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The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice
The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice

Chapter XIX · Chapter 19

Chapter 19 of The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Wilkie Collins • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice
Context Illustration Reading 1/46 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.
Without being aware of it himself, he was a thorough materialist.
The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.
“Perhaps,” he reflected, “my temperament is more imaginative than I supposed it to be—and this is a trick played on me by my own fancy?
Or, perhaps, my friend is right; something is physically amiss with me?
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice

Chapter XIX · Chapter 19

Chapter 19 of The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/46 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.
Line 2
Without being aware of it himself, he was a thorough materialist.
Line 3
The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.
Line 4
“Perhaps,” he reflected, “my temperament is more imaginative than I supposed it to be—and this is a trick played on me by my own fancy?
Line 5
Or, perhaps, my friend is right; something is physically amiss with me?

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.

Mind noun US /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading “The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.”

Velmora curated lexicon
Open verb US /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading “Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.”

Velmora curated lexicon

All words in this reading · 78

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.

a

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

From this reading Without being aware of it himself, he was a thorough materialist.

Pending verification
amiss

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

From this reading Or, perhaps, my friend is right; something is physically amiss with me?

Pending verification
and

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
Avoiding

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
aware

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

From this reading Without being aware of it himself, he was a thorough materialist.

Pending verification
bathed

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
be

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

From this reading “Perhaps,” he reflected, “my temperament is more imaginative than I supposed it to be—and this is a trick played on me by my own fancy?

Pending verification
being

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

From this reading Without being aware of it himself, he was a thorough materialist.

Pending verification
brother

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
by

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
colonnades

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
crowd

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
dead

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
down

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
effect

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
effects

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
exercised

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
fancy

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

From this reading “Perhaps,” he reflected, “my temperament is more imaginative than I supposed it to be—and this is a trick played on me by my own fancy?

Pending verification
following

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
Francis

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
friend

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

From this reading Or, perhaps, my friend is right; something is physically amiss with me?

Pending verification
he

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

From this reading Without being aware of it himself, he was a thorough materialist.

Pending verification
him

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
himself

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

From this reading Without being aware of it himself, he was a thorough materialist.

Pending verification
his

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
I

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

From this reading “Perhaps,” he reflected, “my temperament is more imaginative than I supposed it to be—and this is a trick played on me by my own fancy?

Pending verification
imaginative

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

From this reading “Perhaps,” he reflected, “my temperament is more imaginative than I supposed it to be—and this is a trick played on me by my own fancy?

Pending verification
in

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
influence

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
is

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

From this reading “Perhaps,” he reflected, “my temperament is more imaginative than I supposed it to be—and this is a trick played on me by my own fancy?

Pending verification
it

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

From this reading Without being aware of it himself, he was a thorough materialist.

Pending verification
light

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
man

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
materialist

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

From this reading Without being aware of it himself, he was a thorough materialist.

Pending verification
me

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

From this reading “Perhaps,” he reflected, “my temperament is more imaginative than I supposed it to be—and this is a trick played on me by my own fancy?

Pending verification
mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Velmora curated lexicon
moon

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
more

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

From this reading “Perhaps,” he reflected, “my temperament is more imaginative than I supposed it to be—and this is a trick played on me by my own fancy?

Pending verification
my

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

From this reading “Perhaps,” he reflected, “my temperament is more imaginative than I supposed it to be—and this is a trick played on me by my own fancy?

Pending verification
no

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
noble

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
of

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
on

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Velmora curated lexicon
Or

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

From this reading Or, perhaps, my friend is right; something is physically amiss with me?

Pending verification
other

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
over

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
own

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

From this reading “Perhaps,” he reflected, “my temperament is more imaginative than I supposed it to be—and this is a trick played on me by my own fancy?

Pending verification
Perhaps

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

From this reading “Perhaps,” he reflected, “my temperament is more imaginative than I supposed it to be—and this is a trick played on me by my own fancy?

Pending verification
perplexing

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
physically

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

From this reading Or, perhaps, my friend is right; something is physically amiss with me?

Pending verification
played

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

From this reading “Perhaps,” he reflected, “my temperament is more imaginative than I supposed it to be—and this is a trick played on me by my own fancy?

Pending verification
produced

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
reflected

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

From this reading “Perhaps,” he reflected, “my temperament is more imaginative than I supposed it to be—and this is a trick played on me by my own fancy?

Pending verification
relatives

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
right

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

From this reading Or, perhaps, my friend is right; something is physically amiss with me?

Pending verification
rising

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
room

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
sensible

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
slowly

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
something

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

From this reading Or, perhaps, my friend is right; something is physically amiss with me?

Pending verification
space

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
square

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
strange

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
supposed

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

From this reading “Perhaps,” he reflected, “my temperament is more imaginative than I supposed it to be—and this is a trick played on me by my own fancy?

Pending verification
temperament

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

From this reading “Perhaps,” he reflected, “my temperament is more imaginative than I supposed it to be—and this is a trick played on me by my own fancy?

Pending verification
than

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

From this reading “Perhaps,” he reflected, “my temperament is more imaginative than I supposed it to be—and this is a trick played on me by my own fancy?

Pending verification
the

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
this

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

From this reading The strange effect produced on him by the room—following on the other strange effects produced on the other relatives of his dead brother—exercised no perplexing influence over the mind of this sensible man.

Pending verification
thorough

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

From this reading Without being aware of it himself, he was a thorough materialist.

Pending verification
to

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

From this reading “Perhaps,” he reflected, “my temperament is more imaginative than I supposed it to be—and this is a trick played on me by my own fancy?

Pending verification
trick

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

From this reading “Perhaps,” he reflected, “my temperament is more imaginative than I supposed it to be—and this is a trick played on me by my own fancy?

Pending verification
under

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
up

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
walked

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

From this reading Avoiding the crowd under the colonnades, Francis walked slowly up and down the noble open space of the square, bathed in the light of the rising moon.

Pending verification
was

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

From this reading Without being aware of it himself, he was a thorough materialist.

Pending verification
with

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

From this reading Or, perhaps, my friend is right; something is physically amiss with me?

Pending verification
Without

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

From this reading Without being aware of it himself, he was a thorough materialist.

Pending verification

Chapter 19 of The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice by Wilkie Collins holds 232 sentences, grouped into 47 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 19 of The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice contain?

Chapter 19 holds 232 sentences of The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 19 of The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 19 of The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice?

Work through the 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 47 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 19 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 19 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 Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice

Common questions about reading The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice?

Yes. All 4082 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #170 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #170, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice take to read?

About 340 minutes of reading across 817 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice section by section

How to work through The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Reputation
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Doctor
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Wybrow
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
London
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.