Chapter 15 of The Midnight Guest: A Detective Story is here in full — 278 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Midnight Guest: A Detective Story is here in full — 278 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LOOKING BACKWARDS. "That is very strange," Lance murmured. "I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years. I believe the papers were full of it at the time. And yet you don't seem to have heard of it.
Chapter 15 of The Midnight Guest: A Detective Story is here in full — 278 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/55 · 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.
at or to or toward the back or rear
From this reading “LOOKING BACKWARDS.”
the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use “Europe” to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles
From this reading “"I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.”
a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
From this reading “"That is very strange," Lance murmured.”
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading “"That is very strange," Lance murmured.”
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading “I believe the papers were full of it at the time.”
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “"I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.”
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “And yet you don't seem to have heard of it.”
the act of testing something
From this reading “"I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.”
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 “"I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.”
simultaneously
In this reading “I believe the papers were full of it at the time.”
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And yet you don't seem to have heard of it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I believe the papers were full of it at the time.
at or to or toward the back or rear
From this reading LOOKING BACKWARDS.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading I believe the papers were full of it at the time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And yet you don't seem to have heard of it.
the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use “Europe” to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles
From this reading "I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading I believe the papers were full of it at the time.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading And yet you don't seem to have heard of it.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading And yet you don't seem to have heard of it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "That is very strange," Lance murmured.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I believe the papers were full of it at the time.
a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
From this reading "That is very strange," Lance murmured.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading LOOKING BACKWARDS.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading "That is very strange," Lance murmured.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading I believe the papers were full of it at the time.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading "I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading And yet you don't seem to have heard of it.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading "That is very strange," Lance murmured.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That is very strange," Lance murmured.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading "I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I believe the papers were full of it at the time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And yet you don't seem to have heard of it.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.
the act of testing something
From this reading "I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.
precisely as stated
From this reading "That is very strange," Lance murmured.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I believe the papers were full of it at the time.
a late time of life
From this reading "I am told that the trial in question was the talk of Europe for two or three years.
but in spite of that
From this reading And yet you don't seem to have heard of it.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And yet you don't seem to have heard of it.
Chapter 15 of The Midnight Guest: A Detective Story by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White holds 278 sentences, grouped into 56 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 15 holds 278 sentences of The Midnight Guest: A Detective Story, unabridged, divided into 56 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Midnight Guest: A Detective Story by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 278 sentences, grouped into 56 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 56 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 56 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 15 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 Midnight Guest: A Detective Story by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6016 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56960 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56960, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 501 minutes of reading across 1204 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Midnight Guest: A Detective Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Midnight Guest: A Detective Story 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 Midnight Guest: A Detective Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
