Chapter 4 of The House of Souls is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 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 Souls is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'Very good; have it as you like. But I believe we shall both be sorry.' They sat in silence for some time. Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed. Her husband kissed her.
Chapter 4 of The House of Souls is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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 piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading “Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.”
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading “Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.”
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading “Her husband kissed her.”
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading “Her husband kissed her.”
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading “They sat in silence for some time.”
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading “But I believe we shall both be sorry.'”
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading “Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.”
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading “Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading 'Very good; have it as you like.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But I believe we shall both be sorry.'
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading But I believe we shall both be sorry.'
the two together, not just one
From this reading But I believe we shall both be sorry.'
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I believe we shall both be sorry.'
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They sat in silence for some time.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading 'Very good; have it as you like.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading 'Very good; have it as you like.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading Her husband kissed her.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But I believe we shall both be sorry.'
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They sat in silence for some time.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading 'Very good; have it as you like.
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading Her husband kissed her.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading 'Very good; have it as you like.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading They sat in silence for some time.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading But I believe we shall both be sorry.'
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading They sat in silence for some time.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading They sat in silence for some time.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading But I believe we shall both be sorry.'
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They sat in silence for some time.
up to a particular time
From this reading Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading They sat in silence for some time.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
precisely as stated
From this reading 'Very good; have it as you like.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Alice came in after her 'evening out,' and they sat on, till Mrs. Darnell said she was tired and wanted to go to bed.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading But I believe we shall both be sorry.'
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'Very good; have it as you like.
Chapter 4 of The House of Souls by Arthur Machen holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of The House of Souls, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The House of Souls by Arthur Machen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 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.
