Chapter 13 of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MADGE MAKES A DISCOVERY. Madge stepped into the cab, and Calton paused a moment to tell the cabman to drive to the railway station. Suddenly she stopped him. "Tell him to drive to Brian's lodgings in Powlett Street," she said, laying her hand on Calton's arm. "What for?" asked the lawyer, in astonishment.
Chapter 13 of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading “"What for?" asked the lawyer, in astonishment.”
a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
From this reading “Madge stepped into the cab, and Calton paused a moment to tell the cabman to drive to the railway station.”
the act of discovering something
From this reading “MADGE MAKES A DISCOVERY.”
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading “"What for?" asked the lawyer, in astonishment.”
the production of eggs (especially in birds)
From this reading “"Tell him to drive to Brian's lodgings in Powlett Street," she said, laying her hand on Calton's arm.”
temporary living quarters
From this reading “"Tell him to drive to Brian's lodgings in Powlett Street," she said, laying her hand on Calton's arm.”
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading “Madge stepped into the cab, and Calton paused a moment to tell the cabman to drive to the railway station.”
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading “Madge stepped into the cab, and Calton paused a moment to tell the cabman to drive to the railway station.”
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 MADGE MAKES A DISCOVERY.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Madge stepped into the cab, and Calton paused a moment to tell the cabman to drive to the railway station.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading "Tell him to drive to Brian's lodgings in Powlett Street," she said, laying her hand on Calton's arm.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What for?" asked the lawyer, in astonishment.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading "What for?" asked the lawyer, in astonishment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Tell him to drive to Brian's lodgings in Powlett Street," she said, laying her hand on Calton's arm.
a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
From this reading Madge stepped into the cab, and Calton paused a moment to tell the cabman to drive to the railway station.
someone who drives a taxi for a living
From this reading Madge stepped into the cab, and Calton paused a moment to tell the cabman to drive to the railway station.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Madge stepped into the cab, and Calton paused a moment to tell the cabman to drive to the railway station.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Tell him to drive to Brian's lodgings in Powlett Street," she said, laying her hand on Calton's arm.
the act of discovering something
From this reading MADGE MAKES A DISCOVERY.
operate or control a vehicle
From this reading Madge stepped into the cab, and Calton paused a moment to tell the cabman to drive to the railway station.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "What for?" asked the lawyer, in astonishment.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading "Tell him to drive to Brian's lodgings in Powlett Street," she said, laying her hand on Calton's arm.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Tell him to drive to Brian's lodgings in Powlett Street," she said, laying her hand on Calton's arm.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Suddenly she stopped him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Tell him to drive to Brian's lodgings in Powlett Street," she said, laying her hand on Calton's arm.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Madge stepped into the cab, and Calton paused a moment to tell the cabman to drive to the railway station.
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading "What for?" asked the lawyer, in astonishment.
the production of eggs (especially in birds)
From this reading "Tell him to drive to Brian's lodgings in Powlett Street," she said, laying her hand on Calton's arm.
temporary living quarters
From this reading "Tell him to drive to Brian's lodgings in Powlett Street," she said, laying her hand on Calton's arm.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MADGE MAKES A DISCOVERY.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading MADGE MAKES A DISCOVERY.
a particular point in time
From this reading Madge stepped into the cab, and Calton paused a moment to tell the cabman to drive to the railway station.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Tell him to drive to Brian's lodgings in Powlett Street," she said, laying her hand on Calton's arm.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading Madge stepped into the cab, and Calton paused a moment to tell the cabman to drive to the railway station.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Tell him to drive to Brian's lodgings in Powlett Street," she said, laying her hand on Calton's arm.
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading Madge stepped into the cab, and Calton paused a moment to tell the cabman to drive to the railway station.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Tell him to drive to Brian's lodgings in Powlett Street," she said, laying her hand on Calton's arm.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Suddenly she stopped him.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading Madge stepped into the cab, and Calton paused a moment to tell the cabman to drive to the railway station.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading Madge stepped into the cab, and Calton paused a moment to tell the cabman to drive to the railway station.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading Suddenly she stopped him.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading "Tell him to drive to Brian's lodgings in Powlett Street," she said, laying her hand on Calton's arm.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly she stopped him.
express in words
From this reading Madge stepped into the cab, and Calton paused a moment to tell the cabman to drive to the railway station.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Madge stepped into the cab, and Calton paused a moment to tell the cabman to drive to the railway station.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Madge stepped into the cab, and Calton paused a moment to tell the cabman to drive to the railway station.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What for?" asked the lawyer, in astonishment.
Chapter 13 of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume holds 218 sentences, grouped into 44 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 13 holds 218 sentences of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 13 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 Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4582 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4223 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4223, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 381 minutes of reading across 917 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mystery of a Hansom Cab section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab 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 Mystery of a Hansom Cab, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
