Chapter 2 of The Mysterious Three is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Mysterious Three is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Do you mind explaining?" "I do." His eyes were set on mine. They seemed somehow to hold my gaze in fascination. There was in them an expression that was half ironical, half humorous.
Chapter 2 of The Mysterious Three is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
-ing form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “"Do you mind explaining?"”
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading “There was in them an expression that was half ironical, half humorous.”
the state of being intensely interested (as by awe or terror)
From this reading “They seemed somehow to hold my gaze in fascination.”
a long fixed look
From this reading “They seemed somehow to hold my gaze in fascination.”
full of or characterized by humor
From this reading “There was in them an expression that was half ironical, half humorous.”
characterized by often poignant difference or incongruity between what is expected and what actually is
From this reading “There was in them an expression that was half ironical, half humorous.”
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “His eyes were set on mine.”
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading “They seemed somehow to hold my gaze in fascination.”
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 “They seemed somehow to hold my gaze in fascination.”
attack someone physically or emotionally
In this reading “His eyes were set on mine.”
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 “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There was in them an expression that was half ironical, half humorous.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do you mind explaining?"
-ing form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading "Do you mind explaining?"
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading There was in them an expression that was half ironical, half humorous.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His eyes were set on mine.
the state of being intensely interested (as by awe or terror)
From this reading They seemed somehow to hold my gaze in fascination.
a long fixed look
From this reading They seemed somehow to hold my gaze in fascination.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading There was in them an expression that was half ironical, half humorous.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His eyes were set on mine.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading They seemed somehow to hold my gaze in fascination.
full of or characterized by humor
From this reading There was in them an expression that was half ironical, half humorous.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I do."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They seemed somehow to hold my gaze in fascination.
characterized by often poignant difference or incongruity between what is expected and what actually is
From this reading There was in them an expression that was half ironical, half humorous.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading "Do you mind explaining?"
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading His eyes were set on mine.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading They seemed somehow to hold my gaze in fascination.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading His eyes were set on mine.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading They seemed somehow to hold my gaze in fascination.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading His eyes were set on mine.
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading They seemed somehow to hold my gaze in fascination.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There was in them an expression that was half ironical, half humorous.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading There was in them an expression that was half ironical, half humorous.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was in them an expression that was half ironical, half humorous.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They seemed somehow to hold my gaze in fascination.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They seemed somehow to hold my gaze in fascination.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was in them an expression that was half ironical, half humorous.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His eyes were set on mine.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do you mind explaining?"
Chapter 2 of The Mysterious Three by William Le Queux holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 2 holds 407 sentences of The Mysterious Three, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Mysterious Three by William Le Queux exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 2 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 Mysterious Three by William Le Queux on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4965 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40836 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40836, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 413 minutes of reading across 993 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mysterious Three section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Mysterious Three 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 Mysterious Three, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
