Chapter 26 of The House of a Thousand Candles is here in full — 279 sentences across 56 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 of a Thousand Candles is here in full — 279 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE FIGHT IN THE LIBRARY “They’re coming faster this time,” remarked Stoddard. “Certainly. Their general has been cursing them right heartily for retreating without the loot. He wants his three-hundred-thousand-dollar autograph collection,” observed Larry. “Why doesn’t he come for it himself, like a man?”
Chapter 26 of The House of a Thousand Candles is here in full — 279 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/55 · 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.
something written by one's own hand
From this reading “He wants his three-hundred-thousand-dollar autograph collection,” observed Larry.”
several things grouped together or considered as a whole
From this reading “He wants his three-hundred-thousand-dollar autograph collection,” observed Larry.”
-ing form of “curse” — utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading “Their general has been cursing them right heartily for retreating without the loot.”
more quickly
From this reading “THE FIGHT IN THE LIBRARY “They’re coming faster this time,” remarked Stoddard.”
with gusto and without reservation
From this reading “Their general has been cursing them right heartily for retreating without the loot.”
a room where books are kept
From this reading “THE FIGHT IN THE LIBRARY “They’re coming faster this time,” remarked Stoddard.”
goods or money obtained illegally
From this reading “Their general has been cursing them right heartily for retreating without the loot.”
-ing form of “retreat” — pull back or move away or backward
From this reading “Their general has been cursing them right heartily for retreating without the loot.”
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 “Why doesn’t he come for it himself, like a man?”
something written by one's own hand
From this reading He wants his three-hundred-thousand-dollar autograph collection,” observed Larry.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Their general has been cursing them right heartily for retreating without the loot.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “Certainly.
several things grouped together or considered as a whole
From this reading He wants his three-hundred-thousand-dollar autograph collection,” observed Larry.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Why doesn’t he come for it himself, like a man?”
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE LIBRARY “They’re coming faster this time,” remarked Stoddard.
-ing form of “curse” — utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading Their general has been cursing them right heartily for retreating without the loot.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why doesn’t he come for it himself, like a man?”
more quickly
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE LIBRARY “They’re coming faster this time,” remarked Stoddard.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE LIBRARY “They’re coming faster this time,” remarked Stoddard.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Their general has been cursing them right heartily for retreating without the loot.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading Their general has been cursing them right heartily for retreating without the loot.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Their general has been cursing them right heartily for retreating without the loot.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He wants his three-hundred-thousand-dollar autograph collection,” observed Larry.
with gusto and without reservation
From this reading Their general has been cursing them right heartily for retreating without the loot.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading “Why doesn’t he come for it himself, like a man?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He wants his three-hundred-thousand-dollar autograph collection,” observed Larry.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE LIBRARY “They’re coming faster this time,” remarked Stoddard.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Why doesn’t he come for it himself, like a man?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He wants his three-hundred-thousand-dollar autograph collection,” observed Larry.
a room where books are kept
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE LIBRARY “They’re coming faster this time,” remarked Stoddard.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “Why doesn’t he come for it himself, like a man?”
goods or money obtained illegally
From this reading Their general has been cursing them right heartily for retreating without the loot.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Why doesn’t he come for it himself, like a man?”
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading He wants his three-hundred-thousand-dollar autograph collection,” observed Larry.
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE LIBRARY “They’re coming faster this time,” remarked Stoddard.
-ing form of “retreat” — pull back or move away or backward
From this reading Their general has been cursing them right heartily for retreating without the loot.
precisely, exactly
From this reading Their general has been cursing them right heartily for retreating without the loot.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE LIBRARY “They’re coming faster this time,” remarked Stoddard.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE LIBRARY “They’re coming faster this time,” remarked Stoddard.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their general has been cursing them right heartily for retreating without the loot.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Their general has been cursing them right heartily for retreating without the loot.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE LIBRARY “They’re coming faster this time,” remarked Stoddard.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE LIBRARY “They’re coming faster this time,” remarked Stoddard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He wants his three-hundred-thousand-dollar autograph collection,” observed Larry.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading THE FIGHT IN THE LIBRARY “They’re coming faster this time,” remarked Stoddard.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading He wants his three-hundred-thousand-dollar autograph collection,” observed Larry.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why doesn’t he come for it himself, like a man?”
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Their general has been cursing them right heartily for retreating without the loot.
Chapter 26 of The House of a Thousand Candles by Meredith Nicholson holds 279 sentences, grouped into 56 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 279 sentences of The House of a Thousand Candles, unabridged, divided into 56 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The House of a Thousand Candles by Meredith Nicholson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 279 sentences, grouped into 56 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 56 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 56 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 of a Thousand Candles by Meredith Nicholson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The House of a Thousand Candles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The House of a Thousand Candles 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 of a Thousand Candles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
