Chapter 40 of The Lock and Key Library — French Novels is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XL
Chapter 40 of The Lock and Key Library — French Novels is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect. "Yes, sir. There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler. "Ha! Thank you, Marcus.
Chapter 40 of The Lock and Key Library — French Novels is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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 manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading “There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.”
the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
From this reading “"Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.”
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “"Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.”
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.”
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading “There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.”
recurring again and again
From this reading “"Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.”
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading “Thank you, Marcus.”
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “"Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.
a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.
the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
From this reading "Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading "Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.
(astronomy) the angular distance of a celestial point measured westward along the celestial equator from the zenith crossing; the right ascension for an observer at a particular location and time of day
From this reading "Ha!
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.
and nothing more
From this reading "Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.
immediately past
From this reading There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thank you, Marcus.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.
a particular point in time
From this reading There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading "Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.
recurring again and again
From this reading "Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Yes, sir.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading Thank you, Marcus.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading "Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading "Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading There was one I took from the band-box, and one Mr. Atley gave me in the hall at the last moment," explained the butler.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Two?" repeated Mr. Stafford, dismay in his tone, though this was just what he had reason to expect.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, sir.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Thank you, Marcus.
Chapter 40 of The Lock and Key Library — French Novels by Julian [Editor] Hawthorne holds 167 sentences, grouped into 34 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 40 holds 167 sentences of The Lock and Key Library — French Novels, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 40 of The Lock and Key Library — French Novels by Julian [Editor] Hawthorne exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 40 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 Lock and Key Library — French Novels by Julian [Editor] Hawthorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6550 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2047 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2047, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 545 minutes of reading across 1310 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Lock and Key Library — French Novels section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Lock and Key Library — French Novels 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 Lock and Key Library — French Novels, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
