Chapter 18 of The Lost Road is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 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 Road is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody. It was harsh, sharp, peremptory. "Hands up!" it commanded. "Drop that gun!" As though halted by a precipice, the footsteps fell into instant silence.
Chapter 18 of The Lost Road is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
past form of “halt” — cause to stop
From this reading “As though halted by a precipice, the footsteps fell into instant silence.”
unpleasantly stern
From this reading “It was harsh, sharp, peremptory.”
moving with great haste
From this reading “Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.”
educator who founded the first kindergarten in the United States (1804-1894)
From this reading “Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.”
offensively self-assured or given to exercising usually unwarranted power
From this reading “It was harsh, sharp, peremptory.”
a very steep cliff
From this reading “As though halted by a precipice, the footsteps fell into instant silence.”
move through by or as by digging
From this reading “Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.”
An arched structure of masonry forming a ceiling, or a secure subterranean storage room.
From this reading “Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.”
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 As though halted by a precipice, the footsteps fell into instant silence.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
from appearances alone
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As though halted by a precipice, the footsteps fell into instant silence.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading As though halted by a precipice, the footsteps fell into instant silence.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
past form of “command” — be in command of
From this reading "Hands up!" it commanded.
let fall to the ground
From this reading "Drop that gun!"
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading As though halted by a precipice, the footsteps fell into instant silence.
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading "Drop that gun!"
past form of “halt” — cause to stop
From this reading As though halted by a precipice, the footsteps fell into instant silence.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading "Hands up!" it commanded.
unpleasantly stern
From this reading It was harsh, sharp, peremptory.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
moving with great haste
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading As though halted by a precipice, the footsteps fell into instant silence.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading As though halted by a precipice, the footsteps fell into instant silence.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was harsh, sharp, peremptory.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
educator who founded the first kindergarten in the United States (1804-1894)
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
offensively self-assured or given to exercising usually unwarranted power
From this reading It was harsh, sharp, peremptory.
a very steep cliff
From this reading As though halted by a precipice, the footsteps fell into instant silence.
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading It was harsh, sharp, peremptory.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading As though halted by a precipice, the footsteps fell into instant silence.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Drop that gun!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading As though halted by a precipice, the footsteps fell into instant silence.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
move through by or as by digging
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Hands up!" it commanded.
An arched structure of masonry forming a ceiling, or a secure subterranean storage room.
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Around the turn of the tunnel, approaching the vault apparently from another passage, they heard hurrying footsteps; and then, close to them from the vault itself, the voice of Professor Peabody.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was harsh, sharp, peremptory.
Chapter 18 of The Lost Road by Richard Harding Davis holds 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 18 holds 193 sentences of The Lost Road, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Lost Road by Richard Harding Davis exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Road by Richard Harding Davis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4777 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2283 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2283, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 398 minutes of reading across 956 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Lost Road section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Lost Road 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 Road, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
