Chapter 1 of The Mystery of the Boule Cabinet is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Mystery of the Boule Cabinet is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It needed but a glance to tell me that the man was dead. There could be no life in that livid face, in those glassy eyes. "Don't touch him," I said, for Vantine had started forward. "It's too late." I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.
Chapter 1 of The Mystery of the Boule Cabinet is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
close interaction
From this reading “I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.”
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading “It needed but a glance to tell me that the man was dead.”
resembling glass in smoothness and shininess and slickness
From this reading “There could be no life in that livid face, in those glassy eyes.”
anemic looking from illness or emotion
From this reading “There could be no life in that livid face, in those glassy eyes.”
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading “It needed but a glance to tell me that the man was dead.”
disturbed psychologically as if by a physical jolt or shock
From this reading “I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.”
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading “"Don't touch him," I said, for Vantine had started forward.”
not expected or anticipated
From this reading “I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.”
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 It needed but a glance to tell me that the man was dead.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There could be no life in that livid face, in those glassy eyes.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It needed but a glance to tell me that the man was dead.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.
close interaction
From this reading I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading There could be no life in that livid face, in those glassy eyes.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading It needed but a glance to tell me that the man was dead.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't touch him," I said, for Vantine had started forward.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.
opinion or judgment
From this reading There could be no life in that livid face, in those glassy eyes.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading There could be no life in that livid face, in those glassy eyes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Don't touch him," I said, for Vantine had started forward.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading "Don't touch him," I said, for Vantine had started forward.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading It needed but a glance to tell me that the man was dead.
resembling glass in smoothness and shininess and slickness
From this reading There could be no life in that livid face, in those glassy eyes.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Don't touch him," I said, for Vantine had started forward.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Don't touch him," I said, for Vantine had started forward.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Don't touch him," I said, for Vantine had started forward.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There could be no life in that livid face, in those glassy eyes.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It needed but a glance to tell me that the man was dead.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's too late."
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading "It's too late."
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading There could be no life in that livid face, in those glassy eyes.
anemic looking from illness or emotion
From this reading There could be no life in that livid face, in those glassy eyes.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading It needed but a glance to tell me that the man was dead.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It needed but a glance to tell me that the man was dead.
a particular point in time
From this reading I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading It needed but a glance to tell me that the man was dead.
not any; not one
From this reading There could be no life in that livid face, in those glassy eyes.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Don't touch him," I said, for Vantine had started forward.
disturbed psychologically as if by a physical jolt or shock
From this reading I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Don't touch him," I said, for Vantine had started forward.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.
express in words
From this reading It needed but a glance to tell me that the man was dead.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It needed but a glance to tell me that the man was dead.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It needed but a glance to tell me that the man was dead.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There could be no life in that livid face, in those glassy eyes.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading There could be no life in that livid face, in those glassy eyes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It needed but a glance to tell me that the man was dead.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "It's too late."
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading "Don't touch him," I said, for Vantine had started forward.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't touch him," I said, for Vantine had started forward.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It needed but a glance to tell me that the man was dead.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I drew him back, and we stood for a moment shaken as one always is by sudden and unexpected contact with death.
Chapter 1 of The Mystery of the Boule Cabinet by Burton Egbert Stevenson holds 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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 1 holds 136 sentences of The Mystery of the Boule Cabinet, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Mystery of the Boule Cabinet by Burton Egbert Stevenson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 1 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.
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Yes. All 4666 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10067 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10067, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 388 minutes of reading across 934 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mystery of the Boule Cabinet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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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 the Boule Cabinet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
