Chapter 30 of The Living Mummy is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXX
Chapter 30 of The Living Mummy is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Last I awoke in the grey light of dawn, stiff with cold and aching in every limb. Arising, I left my hiding-place and went into the vestibule. The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers. I stepped up to the door at once. Hearing my footsteps, he looked around.
Chapter 30 of The Living Mummy is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
causing a dull and steady pain
From this reading “The Last I awoke in the grey light of dawn, stiff with cold and aching in every limb.”
-ing form of “arise” — come into existence; take on form or shape
From this reading “Arising, I left my hiding-place and went into the vestibule.”
one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper
From this reading “The Last I awoke in the grey light of dawn, stiff with cold and aching in every limb.”
a simple seat without a back or arms
From this reading “The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.”
a kitchen appliance used for cooking food
From this reading “The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.”
cooking to a brown crispiness over a fire or on a grill
From this reading “The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.”
plural of “toe” — one of the digits of the foot
From this reading “The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.”
a large entrance or reception room or area
From this reading “Arising, I left my hiding-place and went into the vestibule.”
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.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “I stepped up to the door at once.”
In this reading “Arising, I left my hiding-place and went into the vestibule.”
look about oneself
In this reading “Hearing my footsteps, he looked around.”
In this reading “The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.”
In this reading “The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.”
to come or go into
In this reading “Arising, I left my hiding-place and went into the vestibule.”
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 The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.
causing a dull and steady pain
From this reading The Last I awoke in the grey light of dawn, stiff with cold and aching in every limb.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Last I awoke in the grey light of dawn, stiff with cold and aching in every limb.
-ing form of “arise” — come into existence; take on form or shape
From this reading Arising, I left my hiding-place and went into the vestibule.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Hearing my footsteps, he looked around.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I stepped up to the door at once.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading The Last I awoke in the grey light of dawn, stiff with cold and aching in every limb.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading The Last I awoke in the grey light of dawn, stiff with cold and aching in every limb.
the first light of day
From this reading The Last I awoke in the grey light of dawn, stiff with cold and aching in every limb.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading I stepped up to the door at once.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading The Last I awoke in the grey light of dawn, stiff with cold and aching in every limb.
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading Hearing my footsteps, he looked around.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading The Last I awoke in the grey light of dawn, stiff with cold and aching in every limb.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Hearing my footsteps, he looked around.
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading Hearing my footsteps, he looked around.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Arising, I left my hiding-place and went into the vestibule.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The Last I awoke in the grey light of dawn, stiff with cold and aching in every limb.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Last I awoke in the grey light of dawn, stiff with cold and aching in every limb.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Arising, I left my hiding-place and went into the vestibule.
immediately past
From this reading The Last I awoke in the grey light of dawn, stiff with cold and aching in every limb.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Arising, I left my hiding-place and went into the vestibule.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The Last I awoke in the grey light of dawn, stiff with cold and aching in every limb.
one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper
From this reading The Last I awoke in the grey light of dawn, stiff with cold and aching in every limb.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Hearing my footsteps, he looked around.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Arising, I left my hiding-place and went into the vestibule.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Last I awoke in the grey light of dawn, stiff with cold and aching in every limb.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.
on one occasion
From this reading I stepped up to the door at once.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.
a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading I stepped up to the door at once.
not moving or operating freely
From this reading The Last I awoke in the grey light of dawn, stiff with cold and aching in every limb.
a simple seat without a back or arms
From this reading The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.
a kitchen appliance used for cooking food
From this reading The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Last I awoke in the grey light of dawn, stiff with cold and aching in every limb.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I stepped up to the door at once.
cooking to a brown crispiness over a fire or on a grill
From this reading The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.
plural of “toe” — one of the digits of the foot
From this reading The night porter sat on a stool in his little office toasting his toes before the stove and reading one of the morning papers.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I stepped up to the door at once.
a large entrance or reception room or area
From this reading Arising, I left my hiding-place and went into the vestibule.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Arising, I left my hiding-place and went into the vestibule.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The Last I awoke in the grey light of dawn, stiff with cold and aching in every limb.
Chapter 30 of The Living Mummy by Ambrose Pratt holds 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 30 holds 116 sentences of The Living Mummy, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 30 of The Living Mummy by Ambrose Pratt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 30 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 Living Mummy by Ambrose Pratt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6357 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58944 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58944, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 529 minutes of reading across 1272 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Living Mummy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Living Mummy 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 Living Mummy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
