Chapter 17 of The Keeper of the Door is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Keeper of the Door is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE OPENING OF THE DOOR "Allegro!" The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught. She bent instantly over the girl upon the bed, and warmly clasped her hand. "I am here, darling." The shadows were lengthening.
Chapter 17 of The Keeper of the Door is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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 brisk and lively tempo
From this reading “THE OPENING OF THE DOOR "Allegro!"”
a serving of drink (usually alcoholic) drawn from a keg
From this reading “The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.”
possessive form of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.”
the act of prolonging something
From this reading “The shadows were lengthening.”
possessive form of “max” — street names for gamma hydroxybutyrate
From this reading “The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.”
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading “The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.”
the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication
From this reading “The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.”
in a hearty manner
From this reading “She bent instantly over the girl upon the bed, and warmly clasped her hand.”
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.
a brisk and lively tempo
From this reading THE OPENING OF THE DOOR "Allegro!"
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am here, darling."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She bent instantly over the girl upon the bed, and warmly clasped her hand.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading She bent instantly over the girl upon the bed, and warmly clasped her hand.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading She bent instantly over the girl upon the bed, and warmly clasped her hand.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading She bent instantly over the girl upon the bed, and warmly clasped her hand.
a special loved one
From this reading "I am here, darling."
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading THE OPENING OF THE DOOR "Allegro!"
a serving of drink (usually alcoholic) drawn from a keg
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
possessive form of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
a young female
From this reading She bent instantly over the girl upon the bed, and warmly clasped her hand.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading She bent instantly over the girl upon the bed, and warmly clasped her hand.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "I am here, darling."
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am here, darling."
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading She bent instantly over the girl upon the bed, and warmly clasped her hand.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
the act of prolonging something
From this reading The shadows were lengthening.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
possessive form of “max” — street names for gamma hydroxybutyrate
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE OPENING OF THE DOOR "Allegro!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading THE OPENING OF THE DOOR "Allegro!"
above and across; more than
From this reading She bent instantly over the girl upon the bed, and warmly clasped her hand.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading The shadows were lengthening.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
not in physical motion
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE OPENING OF THE DOOR "Allegro!"
a formal word for “on”
From this reading She bent instantly over the girl upon the bed, and warmly clasped her hand.
the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
precisely as stated
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
in a hearty manner
From this reading She bent instantly over the girl upon the bed, and warmly clasped her hand.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The shadows were lengthening.
but in spite of that
From this reading The utterance was very faint, yet it reached Olga, sitting, as she had sat for hours, by her friend's side, watching the long, still slumber that had followed Max's draught.
Chapter 17 of The Keeper of the Door by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 17 holds 386 sentences of The Keeper of the Door, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Keeper of the Door by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 17 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.
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Yes. All 15760 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15013 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15013, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 3152 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Keeper of the Door section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Keeper of the Door 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 Keeper of the Door, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
