Chapter 2 of The House of Souls is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The House of Souls is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'Then there's James, a sporting man. You wouldn't care for him. I always think he smells of the stable.' 'How horrid!' said Mrs. Darnell, finding her husband a little frank, lowering her eyes as she spoke. 'Dickenson might amuse you,' Darnell went on.
Chapter 2 of The House of Souls is here in full — 403 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.
occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion
From this reading “'Dickenson might amuse you,' Darnell went on.”
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading “'How horrid!' said Mrs. Darnell, finding her husband a little frank, lowering her eyes as she spoke.”
exceedingly bad
From this reading “'How horrid!' said Mrs. Darnell, finding her husband a little frank, lowering her eyes as she spoke.”
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading “'Then there's James, a sporting man.”
darkened by clouds
From this reading “'How horrid!' said Mrs. Darnell, finding her husband a little frank, lowering her eyes as she spoke.”
plural of “smell” — the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
From this reading “I always think he smells of the stable.'”
exhibiting or calling for sportsmanship or fair play
From this reading “'Then there's James, a sporting man.”
resistant to change of position or condition
From this reading “I always think he smells of the stable.'”
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 'Then there's James, a sporting man.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading I always think he smells of the stable.'
occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion
From this reading 'Dickenson might amuse you,' Darnell went on.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading 'How horrid!' said Mrs. Darnell, finding her husband a little frank, lowering her eyes as she spoke.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading You wouldn't care for him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'How horrid!' said Mrs. Darnell, finding her husband a little frank, lowering her eyes as she spoke.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Dickenson might amuse you,' Darnell went on.
opinion or judgment
From this reading 'How horrid!' said Mrs. Darnell, finding her husband a little frank, lowering her eyes as she spoke.
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading 'How horrid!' said Mrs. Darnell, finding her husband a little frank, lowering her eyes as she spoke.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading You wouldn't care for him.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading 'How horrid!' said Mrs. Darnell, finding her husband a little frank, lowering her eyes as she spoke.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I always think he smells of the stable.'
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading 'How horrid!' said Mrs. Darnell, finding her husband a little frank, lowering her eyes as she spoke.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading You wouldn't care for him.
exceedingly bad
From this reading 'How horrid!' said Mrs. Darnell, finding her husband a little frank, lowering her eyes as she spoke.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'How horrid!' said Mrs. Darnell, finding her husband a little frank, lowering her eyes as she spoke.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading 'How horrid!' said Mrs. Darnell, finding her husband a little frank, lowering her eyes as she spoke.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I always think he smells of the stable.'
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading 'Then there's James, a sporting man.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading 'How horrid!' said Mrs. Darnell, finding her husband a little frank, lowering her eyes as she spoke.
darkened by clouds
From this reading 'How horrid!' said Mrs. Darnell, finding her husband a little frank, lowering her eyes as she spoke.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading 'Then there's James, a sporting man.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading 'Dickenson might amuse you,' Darnell went on.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading 'How horrid!' said Mrs. Darnell, finding her husband a little frank, lowering her eyes as she spoke.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I always think he smells of the stable.'
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading 'Dickenson might amuse you,' Darnell went on.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'How horrid!' said Mrs. Darnell, finding her husband a little frank, lowering her eyes as she spoke.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'How horrid!' said Mrs. Darnell, finding her husband a little frank, lowering her eyes as she spoke.
plural of “smell” — the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
From this reading I always think he smells of the stable.'
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading 'How horrid!' said Mrs. Darnell, finding her husband a little frank, lowering her eyes as she spoke.
exhibiting or calling for sportsmanship or fair play
From this reading 'Then there's James, a sporting man.
resistant to change of position or condition
From this reading I always think he smells of the stable.'
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I always think he smells of the stable.'
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading 'Then there's James, a sporting man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Then there's James, a sporting man.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I always think he smells of the stable.'
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading 'Dickenson might amuse you,' Darnell went on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You wouldn't care for him.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You wouldn't care for him.
Chapter 2 of The House of Souls by Arthur Machen holds 403 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 2 holds 403 sentences of The House of Souls, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The House of Souls by Arthur Machen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 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 2 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 Souls by Arthur Machen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3621 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25016 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25016, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 301 minutes of reading across 725 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The House of Souls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The House of Souls 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 Souls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
