Chapter 16 of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MISSING. The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him. The detective's face, however, looked rather dismal, and Calton was not reassured. "Well!" he said, impatiently, when Kilsip had closed the door and taken his seat. "Where is she?"
Chapter 16 of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
possessive form of “detective” — a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “The detective's face, however, looked rather dismal, and Calton was not reassured.”
causing dejection
From this reading “The detective's face, however, looked rather dismal, and Calton was not reassured.”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading “The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.”
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.”
with impatience; in an impatient manner
From this reading “"Well!" he said, impatiently, when Kilsip had closed the door and taken his seat.”
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading “The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.”
not able to be found
From this reading “MISSING.”
having confidence restored; freed from anxiety
From this reading “The detective's face, however, looked rather dismal, and Calton was not reassured.”
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 part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The detective's face, however, looked rather dismal, and Calton was not reassured.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading "Well!" he said, impatiently, when Kilsip had closed the door and taken his seat.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.
possessive form of “detective” — a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading The detective's face, however, looked rather dismal, and Calton was not reassured.
causing dejection
From this reading The detective's face, however, looked rather dismal, and Calton was not reassured.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading "Well!" he said, impatiently, when Kilsip had closed the door and taken his seat.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The detective's face, however, looked rather dismal, and Calton was not reassured.
set up or found
From this reading The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Well!" he said, impatiently, when Kilsip had closed the door and taken his seat.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Well!" he said, impatiently, when Kilsip had closed the door and taken his seat.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Well!" he said, impatiently, when Kilsip had closed the door and taken his seat.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading The detective's face, however, looked rather dismal, and Calton was not reassured.
with impatience; in an impatient manner
From this reading "Well!" he said, impatiently, when Kilsip had closed the door and taken his seat.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Where is she?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The detective's face, however, looked rather dismal, and Calton was not reassured.
not able to be found
From this reading MISSING.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The detective's face, however, looked rather dismal, and Calton was not reassured.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.
on the contrary
From this reading The detective's face, however, looked rather dismal, and Calton was not reassured.
having confidence restored; freed from anxiety
From this reading The detective's face, however, looked rather dismal, and Calton was not reassured.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Well!" he said, impatiently, when Kilsip had closed the door and taken his seat.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading "Well!" he said, impatiently, when Kilsip had closed the door and taken his seat.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Where is she?"
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading "Well!" he said, impatiently, when Kilsip had closed the door and taken his seat.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next day Kilsip called at Calton's office late in the afternoon, and found the lawyer eagerly expecting him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The detective's face, however, looked rather dismal, and Calton was not reassured.
(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 "Well!" he said, impatiently, when Kilsip had closed the door and taken his seat.
at the time that
From this reading "Well!" he said, impatiently, when Kilsip had closed the door and taken his seat.
in or at the place that
From this reading "Where is she?"
Chapter 16 of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume holds 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 16 holds 112 sentences of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 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 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 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.
