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

Chapter XIV · The Disappearing Parcel

Chapter XIV of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls, “The Disappearing Parcel,” is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls
Context Illustration Reading 1/33 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."
They hoped to cross the bridge and reach the car line before the threatened storm broke.
Petite Jeanne was terribly afraid of lightning.
Every time it streaked across the sky she gripped her strong companion's arm and shuddered.
It was impossible to make rapid progress.
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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 XIV · The Disappearing Parcel

Chapter XIV of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls, “The Disappearing Parcel,” is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/33 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."
Line 2
They hoped to cross the bridge and reach the car line before the threatened storm broke.
/ðeɪ hoʊpt tuː krɔːs ðə brɪdʒ ənd riːtʃ ðə kɑːr laɪn bɪˈfɔːr ðə ˈθretənd stɔːrm broʊk/
Line 3
Petite Jeanne was terribly afraid of lightning.
Line 4
Every time it streaked across the sky she gripped her strong companion's arm and shuddered.
Line 5
It was impossible to make rapid progress.
/ɪt wɑːz ˌɪmˈpɑːsəbəl tuː meɪk ˈræpəd ˈprɑːɡres/

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.

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 “In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."”

gripped verb US /ɡrɪpt/

inflected form of “grip” — hold fast or firmly

From this reading “Every time it streaked across the sky she gripped her strong companion's arm and shuddered.”

lightning noun US /ˈlaɪtnɪŋ/

abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light

From this reading “Petite Jeanne was terribly afraid of lightning.”

Petite adjective US /pəˈtiːt/

very small

From this reading “Petite Jeanne was terribly afraid of lightning.”

shuddered verb US /ˈʃʌdərd/

past form of “shudder” — shake, as from cold

From this reading “Every time it streaked across the sky she gripped her strong companion's arm and shuddered.”

streaked adjective US /striːkt/

marked with or as if with stripes or linear discolorations

From this reading “Every time it streaked across the sky she gripped her strong companion's arm and shuddered.”

terribly adverb US /ˈterəbli/

used as intensifiers

From this reading “Petite Jeanne was terribly afraid of lightning.”

threatened adjective US /ˈθretənd/

(of flora or fauna) likely in the near future to become endangered

From this reading “They hoped to cross the bridge and reach the car line before the threatened storm broke.”

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.

rapid progress adjective + noun

In this reading “It was impossible to make rapid progress.”

terribly afraid adverb + adjective

In this reading “Petite Jeanne was terribly afraid of lightning.”

cross the bridge verb + article + noun counted as “cross … bridge”

In this reading “They hoped to cross the bridge and reach the car line before the threatened storm broke.”

storm broke verb + adjective

In this reading “They hoped to cross the bridge and reach the car line before the threatened storm broke.”

across the sky preposition + article + noun counted as “across … sky”

In this reading “Every time it streaked across the sky she gripped her strong companion's arm and shuddered.”

In the meantime preposition + article + noun counted as “in … meantime”

during the intervening time

In this reading “In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."”

All words in this reading · 49

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.

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading Every time it streaked across the sky she gripped her strong companion's arm and shuddered.

afraidadjectiveUS /əˈfreɪd/

filled with fear or apprehension

From this reading Petite Jeanne was terribly afraid of lightning.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."

armnounUS /ɑːrm/

a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb

From this reading Every time it streaked across the sky she gripped her strong companion's arm and shuddered.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading They hoped to cross the bridge and reach the car line before the threatened storm broke.

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."

bridgenounUS /brɪdʒ/

a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.

From this reading They hoped to cross the bridge and reach the car line before the threatened storm broke.

brokeadjectiveUS /broʊk/

lacking funds

From this reading They hoped to cross the bridge and reach the car line before the threatened storm broke.

carnounUS /kɑːr/

a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading They hoped to cross the bridge and reach the car line before the threatened storm broke.

companion's

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

From this reading Every time it streaked across the sky she gripped her strong companion's arm and shuddered.

crossverbUS /krɔːs/

travel across or pass over

From this reading They hoped to cross the bridge and reach the car line before the threatened storm broke.

EverydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Every time it streaked across the sky she gripped her strong companion's arm and shuddered.

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 In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."

grippedverbUS /ɡrɪpt/

inflected form of “grip” — hold fast or firmly

From this reading Every time it streaked across the sky she gripped her strong companion's arm and shuddered.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Every time it streaked across the sky she gripped her strong companion's arm and shuddered.

hopedverbUS /hoʊpt/

past form of “hope” — expect and wish

From this reading They hoped to cross the bridge and reach the car line before the threatened storm broke.

impossibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɑːsəbəl/

not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with

From this reading It was impossible to make rapid progress.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Every time it streaked across the sky she gripped her strong companion's arm and shuddered.

Jeanne

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

From this reading In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."

landnounUS /lænd/

the land on which real estate is located

From this reading In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."

leaveverbUS /liːv/

go away from a place

From this reading In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."

lightningnounUS /ˈlaɪtnɪŋ/

abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light

From this reading Petite Jeanne was terribly afraid of lightning.

linenounUS /laɪn/

a formation of people or things one beside another

From this reading They hoped to cross the bridge and reach the car line before the threatened storm broke.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading It was impossible to make rapid progress.

makingnounUS /ˈmeɪkɪŋ/

the act that results in something coming to be

From this reading In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."

meantimenounUS /ˈmiːntaɪm/

the time between one event, process, or period and another

From this reading In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."

opportunitynounUS /ˌɑːpərˈtuːnəti/

a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances

From this reading In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."

PetiteadjectiveUS /pəˈtiːt/

very small

From this reading Petite Jeanne was terribly afraid of lightning.

progressnounUS /ˈprɑːɡres/

gradual improvement or growth or development

From this reading It was impossible to make rapid progress.

rapidadjectiveUS /ˈræpəd/

done or occurring in a brief period of time

From this reading It was impossible to make rapid progress.

reachverbUS /riːtʃ/

reach a destination, either real or abstract

From this reading They hoped to cross the bridge and reach the car line before the threatened storm broke.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading Every time it streaked across the sky she gripped her strong companion's arm and shuddered.

shudderedverbUS /ˈʃʌdərd/

past form of “shudder” — shake, as from cold

From this reading Every time it streaked across the sky she gripped her strong companion's arm and shuddered.

skynounUS /skaɪ/

the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth

From this reading Every time it streaked across the sky she gripped her strong companion's arm and shuddered.

stormverbUS /stɔːrm/

behave violently, as if in state of a great anger

From this reading They hoped to cross the bridge and reach the car line before the threatened storm broke.

streakedadjectiveUS /striːkt/

marked with or as if with stripes or linear discolorations

From this reading Every time it streaked across the sky she gripped her strong companion's arm and shuddered.

strongadjectiveUS /strɔːŋ/

having strength or power greater than average or expected

From this reading Every time it streaked across the sky she gripped her strong companion's arm and shuddered.

terriblyadverbUS /ˈterəbli/

used as intensifiers

From this reading Petite Jeanne was terribly afraid of lightning.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They hoped to cross the bridge and reach the car line before the threatened storm broke.

threatenedadjectiveUS /ˈθretənd/

(of flora or fauna) likely in the near future to become endangered

From this reading They hoped to cross the bridge and reach the car line before the threatened storm broke.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Every time it streaked across the sky she gripped her strong companion's arm and shuddered.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Petite Jeanne was terribly afraid of lightning.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading In the meantime Florence and Jeanne were making the best of their opportunity to leave the "made land."

Chapter 14 of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell holds 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 14 of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls contain?

Chapter 14 holds 166 sentences of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 14 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 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 14 of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls?

Work through the 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 34 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 14 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 14 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

    Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Magic Curtain: A Mystery Story for Girls 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 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.