Chapter 21 of The mysterious tramp is here in full — 42 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The mysterious tramp is here in full — 42 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A CONSPIRACY OVERHEARD “Well,” said the stranger, “’ave yer fixed it up?” “Yes,” said Black Bill. “Crale, or Ogden as he calls himself now, will be at the cross-roads at 12.30. I had a talk with him this evening.” The Cubs looked at each other.
Chapter 21 of The mysterious tramp is here in full — 42 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/8 · 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.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading ““Yes,” said Black Bill.”
plural of “call” — a telephone connection
From this reading ““Crale, or Ogden as he calls himself now, will be at the cross-roads at 12.30.”
a secret agreement between two or more people to perform an unlawful act
From this reading “A CONSPIRACY OVERHEARD “Well,” said the stranger, “’ave yer fixed it up?””
plural of “cub” — an awkward and inexperienced youth
From this reading “The Cubs looked at each other.”
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading “A CONSPIRACY OVERHEARD “Well,” said the stranger, “’ave yer fixed it up?””
English psychologist who collaborated with I. A. Richards in designing Basic English (1889-1957)
From this reading ““Crale, or Ogden as he calls himself now, will be at the cross-roads at 12.30.”
inflected form of “overhear” — hear, usually without the knowledge of the speakers
From this reading “A CONSPIRACY OVERHEARD “Well,” said the stranger, “’ave yer fixed it up?””
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading “A CONSPIRACY OVERHEARD “Well,” said the stranger, “’ave yer fixed it up?””
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.
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “The Cubs looked at each other.”
In this reading “I had a talk with him this evening.””
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Crale, or Ogden as he calls himself now, will be at the cross-roads at 12.30.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A CONSPIRACY OVERHEARD “Well,” said the stranger, “’ave yer fixed it up?”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Crale, or Ogden as he calls himself now, will be at the cross-roads at 12.30.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Crale, or Ogden as he calls himself now, will be at the cross-roads at 12.30.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A CONSPIRACY OVERHEARD “Well,” said the stranger, “’ave yer fixed it up?”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Crale, or Ogden as he calls himself now, will be at the cross-roads at 12.30.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “Yes,” said Black Bill.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading “Yes,” said Black Bill.
plural of “call” — a telephone connection
From this reading “Crale, or Ogden as he calls himself now, will be at the cross-roads at 12.30.
a secret agreement between two or more people to perform an unlawful act
From this reading A CONSPIRACY OVERHEARD “Well,” said the stranger, “’ave yer fixed it up?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Crale, or Ogden as he calls himself now, will be at the cross-roads at 12.30.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Crale, or Ogden as he calls himself now, will be at the cross-roads at 12.30.
plural of “cub” — an awkward and inexperienced youth
From this reading The Cubs looked at each other.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading The Cubs looked at each other.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading I had a talk with him this evening.”
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading A CONSPIRACY OVERHEARD “Well,” said the stranger, “’ave yer fixed it up?”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had a talk with him this evening.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Crale, or Ogden as he calls himself now, will be at the cross-roads at 12.30.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I had a talk with him this evening.”
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading “Crale, or Ogden as he calls himself now, will be at the cross-roads at 12.30.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I had a talk with him this evening.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A CONSPIRACY OVERHEARD “Well,” said the stranger, “’ave yer fixed it up?”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The Cubs looked at each other.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Crale, or Ogden as he calls himself now, will be at the cross-roads at 12.30.
English psychologist who collaborated with I. A. Richards in designing Basic English (1889-1957)
From this reading “Crale, or Ogden as he calls himself now, will be at the cross-roads at 12.30.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “Crale, or Ogden as he calls himself now, will be at the cross-roads at 12.30.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The Cubs looked at each other.
inflected form of “overhear” — hear, usually without the knowledge of the speakers
From this reading A CONSPIRACY OVERHEARD “Well,” said the stranger, “’ave yer fixed it up?”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading A CONSPIRACY OVERHEARD “Well,” said the stranger, “’ave yer fixed it up?”
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading A CONSPIRACY OVERHEARD “Well,” said the stranger, “’ave yer fixed it up?”
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading I had a talk with him this evening.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A CONSPIRACY OVERHEARD “Well,” said the stranger, “’ave yer fixed it up?”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I had a talk with him this evening.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading A CONSPIRACY OVERHEARD “Well,” said the stranger, “’ave yer fixed it up?”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading A CONSPIRACY OVERHEARD “Well,” said the stranger, “’ave yer fixed it up?”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Crale, or Ogden as he calls himself now, will be at the cross-roads at 12.30.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I had a talk with him this evening.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A CONSPIRACY OVERHEARD “Well,” said the stranger, “’ave yer fixed it up?”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes,” said Black Bill.
Chapter 21 of The mysterious tramp by Vera C. (Vera Charlesworth) Barclay holds 42 sentences, grouped into 9 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 21 holds 42 sentences of The mysterious tramp, unabridged, divided into 9 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The mysterious tramp by Vera C. (Vera Charlesworth) Barclay exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 42 sentences, grouped into 9 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 9 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 9 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 21 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 tramp by Vera C. (Vera Charlesworth) Barclay on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1918 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73787 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #73787, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 159 minutes of reading across 384 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The mysterious tramp section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The mysterious tramp 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 tramp, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
