Chapter 10 of The Sacred Herb is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Sacred Herb is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE VERDICT. Here was a surprise indeed. Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood. But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world. Now it seemed that Agstone was his brother.
Chapter 10 of The Sacred Herb is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
plural of “claim” — an assertion of a right (as to money or property)
From this reading “Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.”
the state or fact of existing
From this reading “But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.”
Roman lyric poet said to have influenced English poetry (65-8 BC)
From this reading “Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.”
low or inferior in station or quality
From this reading “Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.”
inflected form of “refer” — make reference to
From this reading “But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.”
a person related by blood or marriage
From this reading “But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.”
(law) the findings of a jury on issues of fact submitted to it for decision; can be used in formulating a judgment
From this reading “THE VERDICT.”
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading “Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.”
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.
a teenager or a young adult male
In this reading “But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.”
In this reading “Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.”
In this reading “But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.”
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 Here was a surprise indeed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now it seemed that Agstone was his brother.
Having no one else present.
From this reading But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading Now it seemed that Agstone was his brother.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.
plural of “claim” — an assertion of a right (as to money or property)
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
the state or fact of existing
From this reading But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here was a surprise indeed.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
Roman lyric poet said to have influenced English poetry (65-8 BC)
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
low or inferior in station or quality
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Here was a surprise indeed.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Now it seemed that Agstone was his brother.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
set down according to a plan
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.
not any; not one
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now it seemed that Agstone was his brother.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
inflected form of “refer” — make reference to
From this reading But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.
a person related by blood or marriage
From this reading But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Now it seemed that Agstone was his brother.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading Here was a surprise indeed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE VERDICT.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
(law) the findings of a jury on issues of fact submitted to it for decision; can be used in formulating a judgment
From this reading THE VERDICT.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Here was a surprise indeed.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Prelice knew that Dr. Horace had worked his way up from a humble position, and laid no claims to being of gentle blood.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading But he had never referred to the existence of a single relative, and the young man had always believed him to be alone in the world.
Chapter 10 of The Sacred Herb by Fergus Hume holds 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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 10 holds 176 sentences of The Sacred Herb, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Sacred Herb by Fergus Hume exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 10 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 Sacred Herb by Fergus Hume on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5717 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55642 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55642, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 476 minutes of reading across 1144 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sacred Herb section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Sacred Herb 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 Sacred Herb, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
