Chapter 3 of The Secret of Chimneys is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Secret of Chimneys is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mr. Eversleigh was momentarily confused. “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em. There was no harm in it.” “Bill, darling, of course there wasn’t. I love you to enjoy yourself.
Chapter 3 of The Secret of Chimneys is here in full — 413 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.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading “Mr. Eversleigh was momentarily confused.”
a special loved one
From this reading ““Bill, darling, of course there wasn’t.”
run or move very quickly or hastily
From this reading ““If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.”
derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading “I love you to enjoy yourself.”
any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
From this reading “There was no harm in it.””
large strong hand (as of a fighter)
for an instant or moment
From this reading “Mr. Eversleigh was momentarily confused.”
in an exhaustive manner
From this reading ““If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.”
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 ““If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.”
as might be expected
In this reading ““Bill, darling, of course there wasn’t.”
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 “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
(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 “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “Bill, darling, of course there wasn’t.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading Mr. Eversleigh was momentarily confused.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “Bill, darling, of course there wasn’t.
a special loved one
From this reading “Bill, darling, of course there wasn’t.
run or move very quickly or hastily
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
a quad with a square body
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading I love you to enjoy yourself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Eversleigh was momentarily confused.
opinion or judgment
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
a young female
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
From this reading There was no harm in it.”
large strong hand (as of a fighter)
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading I love you to enjoy yourself.
engage in
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
for an instant or moment
From this reading Mr. Eversleigh was momentarily confused.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Eversleigh was momentarily confused.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no harm in it.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Bill, darling, of course there wasn’t.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
successive (without a break)
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no harm in it.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
in an exhaustive manner
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I love you to enjoy yourself.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Eversleigh was momentarily confused.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Bill, darling, of course there wasn’t.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “If you mean Dorothy Kirkpatrick, the girl who’s in _Hooks and Eyes_, I—well, dash it all, she’s a thoroughly nice girl, straight as they make ’em.
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading I love you to enjoy yourself.
Chapter 3 of The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie holds 413 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 3 holds 413 sentences of The Secret of Chimneys, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 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 3 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.
