Chapter 18 of The House by the Lock is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The House by the Lock is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go. Now for it! I thought. Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police. My heart was thumping with excitement as I opened the first envelope.
Chapter 18 of The House by the Lock is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading “A Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go.”
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading “Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.”
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading “My heart was thumping with excitement as I opened the first envelope.”
plural of “envelope” — a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading “A Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go.”
the basis on which something is grounded
From this reading “Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.”
act of correcting an error or a fault or an evil
From this reading “A Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go.”
a heavy dull sound (as made by impact of heavy objects)
From this reading “My heart was thumping with excitement as I opened the first envelope.”
a fabric made from the hair of sheep
From this reading “Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.”
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 “Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.”
In this reading “My heart was thumping with excitement as I opened the first envelope.”
In this reading “A Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go.”
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 Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading My heart was thumping with excitement as I opened the first envelope.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading A Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading My heart was thumping with excitement as I opened the first envelope.
plural of “envelope” — a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading A Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading My heart was thumping with excitement as I opened the first envelope.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading My heart was thumping with excitement as I opened the first envelope.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Now for it!
the basis on which something is grounded
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading A Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading My heart was thumping with excitement as I opened the first envelope.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading A Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Now for it!
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go.
and nothing more
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading A Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My heart was thumping with excitement as I opened the first envelope.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now for it!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading My heart was thumping with excitement as I opened the first envelope.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
above and across; more than
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
cause to move by pulling
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
act of correcting an error or a fault or an evil
From this reading A Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go.
a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I thought.
a heavy dull sound (as made by impact of heavy objects)
From this reading My heart was thumping with excitement as I opened the first envelope.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading A Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading A Desperate Remedy I took the envelopes from the man and told him he might go.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My heart was thumping with excitement as I opened the first envelope.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
in the company of; together with
From this reading My heart was thumping with excitement as I opened the first envelope.
a fabric made from the hair of sheep
From this reading Now to see whether the edifice I had builded had but a foundation of sand, or whether Wildred had merely been clever enough to pull wool over the eyes of the police.
Chapter 18 of The House by the Lock by A. M. (Alice Muriel) [Adapter] Williamson holds 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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 18 holds 76 sentences of The House by the Lock, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 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 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 18 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.
