Chapter 4 of The House of Mystery is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The House of Mystery is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The young man smiled back. "Oh, certainly!" he said. "I understand that!" Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham." The announcement stiffened Rosalie.
Chapter 4 of The House of Mystery is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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 formal public statement
From this reading “The announcement stiffened Rosalie.”
inflected form of “clap” — put quickly or forcibly
From this reading “Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."”
expose or make accessible to some action or influence
From this reading “Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."”
an association of people who share common beliefs or activities
From this reading “Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."”
the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
From this reading “Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."”
violating or tending to violate or offend against
From this reading “Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."”
past form of “stiffen” — become stiff or stiffer
From this reading “The announcement stiffened Rosalie.”
the cognitive condition of someone who understands
From this reading “Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."”
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 Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
a formal public statement
From this reading The announcement stiffened Rosalie.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The young man smiled back.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "Oh, certainly!" he said.
inflected form of “clap” — put quickly or forcibly
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
expose or make accessible to some action or influence
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
an association of people who share common beliefs or activities
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Oh, certainly!" he said.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
characteristic of humanity
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I understand that!"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The young man smiled back.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
violating or tending to violate or offend against
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, certainly!" he said.
and nothing more
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The announcement stiffened Rosalie.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Oh, certainly!" he said.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading The young man smiled back.
past form of “stiffen” — become stiff or stiffer
From this reading The announcement stiffened Rosalie.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I understand that!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The young man smiled back.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading "I understand that!"
the cognitive condition of someone who understands
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
in the company of; together with
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Quite suddenly he leaned forward and clapped Rosalie's shoulder with a motion that had nothing offensive about it--only good fellowship and human understanding--"I want you to help me expose Mrs. Paula Markham."
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young man smiled back.
Chapter 4 of The House of Mystery by Will Irwin holds 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 4 holds 432 sentences of The House of Mystery, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The House of Mystery by Will Irwin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 4 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 Mystery by Will Irwin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2907 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12678 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12678, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 242 minutes of reading across 582 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The House of Mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The House of Mystery 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 Mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
