Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales
The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales

Chapter XXX · Chapter 30

Chapter 30 of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales is here in full — 273 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales
Context Illustration Reading 1/54 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE SECOND PHANTOM One!
The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died before the front door closed with a reverberating clang.
Steps were heard along the passage; the library door swung open of itself, and the Knockeryes, the Knockerslowly strode into the room.
The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.
The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales

Chapter XXX · Chapter 30

Chapter 30 of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales is here in full — 273 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/54 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE SECOND PHANTOM One!
/ðə ˈsekənd ˈfæn.təm wʌn/
Line 2
The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died before the front door closed with a reverberating clang.
Line 3
Steps were heard along the passage; the library door swung open of itself, and the Knockeryes, the Knockerslowly strode into the room.
Line 4
The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.
Line 5
The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.
/ðə ˈbreɪzən rɑːd wɑːz trænˈsfɜːrd frʌm ɪts maʊθ tuː ɪts raɪt hænd wer ɪt wɑːz held laɪk ə ˈɡoʊstli ˈtrʌntʃɪn/

Learner Dictionary

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.

brazen adjective US /ˈbreɪzən/

unrestrained by convention or propriety

From this reading “The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.”

clang noun US /klæŋ/

a loud resonant repeating noise

From this reading “The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died before the front door closed with a reverberating clang.”

ghostly adjective US /ˈɡoʊstli/

resembling or characteristic of a phantom

From this reading “The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.”

imperceptible adjective US /ˌɪmpərˈseptɪbəl/

impossible or difficult to perceive by the mind or senses

From this reading “The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.”

misty adjective US /ˈmɪsti/

filled or abounding with fog or mist

From this reading “The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.”

reverberating adjective US /rɪˈvɜːrbəreɪtɪŋ/

characterized by resonance

From this reading “The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died before the front door closed with a reverberating clang.”

transferred verb US /trænˈsfɜːrd/

inflected form of “transfer” — transfer somebody to a different position or location of work

From this reading “The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.”

truncheon noun US /ˈtrʌntʃɪn/

a short stout club used primarily by policemen

From this reading “The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.”

All words in this reading · 70

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died before the front door closed with a reverberating clang.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading Steps were heard along the passage; the library door swung open of itself, and the Knocker—yes, the Knocker—slowly strode into the room.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Steps were heard along the passage; the library door swung open of itself, and the Knocker—yes, the Knocker—slowly strode into the room.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died before the front door closed with a reverberating clang.

bellnounUS /bel/

a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck

From this reading The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died before the front door closed with a reverberating clang.

bodynounUS /ˈbɑːdi/

the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

brazenadjectiveUS /ˈbreɪzən/

unrestrained by convention or propriety

From this reading The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.

clangnounUS /klæŋ/

a loud resonant repeating noise

From this reading The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died before the front door closed with a reverberating clang.

closedadjectiveUS /kloʊzd/

not open or affording passage or access

From this reading The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died before the front door closed with a reverberating clang.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

diedverbUS /daɪd/

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died before the front door closed with a reverberating clang.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died before the front door closed with a reverberating clang.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

far-offadjective

very far away in space or time

From this reading The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died before the front door closed with a reverberating clang.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.

frontnounUS /frʌnt/

the side that is forward or prominent

From this reading The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died before the front door closed with a reverberating clang.

ghostlyadjectiveUS /ˈɡoʊstli/

resembling or characteristic of a phantom

From this reading The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died before the front door closed with a reverberating clang.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.

hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/

only a very short time before

From this reading The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died before the front door closed with a reverberating clang.

HauntedadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːntɪd/

having or showing excessive or compulsive concern with something

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading Steps were heard along the passage; the library door swung open of itself, and the Knocker—yes, the Knocker—slowly strode into the room.

heldadjectiveUS /held/

occupied or in the control of; often used in combination

From this reading The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

imperceptibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪmpərˈseptɪbəl/

impossible or difficult to perceive by the mind or senses

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Steps were heard along the passage; the library door swung open of itself, and the Knocker—yes, the Knocker—slowly strode into the room.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading Steps were heard along the passage; the library door swung open of itself, and the Knocker—yes, the Knocker—slowly strode into the room.

Knockernoun

(Yiddish) a big shot who knows it and acts that way; a boastful immoderate person

From this reading Steps were heard along the passage; the library door swung open of itself, and the Knocker—yes, the Knocker—slowly strode into the room.

Knocker's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

librarynounUS /ˈlaɪbreriː/

a room where books are kept

From this reading Steps were heard along the passage; the library door swung open of itself, and the Knocker—yes, the Knocker—slowly strode into the room.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.

MannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

mistakenounUS /mɪˈsteɪk/

a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

mistyadjectiveUS /ˈmɪsti/

filled or abounding with fog or mist

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

mountedadjectiveUS /ˈmaʊntəd/

assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

mouthnounUS /maʊθ/

the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge

From this reading The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died before the front door closed with a reverberating clang.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading THE SECOND PHANTOM One!

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading Steps were heard along the passage; the library door swung open of itself, and the Knocker—yes, the Knocker—slowly strode into the room.

passagenounUS /ˈpæsədʒ/

the act of passing from one state or place to the next

From this reading Steps were heard along the passage; the library door swung open of itself, and the Knocker—yes, the Knocker—slowly strode into the room.

PHANTOMnounUS /ˈfæn.təm/

A ghost or apparition; a figment of the imagination or a hidden dweller.

From this reading THE SECOND PHANTOM One!

reverberatingadjectiveUS /rɪˈvɜːrbəreɪtɪŋ/

characterized by resonance

From this reading The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died before the front door closed with a reverberating clang.

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.

rodnounUS /rɑːd/

a long thin implement made of metal or wood

From this reading The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading Steps were heard along the passage; the library door swung open of itself, and the Knocker—yes, the Knocker—slowly strode into the room.

rubbedverbUS /rʌbd/

inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

SECONDnounUS /ˈsekənd/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading THE SECOND PHANTOM One!

slowlyadverbUS /ˈsloʊli/

without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)

From this reading Steps were heard along the passage; the library door swung open of itself, and the Knocker—yes, the Knocker—slowly strode into the room.

StepsnounUS /steps/

a flight of stairs or a flight of steps

From this reading Steps were heard along the passage; the library door swung open of itself, and the Knocker—yes, the Knocker—slowly strode into the room.

strodeverbUS /stroʊd/

inflected form of “stride” — walk with long steps

From this reading Steps were heard along the passage; the library door swung open of itself, and the Knocker—yes, the Knocker—slowly strode into the room.

strokenounUS /stroʊk/

(sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand

From this reading The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died before the front door closed with a reverberating clang.

swungverbUS /swʌŋ/

inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting

From this reading Steps were heard along the passage; the library door swung open of itself, and the Knocker—yes, the Knocker—slowly strode into the room.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE SECOND PHANTOM One!

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.

transferredverbUS /trænˈsfɜːrd/

inflected form of “transfer” — transfer somebody to a different position or location of work

From this reading The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.

truncheonnounUS /ˈtrʌntʃɪn/

a short stout club used primarily by policemen

From this reading The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The Haunted Man rubbed his eyes,—no! there could be no mistake about it,—it was the Knocker’s face, mounted on a misty, almost imperceptible body.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Steps were heard along the passage; the library door swung open of itself, and the Knocker—yes, the Knocker—slowly strode into the room.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading The brazen rod was transferred from its mouth to its right hand, where it was held like a ghostly truncheon.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died before the front door closed with a reverberating clang.

yesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading Steps were heard along the passage; the library door swung open of itself, and the Knocker—yes, the Knocker—slowly strode into the room.

Chapter 30 of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales by Bret Harte holds 273 sentences, grouped into 55 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.

What does chapter 30 of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales contain?

Chapter 30 holds 273 sentences of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales, unabridged, divided into 55 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 30 of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales by Bret Harte exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 273 sentences, grouped into 55 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.

How do I study chapter 30 of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales?

Work through the 55 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 55 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.

Can chapter 30 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales

Common questions about reading The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales by Bret Harte on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales?

Yes. All 6205 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6373 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #6373, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales take to read?

About 517 minutes of reading across 1241 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales section by section

How to work through The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Toward
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Close
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bright
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
October
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.