Chapter 3 of The Red-Headed Man is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Red-Headed Man is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. TORRY'S THEORY "The Blue Mummy," repeated Darrel wonderingly; "what do you mean?" "Why!" said the detective, "I should rather say, the clue of the _two_ Blue Mummies. Here they are." Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.
Chapter 3 of The Red-Headed Man is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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 very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading “Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.”
a slight indication
From this reading “"Why!" said the detective, "I should rather say, the clue of the _two_ Blue Mummies.”
having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.”
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “"Why!" said the detective, "I should rather say, the clue of the _two_ Blue Mummies.”
plural of “image” — an iconic mental representation
From this reading “Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.”
plural of “mummy” — informal terms for a mother
From this reading “"Why!" said the detective, "I should rather say, the clue of the _two_ Blue Mummies.”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “TORRY'S THEORY "The Blue Mummy," repeated Darrel wonderingly; "what do you mean?"”
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
From this reading “TORRY'S THEORY "The Blue Mummy," repeated Darrel wonderingly; "what do you mean?"”
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 “Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.”
In this reading “Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.”
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 Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Here they are."
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading TORRY'S THEORY "The Blue Mummy," repeated Darrel wonderingly; "what do you mean?"
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.
a slight indication
From this reading "Why!" said the detective, "I should rather say, the clue of the _two_ Blue Mummies.
having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination
From this reading Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TORRY'S THEORY "The Blue Mummy," repeated Darrel wonderingly; "what do you mean?"
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading "Why!" said the detective, "I should rather say, the clue of the _two_ Blue Mummies.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading TORRY'S THEORY "The Blue Mummy," repeated Darrel wonderingly; "what do you mean?"
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here they are."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Why!" said the detective, "I should rather say, the clue of the _two_ Blue Mummies.
plural of “image” — an iconic mental representation
From this reading Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.
plural of “inch” — a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading TORRY'S THEORY "The Blue Mummy," repeated Darrel wonderingly; "what do you mean?"
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
plural of “mummy” — informal terms for a mother
From this reading "Why!" said the detective, "I should rather say, the clue of the _two_ Blue Mummies.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading TORRY'S THEORY "The Blue Mummy," repeated Darrel wonderingly; "what do you mean?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Why!" said the detective, "I should rather say, the clue of the _two_ Blue Mummies.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.
past form of “produce” — bring forth or yield
From this reading Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.
on the contrary
From this reading "Why!" said the detective, "I should rather say, the clue of the _two_ Blue Mummies.
recurring again and again
From this reading TORRY'S THEORY "The Blue Mummy," repeated Darrel wonderingly; "what do you mean?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Why!" said the detective, "I should rather say, the clue of the _two_ Blue Mummies.
express in words
From this reading "Why!" said the detective, "I should rather say, the clue of the _two_ Blue Mummies.
any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
From this reading Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "Why!" said the detective, "I should rather say, the clue of the _two_ Blue Mummies.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TORRY'S THEORY "The Blue Mummy," repeated Darrel wonderingly; "what do you mean?"
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
From this reading TORRY'S THEORY "The Blue Mummy," repeated Darrel wonderingly; "what do you mean?"
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Here they are."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Out of his pocket, Torry produced two little clay images in the shape of mummies, each six inches in length, and coloured a deep blue.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TORRY'S THEORY "The Blue Mummy," repeated Darrel wonderingly; "what do you mean?"
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "Why!" said the detective, "I should rather say, the clue of the _two_ Blue Mummies.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading TORRY'S THEORY "The Blue Mummy," repeated Darrel wonderingly; "what do you mean?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why!" said the detective, "I should rather say, the clue of the _two_ Blue Mummies.
in a curious and questioning manner
From this reading TORRY'S THEORY "The Blue Mummy," repeated Darrel wonderingly; "what do you mean?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading TORRY'S THEORY "The Blue Mummy," repeated Darrel wonderingly; "what do you mean?"
Chapter 3 of The Red-Headed Man by Fergus Hume holds 134 sentences, grouped into 27 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 134 sentences of The Red-Headed Man, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Red-Headed Man by Fergus Hume exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 134 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.
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.
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 Red-Headed Man by Fergus Hume on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3666 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55348 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55348, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 305 minutes of reading across 734 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Red-Headed Man section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Red-Headed Man 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 Red-Headed Man, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
