Chapter 20 of The Henchman is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Henchman is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You had better walk to the hotel," Shelby suggested. With the darkening of the theatre for the second act he had piloted his companion to the street. "It's but a little way." It proved a great way as he contrived it. Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.
Chapter 20 of The Henchman is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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 “avenue” — a line of approach
From this reading “Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.”
a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)
From this reading “Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.”
showing effects of planning or manipulation
From this reading “It proved a great way as he contrived it.”
becoming dark or darker as from waning light or clouding over
From this reading “With the darkening of the theatre for the second act he had piloted his companion to the street.”
past form of “pace” — walk with slow or fast paces
From this reading “Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.”
past form of “pilot” — operate an airplane
From this reading “With the darkening of the theatre for the second act he had piloted his companion to the street.”
comparative of “quiet” — characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading “Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.”
past form of “smack” — deliver a hard blow to
From this reading “Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.”
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 "It's but a little way."
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading With the darkening of the theatre for the second act he had piloted his companion to the street.
later than; following
From this reading Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It proved a great way as he contrived it.
plural of “avenue” — a line of approach
From this reading Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "You had better walk to the hotel," Shelby suggested.
a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)
From this reading Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "It's but a little way."
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading With the darkening of the theatre for the second act he had piloted his companion to the street.
showing effects of planning or manipulation
From this reading It proved a great way as he contrived it.
becoming dark or darker as from waning light or clouding over
From this reading With the darkening of the theatre for the second act he had piloted his companion to the street.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading With the darkening of the theatre for the second act he had piloted his companion to the street.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading It proved a great way as he contrived it.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "You had better walk to the hotel," Shelby suggested.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With the darkening of the theatre for the second act he had piloted his companion to the street.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading With the darkening of the theatre for the second act he had piloted his companion to the street.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading "You had better walk to the hotel," Shelby suggested.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It proved a great way as he contrived it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's but a little way."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "It's but a little way."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading With the darkening of the theatre for the second act he had piloted his companion to the street.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.
past form of “pace” — walk with slow or fast paces
From this reading Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.
past form of “pilot” — operate an airplane
From this reading With the darkening of the theatre for the second act he had piloted his companion to the street.
established beyond doubt
From this reading It proved a great way as he contrived it.
comparative of “quiet” — characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.
a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
From this reading Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading With the darkening of the theatre for the second act he had piloted his companion to the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You had better walk to the hotel," Shelby suggested.
past form of “smack” — deliver a hard blow to
From this reading Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading With the darkening of the theatre for the second act he had piloted his companion to the street.
sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect
From this reading Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading "You had better walk to the hotel," Shelby suggested.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You had better walk to the hotel," Shelby suggested.
a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented
From this reading With the darkening of the theatre for the second act he had piloted his companion to the street.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You had better walk to the hotel," Shelby suggested.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading "You had better walk to the hotel," Shelby suggested.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "It's but a little way."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading Striking across town to one of the quieter avenues they paced block after block in the teeth of a wind which smacked of salt.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With the darkening of the theatre for the second act he had piloted his companion to the street.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You had better walk to the hotel," Shelby suggested.
Chapter 20 of The Henchman by Mark Lee Luther holds 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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 20 holds 117 sentences of The Henchman, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Henchman by Mark Lee Luther exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 20 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 Henchman by Mark Lee Luther on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4440 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19148 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19148, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 370 minutes of reading across 888 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Henchman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of The Henchman 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 Henchman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
