one more than seven
From this reading “"Half-past eight!" he said.”
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading “Merrington looked at it, and then glanced at his watch.”
a room where books are kept
From this reading “As they reached the library again a small silver clock on the mantelpiece gave a single chime.”
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading “"That clock is five minutes slow--by me.”
-ing form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “The people who have been staying here will go off after breakfast.”
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 As they reached the library again a small silver clock on the mantelpiece gave a single chime.
later than; following
From this reading The people who have been staying here will go off after breakfast.
anew
From this reading As they reached the library again a small silver clock on the mantelpiece gave a single chime.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Merrington looked at it, and then glanced at his watch.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As they reached the library again a small silver clock on the mantelpiece gave a single chime.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Merrington looked at it, and then glanced at his watch.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The people who have been staying here will go off after breakfast.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading The people who have been staying here will go off after breakfast.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "That clock is five minutes slow--by me.
a percussion instrument consisting of a set of tuned bells that are struck with a hammer; used as an orchestral instrument
From this reading As they reached the library again a small silver clock on the mantelpiece gave a single chime.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading As they reached the library again a small silver clock on the mantelpiece gave a single chime.
being one more than seven
From this reading "Half-past eight!" he said.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading "That clock is five minutes slow--by me.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading As they reached the library again a small silver clock on the mantelpiece gave a single chime.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading Merrington looked at it, and then glanced at his watch.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The people who have been staying here will go off after breakfast.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Half-past eight!" he said.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The people who have been staying here will go off after breakfast.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Half-past eight!" he said.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading The people who have been staying here will go off after breakfast.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Merrington looked at it, and then glanced at his watch.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "That clock is five minutes slow--by me.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Merrington looked at it, and then glanced at his watch.
a room where books are kept
From this reading As they reached the library again a small silver clock on the mantelpiece gave a single chime.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Merrington looked at it, and then glanced at his watch.
shelf that projects from wall above fireplace
From this reading As they reached the library again a small silver clock on the mantelpiece gave a single chime.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "That clock is five minutes slow--by me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Merrington looked at it, and then glanced at his watch.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading "That clock is five minutes slow--by me.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The people who have been staying here will go off after breakfast.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As they reached the library again a small silver clock on the mantelpiece gave a single chime.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading The people who have been staying here will go off after breakfast.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading As they reached the library again a small silver clock on the mantelpiece gave a single chime.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Half-past eight!" he said.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading As they reached the library again a small silver clock on the mantelpiece gave a single chime.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading As they reached the library again a small silver clock on the mantelpiece gave a single chime.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading "That clock is five minutes slow--by me.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading As they reached the library again a small silver clock on the mantelpiece gave a single chime.
-ing form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading The people who have been staying here will go off after breakfast.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That clock is five minutes slow--by me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As they reached the library again a small silver clock on the mantelpiece gave a single chime.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Merrington looked at it, and then glanced at his watch.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As they reached the library again a small silver clock on the mantelpiece gave a single chime.
look attentively
From this reading Merrington looked at it, and then glanced at his watch.
which person or people
From this reading The people who have been staying here will go off after breakfast.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading The people who have been staying here will go off after breakfast.
Chapter 7 of The Hand in the Dark by Arthur J. (Arthur John) Rees holds 293 sentences, grouped into 59 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 7 holds 293 sentences of The Hand in the Dark, unabridged, divided into 59 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Hand in the Dark by Arthur J. (Arthur John) Rees exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 293 sentences, grouped into 59 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 59 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 59 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 7 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 Hand in the Dark by Arthur J. (Arthur John) Rees on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6080 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20546 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20546, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 506 minutes of reading across 1216 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Hand in the Dark section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Hand in the Dark 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 Hand in the Dark, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
