Chapter 29 of The Second Fiddle is here in full — 107 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIX
Chapter 29 of The Second Fiddle is here in full — 107 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone. "Oh, I hope I have not kept you, Humphreys," Stella said apologetically. "I had no idea it was so late. I'll be as quick as I can." "Mr. Travers is still in 'is room," Humphreys admitted gloomily; "'e came back an hour ago.
Chapter 29 of The Second Fiddle is here in full — 107 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading “"Mr. Travers is still in 'is room," Humphreys admitted gloomily; "'e came back an hour ago.”
in an apologetic manner
From this reading “"Oh, I hope I have not kept you, Humphreys," Stella said apologetically.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.”
with gloom
From this reading “"Mr. Travers is still in 'is room," Humphreys admitted gloomily; "'e came back an hour ago.”
a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading “When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.”
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading “I'll be as quick as I can."”
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading “When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.”
United States minimalist painter (born in 1936)
From this reading “When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.”
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 government building that houses administrative offices of a town government
In this reading “When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.”
be restored
In this reading “"Mr. Travers is still in 'is room," Humphreys admitted gloomily; "'e came back an hour ago.”
In this reading “When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.”
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.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading "Mr. Travers is still in 'is room," Humphreys admitted gloomily; "'e came back an hour ago.
in the past
From this reading "Mr. Travers is still in 'is room," Humphreys admitted gloomily; "'e came back an hour ago.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Mr. Travers is still in 'is room," Humphreys admitted gloomily; "'e came back an hour ago.
in an apologetic manner
From this reading "Oh, I hope I have not kept you, Humphreys," Stella said apologetically.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I'll be as quick as I can."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "Mr. Travers is still in 'is room," Humphreys admitted gloomily; "'e came back an hour ago.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I'll be as quick as I can."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Mr. Travers is still in 'is room," Humphreys admitted gloomily; "'e came back an hour ago.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I'll be as quick as I can."
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body
From this reading "Mr. Travers is still in 'is room," Humphreys admitted gloomily; "'e came back an hour ago.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
with gloom
From this reading "Mr. Travers is still in 'is room," Humphreys admitted gloomily; "'e came back an hour ago.
destroyed or killed
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Oh, I hope I have not kept you, Humphreys," Stella said apologetically.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading "Oh, I hope I have not kept you, Humphreys," Stella said apologetically.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading "Mr. Travers is still in 'is room," Humphreys admitted gloomily; "'e came back an hour ago.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, I hope I have not kept you, Humphreys," Stella said apologetically.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Oh, I hope I have not kept you, Humphreys," Stella said apologetically.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'll be as quick as I can."
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I had no idea it was so late.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Mr. Travers is still in 'is room," Humphreys admitted gloomily; "'e came back an hour ago.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Mr. Travers is still in 'is room," Humphreys admitted gloomily; "'e came back an hour ago.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I had no idea it was so late.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading "Oh, I hope I have not kept you, Humphreys," Stella said apologetically.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading "I had no idea it was so late.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Mr. Travers is still in 'is room," Humphreys admitted gloomily; "'e came back an hour ago.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
not any; not one
From this reading "I had no idea it was so late.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Oh, I hope I have not kept you, Humphreys," Stella said apologetically.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, I hope I have not kept you, Humphreys," Stella said apologetically.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading I'll be as quick as I can."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "Mr. Travers is still in 'is room," Humphreys admitted gloomily; "'e came back an hour ago.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Oh, I hope I have not kept you, Humphreys," Stella said apologetically.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I had no idea it was so late.
United States minimalist painter (born in 1936)
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
not in physical motion
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mr. Travers is still in 'is room," Humphreys admitted gloomily; "'e came back an hour ago.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
at the time that
From this reading When Stella reëntered the town hall the porter was still sitting at his desk near the door, but every one else had gone.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Oh, I hope I have not kept you, Humphreys," Stella said apologetically.
Chapter 29 of The Second Fiddle by Phyllis Bottome holds 107 sentences, grouped into 22 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 29 holds 107 sentences of The Second Fiddle, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 29 of The Second Fiddle by Phyllis Bottome exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 107 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 29 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 Second Fiddle by Phyllis Bottome on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4282 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41107 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41107, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 356 minutes of reading across 857 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Second Fiddle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Second Fiddle 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 Second Fiddle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
