Chapter 20 of The Red Tavern is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Red Tavern is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OF THE RESCUE OF THE MAIDEN There was a familiar rattling of chains and sliding bolts. The door swung cautiously inward, the evil face of Zenas appearing within the narrow opening. "Ah! The puppet again!" he exclaimed, his baleful eyes glowering down upon the traveler. "And where hast thou left Sir James, my good brother?"
Chapter 20 of The Red Tavern is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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.
formal attendance (in court or at a hearing) of a party in an action
From this reading “The door swung cautiously inward, the evil face of Zenas appearing within the narrow opening.”
deadly or sinister
From this reading “The puppet again!" he exclaimed, his baleful eyes glowering down upon the traveler.”
plural of “bolt” — a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading “OF THE RESCUE OF THE MAIDEN There was a familiar rattling of chains and sliding bolts.”
showing a brooding ill humor
From this reading “The puppet again!" he exclaimed, his baleful eyes glowering down upon the traveler.”
a small figure of a person operated from above with strings by a puppeteer
From this reading “The puppet again!" he exclaimed, his baleful eyes glowering down upon the traveler.”
a rapid series of short loud sounds (as might be heard with a stethoscope in some types of respiratory disorders)
From this reading “OF THE RESCUE OF THE MAIDEN There was a familiar rattling of chains and sliding bolts.”
being a smooth continuous motion
From this reading “OF THE RESCUE OF THE MAIDEN There was a familiar rattling of chains and sliding bolts.”
a person who changes location
From this reading “The puppet again!" he exclaimed, his baleful eyes glowering down upon the traveler.”
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 “The door swung cautiously inward, the evil face of Zenas appearing within the narrow opening.”
In this reading “OF THE RESCUE OF THE MAIDEN There was a familiar rattling of chains and sliding bolts.”
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 OF THE RESCUE OF THE MAIDEN There was a familiar rattling of chains and sliding bolts.
anew
From this reading The puppet again!" he exclaimed, his baleful eyes glowering down upon the traveler.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading OF THE RESCUE OF THE MAIDEN There was a familiar rattling of chains and sliding bolts.
formal attendance (in court or at a hearing) of a party in an action
From this reading The door swung cautiously inward, the evil face of Zenas appearing within the narrow opening.
deadly or sinister
From this reading The puppet again!" he exclaimed, his baleful eyes glowering down upon the traveler.
plural of “bolt” — a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading OF THE RESCUE OF THE MAIDEN There was a familiar rattling of chains and sliding bolts.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading "And where hast thou left Sir James, my good brother?"
as if with kid gloves; with caution or prudence or tact
From this reading The door swung cautiously inward, the evil face of Zenas appearing within the narrow opening.
metal shackles; for hands or legs
From this reading OF THE RESCUE OF THE MAIDEN There was a familiar rattling of chains and sliding bolts.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The door swung cautiously inward, the evil face of Zenas appearing within the narrow opening.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The puppet again!" he exclaimed, his baleful eyes glowering down upon the traveler.
morally objectionable behavior
From this reading The door swung cautiously inward, the evil face of Zenas appearing within the narrow opening.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading The puppet again!" he exclaimed, his baleful eyes glowering down upon the traveler.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The puppet again!" he exclaimed, his baleful eyes glowering down upon the traveler.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The door swung cautiously inward, the evil face of Zenas appearing within the narrow opening.
well known or easily recognized
From this reading OF THE RESCUE OF THE MAIDEN There was a familiar rattling of chains and sliding bolts.
showing a brooding ill humor
From this reading The puppet again!" he exclaimed, his baleful eyes glowering down upon the traveler.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "And where hast thou left Sir James, my good brother?"
an old form of “have”, used with “thou”
From this reading "And where hast thou left Sir James, my good brother?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The puppet again!" he exclaimed, his baleful eyes glowering down upon the traveler.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The puppet again!" he exclaimed, his baleful eyes glowering down upon the traveler.
relating to or existing in the mind or thoughts
From this reading The door swung cautiously inward, the evil face of Zenas appearing within the narrow opening.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading "And where hast thou left Sir James, my good brother?"
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading "And where hast thou left Sir James, my good brother?"
an unmarried girl (especially a virgin)
From this reading OF THE RESCUE OF THE MAIDEN There was a familiar rattling of chains and sliding bolts.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "And where hast thou left Sir James, my good brother?"
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading The door swung cautiously inward, the evil face of Zenas appearing within the narrow opening.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading OF THE RESCUE OF THE MAIDEN There was a familiar rattling of chains and sliding bolts.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading The door swung cautiously inward, the evil face of Zenas appearing within the narrow opening.
a small figure of a person operated from above with strings by a puppeteer
From this reading The puppet again!" he exclaimed, his baleful eyes glowering down upon the traveler.
a rapid series of short loud sounds (as might be heard with a stethoscope in some types of respiratory disorders)
From this reading OF THE RESCUE OF THE MAIDEN There was a familiar rattling of chains and sliding bolts.
free from harm or evil
From this reading OF THE RESCUE OF THE MAIDEN There was a familiar rattling of chains and sliding bolts.
term of address for a man
From this reading "And where hast thou left Sir James, my good brother?"
being a smooth continuous motion
From this reading OF THE RESCUE OF THE MAIDEN There was a familiar rattling of chains and sliding bolts.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading The door swung cautiously inward, the evil face of Zenas appearing within the narrow opening.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading OF THE RESCUE OF THE MAIDEN There was a familiar rattling of chains and sliding bolts.
in or at that place or location
From this reading OF THE RESCUE OF THE MAIDEN There was a familiar rattling of chains and sliding bolts.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading "And where hast thou left Sir James, my good brother?"
a person who changes location
From this reading The puppet again!" he exclaimed, his baleful eyes glowering down upon the traveler.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The puppet again!" he exclaimed, his baleful eyes glowering down upon the traveler.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading OF THE RESCUE OF THE MAIDEN There was a familiar rattling of chains and sliding bolts.
in or at the place that
From this reading "And where hast thou left Sir James, my good brother?"
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading The door swung cautiously inward, the evil face of Zenas appearing within the narrow opening.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The door swung cautiously inward, the evil face of Zenas appearing within the narrow opening.
Chapter 20 of The Red Tavern by C. R. (Charles Raymond) Macauley holds 225 sentences, grouped into 45 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 20 holds 225 sentences of The Red Tavern, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Red Tavern by C. R. (Charles Raymond) Macauley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 225 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 20 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 Tavern by C. R. (Charles Raymond) Macauley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3929 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44182 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44182, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 327 minutes of reading across 786 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Red Tavern section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Red Tavern 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 Tavern, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
