Chapter 3 of The Necromancers is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Necromancers is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Laurie too leaned forward now in his low chair, his hands clasped between his knees. "You will--you will let me test it?" he said in a low voice. She sat back easily, pushing her draperies straight. She was in some fine silk that fell straight from her high slender waist to her copper-colored shoes. "Listen, Mr. Baxter.
Chapter 3 of The Necromancers is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading “Laurie too leaned forward now in his low chair, his hands clasped between his knees.”
plural of “drapery” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading “She sat back easily, pushing her draperies straight.”
the act of applying force in order to move something away
From this reading “She sat back easily, pushing her draperies straight.”
a particular situation
From this reading “She was in some fine silk that fell straight from her high slender waist to her copper-colored shoes.”
a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae
From this reading “She was in some fine silk that fell straight from her high slender waist to her copper-colored shoes.”
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading “She was in some fine silk that fell straight from her high slender waist to her copper-colored shoes.”
trying something to find out about it
From this reading “"You will--you will let me test it?" he said in a low voice.”
the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips
From this reading “She was in some fine silk that fell straight from her high slender waist to her copper-colored shoes.”
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 "You will--you will let me test it?" he said in a low voice.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading She sat back easily, pushing her draperies straight.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Listen, Mr. Baxter.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Laurie too leaned forward now in his low chair, his hands clasped between his knees.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Laurie too leaned forward now in his low chair, his hands clasped between his knees.
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading Laurie too leaned forward now in his low chair, his hands clasped between his knees.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was in some fine silk that fell straight from her high slender waist to her copper-colored shoes.
plural of “drapery” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading She sat back easily, pushing her draperies straight.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading She sat back easily, pushing her draperies straight.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading She was in some fine silk that fell straight from her high slender waist to her copper-colored shoes.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading She was in some fine silk that fell straight from her high slender waist to her copper-colored shoes.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Laurie too leaned forward now in his low chair, his hands clasped between his knees.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She was in some fine silk that fell straight from her high slender waist to her copper-colored shoes.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Laurie too leaned forward now in his low chair, his hands clasped between his knees.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You will--you will let me test it?" he said in a low voice.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She sat back easily, pushing her draperies straight.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading She was in some fine silk that fell straight from her high slender waist to her copper-colored shoes.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Laurie too leaned forward now in his low chair, his hands clasped between his knees.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Laurie too leaned forward now in his low chair, his hands clasped between his knees.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "You will--you will let me test it?" he said in a low voice.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading Laurie too leaned forward now in his low chair, his hands clasped between his knees.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Laurie too leaned forward now in his low chair, his hands clasped between his knees.
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading Laurie too leaned forward now in his low chair, his hands clasped between his knees.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "You will--you will let me test it?" he said in a low voice.
hear with intention
From this reading "Listen, Mr. Baxter.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Laurie too leaned forward now in his low chair, his hands clasped between his knees.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You will--you will let me test it?" he said in a low voice.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Listen, Mr. Baxter.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Laurie too leaned forward now in his low chair, his hands clasped between his knees.
the act of applying force in order to move something away
From this reading She sat back easily, pushing her draperies straight.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You will--you will let me test it?" he said in a low voice.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading She sat back easily, pushing her draperies straight.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She sat back easily, pushing her draperies straight.
a particular situation
From this reading She was in some fine silk that fell straight from her high slender waist to her copper-colored shoes.
a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae
From this reading She was in some fine silk that fell straight from her high slender waist to her copper-colored shoes.
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading She was in some fine silk that fell straight from her high slender waist to her copper-colored shoes.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading She was in some fine silk that fell straight from her high slender waist to her copper-colored shoes.
successive (without a break)
From this reading She sat back easily, pushing her draperies straight.
trying something to find out about it
From this reading "You will--you will let me test it?" he said in a low voice.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She was in some fine silk that fell straight from her high slender waist to her copper-colored shoes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She was in some fine silk that fell straight from her high slender waist to her copper-colored shoes.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Laurie too leaned forward now in his low chair, his hands clasped between his knees.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "You will--you will let me test it?" he said in a low voice.
the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips
From this reading She was in some fine silk that fell straight from her high slender waist to her copper-colored shoes.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was in some fine silk that fell straight from her high slender waist to her copper-colored shoes.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "You will--you will let me test it?" he said in a low voice.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You will--you will let me test it?" he said in a low voice.
Chapter 3 of The Necromancers by Robert Hugh Benson holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of The Necromancers, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Necromancers by Robert Hugh Benson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Necromancers by Robert Hugh Benson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5213 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14275 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14275, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 434 minutes of reading across 1043 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Necromancers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Necromancers 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 Necromancers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
