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The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls
The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls

Chapter XI · A Dance for the Spirits

Chapter XI of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls, “A Dance for the Spirits,” is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls
Context Illustration Reading 1/21 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:
"I am asleep.
Do not disturb me."
This is how the note ran.
She read the note and smiled.
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 Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls

Chapter XI · A Dance for the Spirits

Chapter XI of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls, “A Dance for the Spirits,” is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:
Line 2
"I am asleep.
/aɪ æm əˈsliːp/
Line 3
Do not disturb me."
/duː nɑːt dɪˈstɜːrb miː/
Line 4
This is how the note ran.
Line 5
She read the note and smiled.
/ʃiː red ðə noʊt ənd smaɪld/

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.

amusing adjective US /əˈmjuːzɪŋ/

providing enjoyment; pleasantly entertaining

From this reading “When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
boxes noun US /ˈbɑːksəz/

plural of “box” — a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid

From this reading “When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
burned adjective US /bɜːrnd/

treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point

From this reading “When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
disturb verb US /dɪˈstɜːrb/

move deeply

From this reading “Do not disturb me."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Florence noun US /ˈflɔːrəns/

a city in central Italy on the Arno; provincial capital of Tuscany; center of the Italian Renaissance from 14th to 16th centuries

From this reading “When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
grate noun US /ɡreɪt/

a frame of iron bars to hold a fire

From this reading “When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
opera noun US /ˈɑːprə/

a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes

From this reading “When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rooms noun US /ruːmz/

apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)

From this reading “When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

arrived at verb + particle counted as “arrive at”

reach a destination, either real or abstract

In this reading “When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:”

43,893 times in 426,212 chapters
rather amusing adverb + adjective

In this reading “When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:”

319 times in 426,212 chapters
on the table preposition + article + noun counted as “on … table”

able to be negotiated or arranged by compromise

In this reading “When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:”

39,334 times in 426,212 chapters

All words in this reading · 45

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 When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading "I am asleep.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
amusingadjectiveUS /əˈmjuːzɪŋ/

providing enjoyment; pleasantly entertaining

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
arrivedverbUS /ərˈaɪvd/

past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
asleepadjectiveUS /əˈsliːp/

in a state of sleep

From this reading "I am asleep.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
boxesnounUS /ˈbɑːksəz/

plural of “box” — a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
burnedadjectiveUS /bɜːrnd/

treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
disturbverbUS /dɪˈstɜːrb/

move deeply

From this reading Do not disturb me."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Do not disturb me."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fireverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FlorencenounUS /ˈflɔːrəns/

a city in central Italy on the Arno; provincial capital of Tuscany; center of the Italian Renaissance from 14th to 16th centuries

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
gratenounUS /ɡreɪt/

a frame of iron bars to hold a fire

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
halfadjectiveUS /hæf/

consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
how

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

From this reading This is how the note ran.

Pending verification
IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "I am asleep.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading This is how the note ran.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Jeanne

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

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

Pending verification
lateadjectiveUS /leɪt/

being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Do not disturb me."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Do not disturb me."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
notenounUS /noʊt/

a brief written record

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
operanounUS /ˈɑːprə/

a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ranverbUS /ræn/

inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time

From this reading This is how the note ran.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ratheradverbUS /ˈræðər/

on the contrary

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading She read the note and smiled.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
roomsnounUS /ruːmz/

apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
smiledverbUS /smaɪld/

past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure

From this reading She read the note and smiled.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tablenounUS /ˈteɪbəl/

a set of data arranged in rows and columns

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This is how the note ran.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When Jeanne arrived at the rooms late that night, after her evening among the opera boxes, she found a half burned out fire in the grate and a rather amusing note from Florence on the table:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 11 of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell holds 105 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.

What does chapter 11 of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls contain?

Chapter 11 holds 105 sentences of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 11 of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 105 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.

How do I study chapter 11 of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls?

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.

Can chapter 11 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 11 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 Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls

Common questions about reading The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls?

Yes. All 4618 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42137 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #42137, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls take to read?

About 384 minutes of reading across 924 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls section by section

How to work through The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Reilly
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Chicago
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mystic
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Witches
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.