Chapter 26 of The House by the Lock is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The House by the Lock is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A Tell-tale Ornament "No, you don't!" I remarked, cheerfully, and with the force of superior muscles I pulled him towards me. "Come, sit down here by me," I said. "I want to talk to you." And somehow it came about that we subsided on the cushioned seat together.
Chapter 26 of The House by the Lock is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
in a cheerful manner
From this reading “I remarked, cheerfully, and with the force of superior muscles I pulled him towards me.”
softened by the addition of cushions or padding
From this reading “And somehow it came about that we subsided on the cushioned seat together.”
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading “I remarked, cheerfully, and with the force of superior muscles I pulled him towards me.”
make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.
From this reading “A Tell-tale Ornament "No, you don't!"”
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading “I remarked, cheerfully, and with the force of superior muscles I pulled him towards me.”
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading “And somehow it came about that we subsided on the cushioned seat together.”
past form of “subside” — wear off or die down
From this reading “And somehow it came about that we subsided on the cushioned seat together.”
of high or superior quality or performance
From this reading “I remarked, cheerfully, and with the force of superior muscles I pulled him towards me.”
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 “And somehow it came about that we subsided on the cushioned seat together.”
take a seat
In this reading “"Come, sit down here by me," I said.”
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 Tell-tale Ornament "No, you don't!"
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading And somehow it came about that we subsided on the cushioned seat together.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I remarked, cheerfully, and with the force of superior muscles I pulled him towards me.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Come, sit down here by me," I said.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading And somehow it came about that we subsided on the cushioned seat together.
in a cheerful manner
From this reading I remarked, cheerfully, and with the force of superior muscles I pulled him towards me.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come, sit down here by me," I said.
softened by the addition of cushions or padding
From this reading And somehow it came about that we subsided on the cushioned seat together.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A Tell-tale Ornament "No, you don't!"
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Come, sit down here by me," I said.
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading I remarked, cheerfully, and with the force of superior muscles I pulled him towards me.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Come, sit down here by me," I said.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I remarked, cheerfully, and with the force of superior muscles I pulled him towards me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I remarked, cheerfully, and with the force of superior muscles I pulled him towards me.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And somehow it came about that we subsided on the cushioned seat together.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I remarked, cheerfully, and with the force of superior muscles I pulled him towards me.
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading I remarked, cheerfully, and with the force of superior muscles I pulled him towards me.
not any; not one
From this reading A Tell-tale Ornament "No, you don't!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I remarked, cheerfully, and with the force of superior muscles I pulled him towards me.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading And somehow it came about that we subsided on the cushioned seat together.
make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.
From this reading A Tell-tale Ornament "No, you don't!"
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading I remarked, cheerfully, and with the force of superior muscles I pulled him towards me.
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading I remarked, cheerfully, and with the force of superior muscles I pulled him towards me.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Come, sit down here by me," I said.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading And somehow it came about that we subsided on the cushioned seat together.
be seated
From this reading "Come, sit down here by me," I said.
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading And somehow it came about that we subsided on the cushioned seat together.
past form of “subside” — wear off or die down
From this reading And somehow it came about that we subsided on the cushioned seat together.
of high or superior quality or performance
From this reading I remarked, cheerfully, and with the force of superior muscles I pulled him towards me.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "I want to talk to you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A Tell-tale Ornament "No, you don't!"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And somehow it came about that we subsided on the cushioned seat together.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I remarked, cheerfully, and with the force of superior muscles I pulled him towards me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I want to talk to you."
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading And somehow it came about that we subsided on the cushioned seat together.
in the direction of
From this reading I remarked, cheerfully, and with the force of superior muscles I pulled him towards me.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "I want to talk to you."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading And somehow it came about that we subsided on the cushioned seat together.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I remarked, cheerfully, and with the force of superior muscles I pulled him towards me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading A Tell-tale Ornament "No, you don't!"
Chapter 26 of The House by the Lock by A. M. (Alice Muriel) [Adapter] Williamson holds 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 26 holds 204 sentences of The House by the Lock, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 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 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 26 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.
