Chapter 2 of The Secret of Chimneys is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Secret of Chimneys is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Anthony sank into a chair and eyed him severely. “I knew all along that you were keeping something dark. This is where the catch comes in.” “Not a bit. It’s just something that’s got to be done to help a lady.”
Chapter 2 of The Secret of Chimneys is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading “Anthony sank into a chair and eyed him severely.”
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading ““Not a bit.”
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading “This is where the catch comes in.””
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “Anthony sank into a chair and eyed him severely.”
having an eye or eyes or eyelike feature especially as specified; often used in combination
From this reading “Anthony sank into a chair and eyed him severely.”
conformity or harmony
From this reading ““I knew all along that you were keeping something dark.”
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading “Anthony sank into a chair and eyed him severely.”
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading “Anthony sank into a chair and eyed him severely.”
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 “Anthony sank into a chair and eyed him severely.”
In this reading “Anthony sank into a chair and eyed him severely.”
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 Anthony sank into a chair and eyed him severely.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “I knew all along that you were keeping something dark.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading “I knew all along that you were keeping something dark.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Anthony sank into a chair and eyed him severely.
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading Anthony sank into a chair and eyed him severely.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It’s just something that’s got to be done to help a lady.”
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading “Not a bit.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading This is where the catch comes in.”
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Anthony sank into a chair and eyed him severely.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading This is where the catch comes in.”
absence of light or illumination
From this reading “I knew all along that you were keeping something dark.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading It’s just something that’s got to be done to help a lady.”
having an eye or eyes or eyelike feature especially as specified; often used in combination
From this reading Anthony sank into a chair and eyed him severely.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading It’s just something that’s got to be done to help a lady.”
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading It’s just something that’s got to be done to help a lady.”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Anthony sank into a chair and eyed him severely.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I knew all along that you were keeping something dark.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading This is where the catch comes in.”
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Anthony sank into a chair and eyed him severely.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This is where the catch comes in.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s just something that’s got to be done to help a lady.”
and nothing more
From this reading It’s just something that’s got to be done to help a lady.”
conformity or harmony
From this reading “I knew all along that you were keeping something dark.
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 “I knew all along that you were keeping something dark.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading It’s just something that’s got to be done to help a lady.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Not a bit.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading Anthony sank into a chair and eyed him severely.
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading Anthony sank into a chair and eyed him severely.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “I knew all along that you were keeping something dark.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I knew all along that you were keeping something dark.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s just something that’s got to be done to help a lady.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading This is where the catch comes in.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This is where the catch comes in.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It’s just something that’s got to be done to help a lady.”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “I knew all along that you were keeping something dark.
in or at the place that
From this reading This is where the catch comes in.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I knew all along that you were keeping something dark.
Chapter 2 of The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 2 holds 412 sentences of The Secret of Chimneys, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 2 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 Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7349 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65238 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65238, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1470 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret of Chimneys section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Secret of Chimneys 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 Secret of Chimneys, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
