The Haunted Hangar

Chapter XVI · The “Bait” Vanishes

Chapter XVI of The Haunted Hangar, “The “Bait” Vanishes,” is here in full — 88 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Van Powell • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Haunted Hangar

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Simple and clever, Dick’s plan appealed to Mr. Everdail.

His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

The room sheltered a mixed assembly.

Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.

Miss Serena, with the yacht stewardess, uneasy but clinging close to the older woman, made up the representatives of the ladies’ side, while Captain Parks, his chef, mate, engineer and their helpers and crew, with the caretaker and all the new servants, filled one end of the room.

Narrator

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XVI Reading 1/17

The Haunted Hangar Van Powell

Chapter XVI

The “Bait” Vanishes

Chapter XVI of The Haunted Hangar, “The “Bait” Vanishes,” is here in full — 88 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Simple and clever, Dick’s plan appealed to Mr. Everdail. His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.” The room sheltered a mixed assembly. Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London. Miss Serena, with the yacht stewardess, uneasy but clinging close to the older woman, made up the representatives of the ladies’ side, while Captain Parks, his chef, mate, engineer and their helpers and crew, with the caretaker and all the new servants, filled one end of the room.

The Haunted Hangar

Chapter XVI · The “Bait” Vanishes

Chapter XVI of The Haunted Hangar, “The “Bait” Vanishes,” is here in full — 88 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/17 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Simple and clever, Dick’s plan appealed to Mr. Everdail.

Line 2

His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

/hɪz ˈlaɪbreriː ðæt ˈiːvnɪŋ meɪd ˈsændi θɪŋk ʌv ə mæs ˈmiːtɪŋ ʌv ˈkredɪtərz ɔːr ˈstɑːkhoʊldərz huː hæv bɪn trɪkt/

Line 3

The room sheltered a mixed assembly.

/ðə ruːm ˈʃeltərd ə mɪkst əˈsembli/

Line 4

Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.

Line 5

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.

caretaker noun US /ˈkerteɪkər/

a custodian who is hired to take care of something (property or a person)

From this reading “Miss Serena, with the yacht stewardess, uneasy but clinging close to the older woman, made up the representatives of the ladies’ side, while Captain Parks, his chef, mate, engineer and their helpers and crew, with the caretaker and all the new servants, filled one end of the room.”

chef noun US /ʃef/

a professional cook

creditors noun US /ˈkredɪtərz/

plural of “creditor” — a person to whom money is owed by a debtor; someone to whom an obligation exists

From this reading “His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.””

helpers noun US /ˈhelpərz/

plural of “helper” — a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose

Parks noun US /pɑːrks/

United States civil rights leader who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery (Alabama) and so triggered the national Civil Rights movement (born in 1913)

stewardess noun US /ˈstuːərdəs/

a woman steward on an airplane

stockholders noun US /ˈstɑːkhoʊldərz/

plural of “stockholder” — someone who holds shares of stock in a corporation

From this reading “His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.””

tricked verb US /trɪkt/

past form of “trick” — deceive somebody

From this reading “His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.””

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.

special agent adjective + noun

someone whose authority is limited to the special undertaking they have been instructed to perform

In this reading “Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.”

mass meeting noun + noun

a large gathering of people intended to arouse enthusiasm

In this reading “His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.””

older woman adjective + noun

In this reading “Miss Serena, with the yacht stewardess, uneasy but clinging close to the older woman, made up the representatives of the ladies’ side, while Captain Parks, his chef, mate, engineer and their helpers and crew, with the caretaker and all the new servants, filled one end of the room.”

clinging close verb + adjective counted as “cling close”

think of verb + particle

keep in mind for attention or consideration

In this reading “His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.””

All words in this reading · 79

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 His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

agentnounUS /ˈeɪdʒənt/

an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect

From this reading Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Miss Serena, with the yacht stewardess, uneasy but clinging close to the older woman, made up the representatives of the ladies’ side, while Captain Parks, his chef, mate, engineer and their helpers and crew, with the caretaker and all the new servants, filled one end of the room.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Simple and clever, Dick’s plan appealed to Mr. Everdail.

appealedverbUS /əˈpiːld/

past form of “appeal” — take a court case to a higher court for review

From this reading Simple and clever, Dick’s plan appealed to Mr. Everdail.

assemblynounUS /əˈsembli/

a group of machine parts that fit together to form a self-contained unit

From this reading The room sheltered a mixed assembly.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

CaptainnounUS /ˈkæptən/

an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

caretakernounUS /ˈkerteɪkər/

a custodian who is hired to take care of something (property or a person)

chefnounUS /ʃef/

a professional cook

cleveradjectiveUS /ˈklevər/

showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others

From this reading Simple and clever, Dick’s plan appealed to Mr. Everdail.

clingingverbUS /ˈklɪŋɪŋ/

-ing form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation

closeadjectiveUS /kloʊs/

at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other

creditorsnounUS /ˈkredɪtərz/

plural of “creditor” — a person to whom money is owed by a debtor; someone to whom an obligation exists

From this reading His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

crewnounUS /kruː/

the men and women who man a vehicle (ship, aircraft, etc.)

Dick'snounUS /dɪks/

possessive form of “dick” — someone who is a detective

From this reading Simple and clever, Dick’s plan appealed to Mr. Everdail.

endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

engineernounUS /ˈendʒəˈnɪr/

a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems

eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

Everdail

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

From this reading Simple and clever, Dick’s plan appealed to Mr. Everdail.

filledadjectiveUS /fɪld/

(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with

formeradjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrmər/

referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)

From this reading Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

helpersnounUS /ˈhelpərz/

plural of “helper” — a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

Jeff

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

From this reading Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.

ladiesnounUS /ˈleɪdiz/

plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman

Larsen

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

From this reading Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.

librarynounUS /ˈlaɪbreriː/

a room where books are kept

From this reading His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

LondonnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

massnounUS /mæs/

the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field

From this reading His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

matenounUS /meɪt/

the officer below the master on a commercial ship

meetingnounUS /ˈmiːtɪŋ/

a formally arranged gathering

From this reading His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

MissverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

mixedadjectiveUS /mɪkst/

consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds

From this reading The room sheltered a mixed assembly.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading Simple and clever, Dick’s plan appealed to Mr. Everdail.

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

olderadjectiveUS /ˈoʊldər/

advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

ParksnounUS /pɑːrks/

United States civil rights leader who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery (Alabama) and so triggered the national Civil Rights movement (born in 1913)

passengernounUS /ˈpæsəndʒər/

a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it

From this reading Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.

pilotverbUS /ˈpaɪlət/

operate an airplane

From this reading Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.

planverbUS /plæn/

have the will and intention to carry out some action

From this reading Simple and clever, Dick’s plan appealed to Mr. Everdail.

representativesnounUS /ˌreprəˈzentətɪvz/

plural of “representative” — a person who represents others

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading The room sheltered a mixed assembly.

SandyadjectiveUS /ˈsændi/

of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown

From this reading His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

seaplanenoun

an airplane that can land on or take off from water

From this reading Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.

Serena

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

servantsnounUS /ˈsɜːrvənts/

plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)

shelteredadjectiveUS /ˈʃeltərd/

protected from danger or bad weather

From this reading The room sheltered a mixed assembly.

sidenounUS /saɪd/

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

SimpleadjectiveUS /ˈsɪmpəl/

having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved

From this reading Simple and clever, Dick’s plan appealed to Mr. Everdail.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.

specialadjectiveUS /ˈspeʃəl/

unique or specific to a person or thing or category

From this reading Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.

stewardessnounUS /ˈstuːərdəs/

a woman steward on an airplane

stockholdersnounUS /ˈstɑːkhoʊldərz/

plural of “stockholder” — someone who holds shares of stock in a corporation

From this reading His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

supposedadjectiveUS /səˈpoʊzd/

required or under orders

From this reading Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The room sheltered a mixed assembly.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Simple and clever, Dick’s plan appealed to Mr. Everdail.

Tommy

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

From this reading Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.

trickedverbUS /trɪkt/

past form of “trick” — deceive somebody

From this reading His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

uneasyadjectiveUS /əˈniːzi/

lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

yachtnounUS /jɑːt/

an expensive vessel propelled by sail or power and used for cruising or racing

Chapter 16 of The Haunted Hangar by Van Powell holds 88 sentences, grouped into 18 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 16 of The Haunted Hangar contain?

Chapter 16 holds 88 sentences of The Haunted Hangar, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of The Haunted Hangar by Van Powell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 88 sentences, grouped into 18 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 16 of The Haunted Hangar?

Work through the 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 18 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 16 be read aloud to me?

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.

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Is this the complete text of The Haunted Hangar?

Yes. All 3531 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57008 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #57008, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Haunted Hangar take to read?

About 294 minutes of reading across 707 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Haunted Hangar

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Haunted Hangar, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Steady: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Haunted Hangar; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Engine: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Haunted Hangar; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stick: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Haunted Hangar; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Danger: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Haunted Hangar; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XVI · The “Bait” Vanishes

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