Chapter 17 of The House by the Lock is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The House by the Lock is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A Disappointment "You seem surprised, Mr. Stanton!" exclaimed the inspector. "I am surprised," I echoed, "and I intend to explain why presently. Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?" "That's what we are doing, sir--hard at it." "You will never find him," I said.
Chapter 17 of The House by the Lock is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized
From this reading “A Disappointment "You seem surprised, Mr. Stanton!" exclaimed the inspector.”
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading “"I am surprised," I echoed, "and I intend to explain why presently.”
a high ranking police officer
From this reading “A Disappointment "You seem surprised, Mr. Stanton!" exclaimed the inspector.”
have in mind as a purpose
From this reading “"I am surprised," I echoed, "and I intend to explain why presently.”
at the same time but in another place
From this reading “Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"”
United States suffragist and feminist; called for reform of the practices that perpetuated sexual inequality (1815-1902)
From this reading “A Disappointment "You seem surprised, Mr. Stanton!" exclaimed the inspector.”
a portable shelter (usually of canvas stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs)
From this reading “Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"”
a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading “Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"”
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 “"I am surprised," I echoed, "and I intend to explain why presently.”
In this reading “A Disappointment "You seem surprised, Mr. Stanton!" exclaimed the inspector.”
live in the house where one works
In this reading “Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"”
In this reading “Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"”
have smooth relations
In this reading “Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"”
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 Disappointment "You seem surprised, Mr. Stanton!" exclaimed the inspector.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am surprised," I echoed, "and I intend to explain why presently.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I am surprised," I echoed, "and I intend to explain why presently.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "That's what we are doing, sir--hard at it."
a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized
From this reading A Disappointment "You seem surprised, Mr. Stanton!" exclaimed the inspector.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "That's what we are doing, sir--hard at it."
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading "I am surprised," I echoed, "and I intend to explain why presently.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading A Disappointment "You seem surprised, Mr. Stanton!" exclaimed the inspector.
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading "I am surprised," I echoed, "and I intend to explain why presently.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading "You will never find him," I said.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading "That's what we are doing, sir--hard at it."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You will never find him," I said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am surprised," I echoed, "and I intend to explain why presently.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"
a high ranking police officer
From this reading A Disappointment "You seem surprised, Mr. Stanton!" exclaimed the inspector.
have in mind as a purpose
From this reading "I am surprised," I echoed, "and I intend to explain why presently.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "That's what we are doing, sir--hard at it."
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"
at the same time but in another place
From this reading Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"
a form of address for a man
From this reading A Disappointment "You seem surprised, Mr. Stanton!" exclaimed the inspector.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "You will never find him," I said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"
in the near future
From this reading "I am surprised," I echoed, "and I intend to explain why presently.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You will never find him," I said.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading A Disappointment "You seem surprised, Mr. Stanton!" exclaimed the inspector.
term of address for a man
From this reading "That's what we are doing, sir--hard at it."
United States suffragist and feminist; called for reform of the practices that perpetuated sexual inequality (1815-1902)
From this reading A Disappointment "You seem surprised, Mr. Stanton!" exclaimed the inspector.
express a supposition
From this reading Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading A Disappointment "You seem surprised, Mr. Stanton!" exclaimed the inspector.
a portable shelter (usually of canvas stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs)
From this reading Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's what we are doing, sir--hard at it."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A Disappointment "You seem surprised, Mr. Stanton!" exclaimed the inspector.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I am surprised," I echoed, "and I intend to explain why presently.
a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"
hard to endure
From this reading Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "That's what we are doing, sir--hard at it."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "That's what we are doing, sir--hard at it."
which person or people
From this reading Meanwhile, I suppose you are trying to get on the track of the second man who lived in that tent?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "I am surprised," I echoed, "and I intend to explain why presently.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "You will never find him," I said.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading A Disappointment "You seem surprised, Mr. Stanton!" exclaimed the inspector.
Chapter 17 of The House by the Lock by A. M. (Alice Muriel) [Adapter] Williamson holds 113 sentences, grouped into 23 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 17 holds 113 sentences of The House by the Lock, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The House by the Lock by A. M. (Alice Muriel) [Adapter] Williamson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 113 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 17 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 House by the Lock by A. M. (Alice Muriel) [Adapter] Williamson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2503 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31228 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31228, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 208 minutes of reading across 501 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The House by the Lock section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The House by the Lock 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 House by the Lock, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
