Chapter III of The Mystery of the Fires, “_The Ditmars_,” is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter III of The Mystery of the Fires, “_The Ditmars_,” is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Freckles!" exclaimed Mary Louise as she entered the kitchenette of the bungalow the following morning. "Where are you going?" The boy grinned mysteriously. "Can't tell you that, Sis," he replied. "It's a secret."
Chapter III of The Mystery of the Fires, “_The Ditmars_,” is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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 small house with a single story
From this reading “"Freckles!" exclaimed Mary Louise as she entered the kitchenette of the bungalow the following morning.”
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading “"Freckles!" exclaimed Mary Louise as she entered the kitchenette of the bungalow the following morning.”
plural of “freckle” — a small brownish spot (of the pigment melanin) on the skin
From this reading “"Freckles!" exclaimed Mary Louise as she entered the kitchenette of the bungalow the following morning.”
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading “The boy grinned mysteriously.”
small kitchen
From this reading “"Freckles!" exclaimed Mary Louise as she entered the kitchenette of the bungalow the following morning.”
in a cryptic manner
From this reading “The boy grinned mysteriously.”
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading “"It's a secret."”
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading “"Can't tell you that, Sis," he replied.”
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 “"Freckles!" exclaimed Mary Louise as she entered the kitchenette of the bungalow the following morning.”
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's a secret."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Where are you going?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Freckles!" exclaimed Mary Louise as she entered the kitchenette of the bungalow the following morning.
a youthful male person
From this reading The boy grinned mysteriously.
a small house with a single story
From this reading "Freckles!" exclaimed Mary Louise as she entered the kitchenette of the bungalow the following morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Can't tell you that, Sis," he replied.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading "Freckles!" exclaimed Mary Louise as she entered the kitchenette of the bungalow the following morning.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Freckles!" exclaimed Mary Louise as she entered the kitchenette of the bungalow the following morning.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading "Freckles!" exclaimed Mary Louise as she entered the kitchenette of the bungalow the following morning.
plural of “freckle” — a small brownish spot (of the pigment melanin) on the skin
From this reading "Freckles!" exclaimed Mary Louise as she entered the kitchenette of the bungalow the following morning.
the act of departing
From this reading "Where are you going?"
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading The boy grinned mysteriously.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Can't tell you that, Sis," he replied.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's a secret."
small kitchen
From this reading "Freckles!" exclaimed Mary Louise as she entered the kitchenette of the bungalow the following morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Freckles!" exclaimed Mary Louise as she entered the kitchenette of the bungalow the following morning.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading "Freckles!" exclaimed Mary Louise as she entered the kitchenette of the bungalow the following morning.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "Freckles!" exclaimed Mary Louise as she entered the kitchenette of the bungalow the following morning.
in a cryptic manner
From this reading The boy grinned mysteriously.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Freckles!" exclaimed Mary Louise as she entered the kitchenette of the bungalow the following morning.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Can't tell you that, Sis," he replied.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading "It's a secret."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Freckles!" exclaimed Mary Louise as she entered the kitchenette of the bungalow the following morning.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading "Can't tell you that, Sis," he replied.
express in words
From this reading "Can't tell you that, Sis," he replied.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Can't tell you that, Sis," he replied.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Freckles!" exclaimed Mary Louise as she entered the kitchenette of the bungalow the following morning.
in or at the place that
From this reading "Where are you going?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Where are you going?"
Chapter 3 of The Mystery of the Fires by Edith Lavell holds 231 sentences, grouped into 47 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 3 holds 231 sentences of The Mystery of the Fires, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Mystery of the Fires by Edith Lavell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 231 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 3 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 the Fires by Edith Lavell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3903 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43583 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43583, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 325 minutes of reading across 781 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mystery of the Fires section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Mystery of the Fires 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 the Fires, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
