Chapter 18 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 XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Lost Despatch is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN CLOSE CONFINEMENT Stanton's face hardened, and he wheeled on Nancy. "Where is that paper?" he demanded curtly. "I do not know." The Secretary's eyes were the first to fall before the girl's steady gaze. "I have wasted quite enough time with you," he snapped.
Chapter 18 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.
concluding state of pregnancy; from the onset of contractions to the birth of a child
From this reading “IN CLOSE CONFINEMENT Stanton's face hardened, and he wheeled on Nancy.”
in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner
From this reading “"Where is that paper?" he demanded curtly.”
used of persons; emotionally hardened
From this reading “IN CLOSE CONFINEMENT Stanton's face hardened, and he wheeled on Nancy.”
a city in northeastern France in Lorraine
From this reading “IN CLOSE CONFINEMENT Stanton's face hardened, and he wheeled on Nancy.”
possessive form of “secretary” — a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading “The Secretary's eyes were the first to fall before the girl's steady gaze.”
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “"I have wasted quite enough time with you," he snapped.”
serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being
From this reading “"I have wasted quite enough time with you," he snapped.”
having wheels; often used in combination
From this reading “IN CLOSE CONFINEMENT Stanton's face hardened, and he wheeled on Nancy.”
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 IN CLOSE CONFINEMENT Stanton's face hardened, and he wheeled on Nancy.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The Secretary's eyes were the first to fall before the girl's steady gaze.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading IN CLOSE CONFINEMENT Stanton's face hardened, and he wheeled on Nancy.
concluding state of pregnancy; from the onset of contractions to the birth of a child
From this reading IN CLOSE CONFINEMENT Stanton's face hardened, and he wheeled on Nancy.
in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner
From this reading "Where is that paper?" he demanded curtly.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "Where is that paper?" he demanded curtly.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I do not know."
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading "I have wasted quite enough time with you," he snapped.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The Secretary's eyes were the first to fall before the girl's steady gaze.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading IN CLOSE CONFINEMENT Stanton's face hardened, and he wheeled on Nancy.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading The Secretary's eyes were the first to fall before the girl's steady gaze.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The Secretary's eyes were the first to fall before the girl's steady gaze.
a long fixed look
From this reading The Secretary's eyes were the first to fall before the girl's steady gaze.
possessive form of “girl” — a young female
From this reading The Secretary's eyes were the first to fall before the girl's steady gaze.
used of persons; emotionally hardened
From this reading IN CLOSE CONFINEMENT Stanton's face hardened, and he wheeled on Nancy.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have wasted quite enough time with you," he snapped.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading IN CLOSE CONFINEMENT Stanton's face hardened, and he wheeled on Nancy.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I do not know."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN CLOSE CONFINEMENT Stanton's face hardened, and he wheeled on Nancy.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Where is that paper?" he demanded curtly.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I do not know."
a city in northeastern France in Lorraine
From this reading IN CLOSE CONFINEMENT Stanton's face hardened, and he wheeled on Nancy.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I do not know."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading IN CLOSE CONFINEMENT Stanton's face hardened, and he wheeled on Nancy.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading "Where is that paper?" he demanded curtly.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading "I have wasted quite enough time with you," he snapped.
possessive form of “secretary” — a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading The Secretary's eyes were the first to fall before the girl's steady gaze.
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading "I have wasted quite enough time with you," he snapped.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IN CLOSE CONFINEMENT Stanton's face hardened, and he wheeled on Nancy.
make steady
From this reading The Secretary's eyes were the first to fall before the girl's steady gaze.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Where is that paper?" he demanded curtly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Secretary's eyes were the first to fall before the girl's steady gaze.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "I have wasted quite enough time with you," he snapped.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Secretary's eyes were the first to fall before the girl's steady gaze.
serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being
From this reading "I have wasted quite enough time with you," he snapped.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The Secretary's eyes were the first to fall before the girl's steady gaze.
having wheels; often used in combination
From this reading IN CLOSE CONFINEMENT Stanton's face hardened, and he wheeled on Nancy.
in or at the place that
From this reading "Where is that paper?" he demanded curtly.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I have wasted quite enough time with you," he snapped.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I have wasted quite enough time with you," he snapped.
Chapter 18 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 18 holds 102 sentences of The Lost Despatch, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 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 18 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.
