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The Purcell Papers — Volume 1
The Purcell Papers — Volume 1

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of The Purcell Papers — Volume 1 is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Purcell Papers — Volume 1
Context Illustration Reading 1/26 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.
I could also distinguish the low sobbing of a female.
On arriving upon the uppermost lobby these sounds became fully audible.
'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.
But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Purcell Papers — Volume 1

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of The Purcell Papers — Volume 1 is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.
Line 2
I could also distinguish the low sobbing of a female.
Line 3
On arriving upon the uppermost lobby these sounds became fully audible.
Line 4
'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.
Line 5
But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Open verb US /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading “'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.”

Same adjective US /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

From this reading “'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.”

All words in this reading · 84

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.

a

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could also distinguish the low sobbing of a female.

admitted

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

after

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.

all

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

also

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could also distinguish the low sobbing of a female.

and

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.

arriving

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On arriving upon the uppermost lobby these sounds became fully audible.

As

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.

at

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

audible

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On arriving upon the uppermost lobby these sounds became fully audible.

became

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On arriving upon the uppermost lobby these sounds became fully audible.

burning

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

But

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

candle

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

chamber

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

child

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

conductress

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

could

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could also distinguish the low sobbing of a female.

darkness

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

death

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

dim

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

distinctly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.

distinguish

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could also distinguish the low sobbing of a female.

door

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

except

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

female

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could also distinguish the low sobbing of a female.

fingers

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

flight

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.

fully

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On arriving upon the uppermost lobby these sounds became fully audible.

garret-floor

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.

haggard-looking

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

half-rotten

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

heard

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.

held

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

honour

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

hurried

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.

I

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.

immediate

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

in

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

influence

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

into

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

its

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

little

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

lobby

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On arriving upon the uppermost lobby these sounds became fully audible.

low

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could also distinguish the low sobbing of a female.

many

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.

me

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

misery

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

more

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.

mounted

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.

my

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

of

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.

On

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On arriving upon the uppermost lobby these sounds became fully audible.

one

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

or

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

patched

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

plank

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

pushing

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

room

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

said

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

sameadjectiveUS /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

scared

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

she

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

so

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

sobbing

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could also distinguish the low sobbing of a female.

sounds

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On arriving upon the uppermost lobby these sounds became fully audible.

squalid

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

talking

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.

that

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

the

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.

these

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On arriving upon the uppermost lobby these sounds became fully audible.

This

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

time

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

towards

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.

twilight

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

upon

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On arriving upon the uppermost lobby these sounds became fully audible.

uppermost

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On arriving upon the uppermost lobby these sounds became fully audible.

voices

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.

was

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

way

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

we

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices.

within

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But one candle, held in the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within its immediate influence.

your

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'This way, your honour,' said my little conductress; at the same time, pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me into the squalid chamber of death and misery.

Chapter 9 of The Purcell Papers — Volume 1 by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu holds 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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.

What does chapter 9 of The Purcell Papers — Volume 1 contain?

Chapter 9 holds 131 sentences of The Purcell Papers — Volume 1, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of The Purcell Papers — Volume 1 by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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.

How do I study chapter 9 of The Purcell Papers — Volume 1?

Work through the 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 27 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.

Can chapter 9 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 9 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.

Questions about reading The Purcell Papers — Volume 1

Common questions about reading The Purcell Papers — Volume 1 by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Purcell Papers — Volume 1?

Yes. All 1186 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #509 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Purcell Papers — Volume 1 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #509, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Purcell Papers — Volume 1 take to read?

About 98 minutes of reading across 238 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Purcell Papers — Volume 1 section by section

How to work through The Purcell Papers — Volume 1 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Purcell Papers — Volume 1 to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Purcell Papers — Volume 1

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Purcell Papers — Volume 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Purcell
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Purcell Papers — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Papers
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Purcell Papers — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Purcell Papers — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Uncle
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Purcell Papers — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.