Chapter 6 of The House of Mystery is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The House of Mystery is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Who's Martha?" enquired Bulger. "No one in _this_ world," responded Norcross. "She's a control now--Mrs. Markham's best control." Norcross jumped up, and began to pace the floor in his hurried little walk. Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.
Chapter 6 of The House of Mystery is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
small and round and shiny like a shiny bead or button
From this reading “Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.”
power to direct or determine
From this reading “"She's a control now--Mrs. Markham's best control."”
fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading “Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.”
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading “Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.”
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “Norcross jumped up, and began to pace the floor in his hurried little walk.”
the rate of moving (especially walking or running)
From this reading “Norcross jumped up, and began to pace the floor in his hurried little walk.”
salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
From this reading “Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.”
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading “"No one in _this_ world," responded Norcross.”
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 "She's a control now--Mrs. Markham's best control."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Norcross jumped up, and began to pace the floor in his hurried little walk.
small and round and shiny like a shiny bead or button
From this reading Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Norcross jumped up, and began to pace the floor in his hurried little walk.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading "She's a control now--Mrs. Markham's best control."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who's Martha?" enquired Bulger.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.
power to direct or determine
From this reading "She's a control now--Mrs. Markham's best control."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who's Martha?" enquired Bulger.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.
fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Norcross jumped up, and began to pace the floor in his hurried little walk.
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Norcross jumped up, and began to pace the floor in his hurried little walk.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading Norcross jumped up, and began to pace the floor in his hurried little walk.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "No one in _this_ world," responded Norcross.
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Norcross jumped up, and began to pace the floor in his hurried little walk.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Norcross jumped up, and began to pace the floor in his hurried little walk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She's a control now--Mrs. Markham's best control."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who's Martha?" enquired Bulger.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "She's a control now--Mrs. Markham's best control."
not any; not one
From this reading "No one in _this_ world," responded Norcross.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No one in _this_ world," responded Norcross.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "She's a control now--Mrs. Markham's best control."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "No one in _this_ world," responded Norcross.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.
the rate of moving (especially walking or running)
From this reading Norcross jumped up, and began to pace the floor in his hurried little walk.
salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
From this reading Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading "No one in _this_ world," responded Norcross.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She's a control now--Mrs. Markham's best control."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Norcross jumped up, and began to pace the floor in his hurried little walk.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "No one in _this_ world," responded Norcross.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Norcross jumped up, and began to pace the floor in his hurried little walk.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Norcross jumped up, and began to pace the floor in his hurried little walk.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading Norcross jumped up, and began to pace the floor in his hurried little walk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who's Martha?" enquired Bulger.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Bulger did not fail to notice that, within a minute or two, a heavy, beady perspiration came out on his face and forehead.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "No one in _this_ world," responded Norcross.
Chapter 6 of The House of Mystery by Will Irwin holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 6 holds 404 sentences of The House of Mystery, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The House of Mystery by Will Irwin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 6 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.
