Chapter 26 of The Main Chance is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The Main Chance is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A MEETING BETWEEN GENTLEMEN "Hello, Wheaton," said Margrave cheerfully. "I've had the devil's own time finding you." He advanced upon Wheaton and shook him warmly by the hand. Then, this having been for the benefit of the watchman, he said, in a low tone: "Let's go into the directors' room, Jim, I want to see you."
Chapter 26 of The Main Chance is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
financial assistance in time of need
From this reading “Then, this having been for the benefit of the watchman, he said, in a low tone:”
in a cheerful manner
From this reading “A MEETING BETWEEN GENTLEMEN "Hello, Wheaton," said Margrave cheerfully.”
possessive form of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading “"I've had the devil's own time finding you."”
plural of “director” — someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading “"Let's go into the directors' room, Jim, I want to see you."”
an expression of greeting
From this reading “A MEETING BETWEEN GENTLEMEN "Hello, Wheaton," said Margrave cheerfully.”
the military governor of a frontier province in medieval Germany
From this reading “A MEETING BETWEEN GENTLEMEN "Hello, Wheaton," said Margrave cheerfully.”
in a hearty manner
From this reading “He advanced upon Wheaton and shook him warmly by the hand.”
a guard who keeps watch
From this reading “Then, this having been for the benefit of the watchman, he said, in a low tone:”
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.
In this reading “Then, this having been for the benefit of the watchman, he said, in a low tone:”
In this reading “Then, this having been for the benefit of the watchman, he said, in a low tone:”
to come or go into
In this reading “"Let's go into the directors' room, Jim, I want to see you."”
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 A MEETING BETWEEN GENTLEMEN "Hello, Wheaton," said Margrave cheerfully.
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading He advanced upon Wheaton and shook him warmly by the hand.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He advanced upon Wheaton and shook him warmly by the hand.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Then, this having been for the benefit of the watchman, he said, in a low tone:
financial assistance in time of need
From this reading Then, this having been for the benefit of the watchman, he said, in a low tone:
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading A MEETING BETWEEN GENTLEMEN "Hello, Wheaton," said Margrave cheerfully.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He advanced upon Wheaton and shook him warmly by the hand.
in a cheerful manner
From this reading A MEETING BETWEEN GENTLEMEN "Hello, Wheaton," said Margrave cheerfully.
possessive form of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading "I've had the devil's own time finding you."
plural of “director” — someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading "Let's go into the directors' room, Jim, I want to see you."
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading "I've had the devil's own time finding you."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Then, this having been for the benefit of the watchman, he said, in a low tone:
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading A MEETING BETWEEN GENTLEMEN "Hello, Wheaton," said Margrave cheerfully.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Let's go into the directors' room, Jim, I want to see you."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I've had the devil's own time finding you."
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He advanced upon Wheaton and shook him warmly by the hand.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Then, this having been for the benefit of the watchman, he said, in a low tone:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He advanced upon Wheaton and shook him warmly by the hand.
an expression of greeting
From this reading A MEETING BETWEEN GENTLEMEN "Hello, Wheaton," said Margrave cheerfully.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He advanced upon Wheaton and shook him warmly by the hand.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Let's go into the directors' room, Jim, I want to see you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've had the devil's own time finding you."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then, this having been for the benefit of the watchman, he said, in a low tone:
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "Let's go into the directors' room, Jim, I want to see you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Let's go into the directors' room, Jim, I want to see you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Let's go into the directors' room, Jim, I want to see you."
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Then, this having been for the benefit of the watchman, he said, in a low tone:
the military governor of a frontier province in medieval Germany
From this reading A MEETING BETWEEN GENTLEMEN "Hello, Wheaton," said Margrave cheerfully.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading A MEETING BETWEEN GENTLEMEN "Hello, Wheaton," said Margrave cheerfully.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then, this having been for the benefit of the watchman, he said, in a low tone:
have ownership or possession of
From this reading "I've had the devil's own time finding you."
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "Let's go into the directors' room, Jim, I want to see you."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading A MEETING BETWEEN GENTLEMEN "Hello, Wheaton," said Margrave cheerfully.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Let's go into the directors' room, Jim, I want to see you."
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading He advanced upon Wheaton and shook him warmly by the hand.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I've had the devil's own time finding you."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, this having been for the benefit of the watchman, he said, in a low tone:
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Then, this having been for the benefit of the watchman, he said, in a low tone:
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "I've had the devil's own time finding you."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Let's go into the directors' room, Jim, I want to see you."
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading Then, this having been for the benefit of the watchman, he said, in a low tone:
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He advanced upon Wheaton and shook him warmly by the hand.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Let's go into the directors' room, Jim, I want to see you."
in a hearty manner
From this reading He advanced upon Wheaton and shook him warmly by the hand.
a guard who keeps watch
From this reading Then, this having been for the benefit of the watchman, he said, in a low tone:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A MEETING BETWEEN GENTLEMEN "Hello, Wheaton," said Margrave cheerfully.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I've had the devil's own time finding you."
Chapter 26 of The Main Chance by Meredith Nicholson holds 169 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.
Chapter 26 holds 169 sentences of The Main Chance, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The Main Chance by Meredith Nicholson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 169 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.
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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 26 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 Main Chance by Meredith Nicholson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6280 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37190 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37190, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 523 minutes of reading across 1256 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Main Chance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Main Chance 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 Main Chance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
