Chapter 2 of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SEQUELAE. "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor. "Which of the stories do you like best of all?" Elsie shut up her book of fairy tales, trying to think. "You ask mamma which she likes best, Bessie or me?"
Chapter 2 of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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 small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading “Elsie shut up her book of fairy tales, trying to think.”
not having a head or formed without a head
From this reading “"You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.”
a man skilled in equitation
From this reading “"You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.”
hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading “"You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.”
plural of “like” — a similar kind
From this reading “"You ask mamma which she likes best, Bessie or me?"”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “"You ask mamma which she likes best, Bessie or me?"”
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading “"You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.”
plural of “tale” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “Elsie shut up her book of fairy tales, trying to think.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
a story about fairies; told to amuse children
In this reading “Elsie shut up her book of fairy tales, trying to think.”
refuse to talk or stop talking; fall silent
In this reading “Elsie shut up her book of fairy tales, trying to think.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "Which of the stories do you like best of all?"
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "You ask mamma which she likes best, Bessie or me?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You ask mamma which she likes best, Bessie or me?"
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading "Which of the stories do you like best of all?"
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading Elsie shut up her book of fairy tales, trying to think.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Which of the stories do you like best of all?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading Elsie shut up her book of fairy tales, trying to think.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
not having a head or formed without a head
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Elsie shut up her book of fairy tales, trying to think.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
a man skilled in equitation
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Which of the stories do you like best of all?"
plural of “like” — a similar kind
From this reading "You ask mamma which she likes best, Bessie or me?"
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading "You ask mamma which she likes best, Bessie or me?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You ask mamma which she likes best, Bessie or me?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Which of the stories do you like best of all?"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "You ask mamma which she likes best, Bessie or me?"
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SEQUELAE.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You ask mamma which she likes best, Bessie or me?"
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading Elsie shut up her book of fairy tales, trying to think.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading "Which of the stories do you like best of all?"
plural of “tale” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading Elsie shut up her book of fairy tales, trying to think.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Elsie shut up her book of fairy tales, trying to think.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
hard to endure
From this reading Elsie shut up her book of fairy tales, trying to think.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Elsie shut up her book of fairy tales, trying to think.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Which of the stories do you like best of all?"
which person or people
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You don't care for 'The Headless Horseman'?" said Robert to little Elsie Barlow, who was sitting on his knee in Emily's parlor.
Chapter 2 of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery by William Augustine Leahy holds 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 137 sentences of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery by William Augustine Leahy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 Incendiary: A Story of Mystery by William Augustine Leahy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9305 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39544 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39544, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1861 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Incendiary: A Story 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 Incendiary: A Story of Mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
