Chapter 1 of The Scarlet Bat: A Detective Story is here in full — 258 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Scarlet Bat: A Detective Story is here in full — 258 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC. "I say you're a bad lot!" "And I reply that you're a liar!" "Take that!" "Here's the repayment!"
Chapter 1 of The Scarlet Bat: A Detective Story is here in full — 258 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
jewelry worn around the wrist for decoration
From this reading “By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.”
a two-wheeled horse-drawn covered carriage with the driver's seat above and behind the passengers
From this reading “By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.”
Scottish philosopher skeptical philosophy restricted human knowledge to that which can be perceived by the senses (1711-1776)
From this reading “By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.”
a material effigy that is worshipped
From this reading “By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.”
a person who has lied or who lies repeatedly
From this reading “"And I reply that you're a liar!"”
(Greek legend) the greedy king of Phrygia who Dionysus gave the power to turn everything he touched into gold
From this reading “By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.”
the act of returning money received previously
From this reading “"Here's the repayment!"”
a city in the northern panhandle of West Virginia on the Ohio river
From this reading “By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.”
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 two-wheeled horse-drawn covered carriage with the driver's seat above and behind the passengers
In this reading “By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.”
In this reading “"I say you're a bad lot!"”
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 By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And I reply that you're a liar!"
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "I say you're a bad lot!"
jewelry worn around the wrist for decoration
From this reading By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
From this reading By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
a two-wheeled horse-drawn covered carriage with the driver's seat above and behind the passengers
From this reading By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Here's the repayment!"
Scottish philosopher skeptical philosophy restricted human knowledge to that which can be perceived by the senses (1711-1776)
From this reading By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I say you're a bad lot!"
a material effigy that is worshipped
From this reading By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures
From this reading By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
a person who has lied or who lies repeatedly
From this reading "And I reply that you're a liar!"
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading "I say you're a bad lot!"
a woman of refinement
From this reading By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
(Greek legend) the greedy king of Phrygia who Dionysus gave the power to turn everything he touched into gold
From this reading By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
the act of returning money received previously
From this reading "Here's the repayment!"
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading "And I reply that you're a liar!"
express in words
From this reading "I say you're a bad lot!"
carry out
From this reading "Take that!"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "And I reply that you're a liar!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
a city in the northern panhandle of West Virginia on the Ohio river
From this reading By FERGUS HUME AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL," "THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I say you're a bad lot!"
Chapter 1 of The Scarlet Bat: A Detective Story by Fergus Hume holds 258 sentences, grouped into 52 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 1 holds 258 sentences of The Scarlet Bat: A Detective Story, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Scarlet Bat: A Detective Story by Fergus Hume exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 258 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 1 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 Scarlet Bat: A Detective Story by Fergus Hume on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6424 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56356 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56356, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 535 minutes of reading across 1285 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Scarlet Bat: A Detective Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Scarlet Bat: A Detective Story 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 Scarlet Bat: A Detective Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
