Chapter 4 of The Prisoners of Hartling is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Prisoners of Hartling is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Have you all got some terrible secret that you're hiding?" he asked. "I assure you one really gets that impression. I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening. Now, I wonder if he's the only one of you that's perfectly sane. Or is it just this beastly money of yours?
Chapter 4 of The Prisoners of Hartling is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
make certain of
From this reading “"I assure you one really gets that impression.”
(informal) very unpleasant
From this reading “Or is it just this beastly money of yours?”
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.”
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading “"I assure you one really gets that impression.”
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading “"Have you all got some terrible secret that you're hiding?" he asked.”
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading “"I assure you one really gets that impression.”
insane and believed to be affected by the phases of the moon
From this reading “I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.”
mentally healthy; free from mental disorder
From this reading “Now, I wonder if he's the only one of you that's perfectly sane.”
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 “Now, I wonder if he's the only one of you that's perfectly sane.”
In this reading “"Have you all got some terrible secret that you're hiding?" he asked.”
In this reading “"Have you all got some terrible secret that you're hiding?" he asked.”
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 I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "Have you all got some terrible secret that you're hiding?" he asked.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Have you all got some terrible secret that you're hiding?" he asked.
make certain of
From this reading "I assure you one really gets that impression.
(informal) very unpleasant
From this reading Or is it just this beastly money of yours?
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.
involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
From this reading I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading "I assure you one really gets that impression.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Have you all got some terrible secret that you're hiding?" he asked.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have you all got some terrible secret that you're hiding?" he asked.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Have you all got some terrible secret that you're hiding?" he asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now, I wonder if he's the only one of you that's perfectly sane.
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading "Have you all got some terrible secret that you're hiding?" he asked.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I assure you one really gets that impression.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Now, I wonder if he's the only one of you that's perfectly sane.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading "I assure you one really gets that impression.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Or is it just this beastly money of yours?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Or is it just this beastly money of yours?
and nothing more
From this reading Or is it just this beastly money of yours?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.
insane and believed to be affected by the phases of the moon
From this reading I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading Or is it just this beastly money of yours?
a form of address for a man
From this reading I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now, I wonder if he's the only one of you that's perfectly sane.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Now, I wonder if he's the only one of you that's perfectly sane.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "I assure you one really gets that impression.
and nothing more
From this reading Now, I wonder if he's the only one of you that's perfectly sane.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading Now, I wonder if he's the only one of you that's perfectly sane.
by chance
From this reading I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "I assure you one really gets that impression.
mentally healthy; free from mental disorder
From this reading Now, I wonder if he's the only one of you that's perfectly sane.
cut with a saw
From this reading I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading "Have you all got some terrible secret that you're hiding?" he asked.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Have you all got some terrible secret that you're hiding?" he asked.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading "Have you all got some terrible secret that you're hiding?" he asked.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Have you all got some terrible secret that you're hiding?" he asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now, I wonder if he's the only one of you that's perfectly sane.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Now, I wonder if he's the only one of you that's perfectly sane.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading I had begun to wonder whether perhaps Mr Kenyon was a dangerous lunatic or something, before I saw him this evening.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Have you all got some terrible secret that you're hiding?" he asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Have you all got some terrible secret that you're hiding?" he asked.
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading Or is it just this beastly money of yours?
Chapter 4 of The Prisoners of Hartling by J. D. (John Davys) Beresford holds 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 4 holds 427 sentences of The Prisoners of Hartling, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Prisoners of Hartling by J. D. (John Davys) Beresford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 4 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 Prisoners of Hartling by J. D. (John Davys) Beresford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4701 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61246 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61246, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 391 minutes of reading across 941 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Prisoners of Hartling section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Prisoners of Hartling 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 Prisoners of Hartling, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
