Chapter 16 of The Master Mystery is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Master Mystery is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Automaton and its emissaries left the cellar. In the distance a door slammed and Locke was left to his terrible fate. Except for the gurgling of the flowing acid and the scampering of the rats all was silent. Locke tried to move. But the sharp barbs of the wire cut into his flesh, a torture to test the fortitude of a stoic.
Chapter 16 of The Master Mystery is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
harsh or corrosive in tone
From this reading “Except for the gurgling of the flowing acid and the scampering of the rats all was silent.”
someone who acts or responds in a mechanical or apathetic way
From this reading “The Automaton and its emissaries left the cellar.”
plural of “barb” — an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect
From this reading “But the sharp barbs of the wire cut into his flesh, a torture to test the fortitude of a stoic.”
plural of “emissary” — someone sent on a mission to represent the interests of someone else
From this reading “The Automaton and its emissaries left the cellar.”
-ing form of “gurgle” — flow in an irregular current with a bubbling noise
From this reading “Except for the gurgling of the flowing acid and the scampering of the rats all was silent.”
English empiricist philosopher who believed that all knowledge is derived from sensory experience (1632-1704)
From this reading “In the distance a door slammed and Locke was left to his terrible fate.”
-ing form of “scamper” — to move about or proceed hurriedly
From this reading “Except for the gurgling of the flowing acid and the scampering of the rats all was silent.”
a member of the ancient Greek school of philosophy founded by Zeno
From this reading “But the sharp barbs of the wire cut into his flesh, a torture to test the fortitude of a stoic.”
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 In the distance a door slammed and Locke was left to his terrible fate.
harsh or corrosive in tone
From this reading Except for the gurgling of the flowing acid and the scampering of the rats all was silent.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Except for the gurgling of the flowing acid and the scampering of the rats all was silent.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Automaton and its emissaries left the cellar.
someone who acts or responds in a mechanical or apathetic way
From this reading The Automaton and its emissaries left the cellar.
plural of “barb” — an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect
From this reading But the sharp barbs of the wire cut into his flesh, a torture to test the fortitude of a stoic.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the sharp barbs of the wire cut into his flesh, a torture to test the fortitude of a stoic.
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading The Automaton and its emissaries left the cellar.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading But the sharp barbs of the wire cut into his flesh, a torture to test the fortitude of a stoic.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading In the distance a door slammed and Locke was left to his terrible fate.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading In the distance a door slammed and Locke was left to his terrible fate.
plural of “emissary” — someone sent on a mission to represent the interests of someone else
From this reading The Automaton and its emissaries left the cellar.
apart from; not including
From this reading Except for the gurgling of the flowing acid and the scampering of the rats all was silent.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading In the distance a door slammed and Locke was left to his terrible fate.
the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat
From this reading But the sharp barbs of the wire cut into his flesh, a torture to test the fortitude of a stoic.
the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)
From this reading Except for the gurgling of the flowing acid and the scampering of the rats all was silent.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Except for the gurgling of the flowing acid and the scampering of the rats all was silent.
strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity with courage
From this reading But the sharp barbs of the wire cut into his flesh, a torture to test the fortitude of a stoic.
-ing form of “gurgle” — flow in an irregular current with a bubbling noise
From this reading Except for the gurgling of the flowing acid and the scampering of the rats all was silent.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In the distance a door slammed and Locke was left to his terrible fate.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the distance a door slammed and Locke was left to his terrible fate.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading But the sharp barbs of the wire cut into his flesh, a torture to test the fortitude of a stoic.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The Automaton and its emissaries left the cellar.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading The Automaton and its emissaries left the cellar.
English empiricist philosopher who believed that all knowledge is derived from sensory experience (1632-1704)
From this reading In the distance a door slammed and Locke was left to his terrible fate.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Locke tried to move.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Except for the gurgling of the flowing acid and the scampering of the rats all was silent.
plural of “rat” — any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading Except for the gurgling of the flowing acid and the scampering of the rats all was silent.
-ing form of “scamper” — to move about or proceed hurriedly
From this reading Except for the gurgling of the flowing acid and the scampering of the rats all was silent.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading But the sharp barbs of the wire cut into his flesh, a torture to test the fortitude of a stoic.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading Except for the gurgling of the flowing acid and the scampering of the rats all was silent.
inflected form of “slam” — close violently
From this reading In the distance a door slammed and Locke was left to his terrible fate.
a member of the ancient Greek school of philosophy founded by Zeno
From this reading But the sharp barbs of the wire cut into his flesh, a torture to test the fortitude of a stoic.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading In the distance a door slammed and Locke was left to his terrible fate.
trying something to find out about it
From this reading But the sharp barbs of the wire cut into his flesh, a torture to test the fortitude of a stoic.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Automaton and its emissaries left the cellar.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In the distance a door slammed and Locke was left to his terrible fate.
torment emotionally or mentally
From this reading But the sharp barbs of the wire cut into his flesh, a torture to test the fortitude of a stoic.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading Locke tried to move.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In the distance a door slammed and Locke was left to his terrible fate.
ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading But the sharp barbs of the wire cut into his flesh, a torture to test the fortitude of a stoic.
Chapter 16 of The Master Mystery by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve holds 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 16 holds 145 sentences of The Master Mystery, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Master Mystery by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 16 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 Master Mystery by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3885 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16168 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16168, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 323 minutes of reading across 777 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Master Mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Master Mystery 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 Master Mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
