Chapter 39 of The Heart of a Mystery is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of The Heart of a Mystery is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A STORY OF THE PAST AND DEPARTURE. Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement. It was half-an-hour later. The first access of wonder had in some measure subsided. There had been question and answer on both sides.
Chapter 39 of The Heart of a Mystery is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
the right to enter
From this reading “The first access of wonder had in some measure subsided.”
a formal public statement
From this reading “Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.”
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading “Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.”
an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
From this reading “Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.”
the act of departing
From this reading “A STORY OF THE PAST AND DEPARTURE.”
possessive form of “major” — a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines; below lieutenant colonel and above captain
From this reading “Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.”
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading “The first access of wonder had in some measure subsided.”
past form of “subside” — wear off or die down
From this reading “The first access of wonder had in some measure subsided.”
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 “The first access of wonder had in some measure subsided.”
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 A STORY OF THE PAST AND DEPARTURE.
the right to enter
From this reading The first access of wonder had in some measure subsided.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A STORY OF THE PAST AND DEPARTURE.
a formal public statement
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
react verbally
From this reading There had been question and answer on both sides.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
the two together, not just one
From this reading There had been question and answer on both sides.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
the act of departing
From this reading A STORY OF THE PAST AND DEPARTURE.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first access of wonder had in some measure subsided.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was half-an-hour later.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading It was half-an-hour later.
possessive form of “major” — a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines; below lieutenant colonel and above captain
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading The first access of wonder had in some measure subsided.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A STORY OF THE PAST AND DEPARTURE.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There had been question and answer on both sides.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading A STORY OF THE PAST AND DEPARTURE.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading There had been question and answer on both sides.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
only a very short time before
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading There had been question and answer on both sides.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The first access of wonder had in some measure subsided.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading A STORY OF THE PAST AND DEPARTURE.
past form of “subside” — wear off or die down
From this reading The first access of wonder had in some measure subsided.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A STORY OF THE PAST AND DEPARTURE.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There had been question and answer on both sides.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Had a bomb burst in the room it might have caused more alarm, but it could scarcely have been the cause of more astonishment than was the Major's sudden announcement.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading The first access of wonder had in some measure subsided.
Chapter 39 of The Heart of a Mystery by T. W. (Thomas Wilkinson) Speight holds 85 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 39 holds 85 sentences of The Heart of a Mystery, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of The Heart of a Mystery by T. W. (Thomas Wilkinson) Speight exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 85 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 39 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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Yes. All 4918 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57311 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57311, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 409 minutes of reading across 984 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Heart of a Mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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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 Heart of a Mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
