Chapter 17 of The Lost Despatch is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Lost Despatch is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence. Secretary Stanton was the first to speak. "Dead!" he thundered. "Who killed him?" "I don't know, sir."
Chapter 17 of The Lost Despatch is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
plural of “companion” — a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading “A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.”
an executive officer of a firm or corporation
From this reading “A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.”
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading “Secretary Stanton was the first to speak.”
coils of worsted yarn
From this reading “A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.”
United States suffragist and feminist; called for reform of the practices that perpetuated sexual inequality (1815-1902)
From this reading “Secretary Stanton was the first to speak.”
English writer (1840-1893)
From this reading “A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.”
in a confused mass
From this reading “A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.”
past form of “thunder” — move fast, noisily, and heavily
From this reading “"Dead!" he thundered.”
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 A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.
plural of “companion” — a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading "Dead!" he thundered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know, sir."
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Secretary Stanton was the first to speak.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Dead!" he thundered.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Who killed him?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't know, sir."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading "Who killed him?"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know, sir."
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.
an executive officer of a firm or corporation
From this reading A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading Secretary Stanton was the first to speak.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.
term of address for a man
From this reading "I don't know, sir."
coils of worsted yarn
From this reading A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.
express in speech
From this reading Secretary Stanton was the first to speak.
United States suffragist and feminist; called for reform of the practices that perpetuated sexual inequality (1815-1902)
From this reading Secretary Stanton was the first to speak.
as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
From this reading A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.
English writer (1840-1893)
From this reading A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.
in a confused mass
From this reading A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A TANGLED SKEIN The President and his companions sat looking at Symonds in stupefied silence.
past form of “thunder” — move fast, noisily, and heavily
From this reading "Dead!" he thundered.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Secretary Stanton was the first to speak.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Secretary Stanton was the first to speak.
which person or people
From this reading "Who killed him?"
Chapter 17 of The Lost Despatch by Natalie Sumner Lincoln holds 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 102 sentences of The Lost Despatch, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Lost Despatch by Natalie Sumner Lincoln exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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.
Common questions about reading The Lost Despatch by Natalie Sumner Lincoln on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4137 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24204 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24204, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 344 minutes of reading across 828 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Lost Despatch section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Lost Despatch 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 Lost Despatch, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
