Chapter 9 of The Secret of Chimneys is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Secret of Chimneys is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Of course you’re an old friend,” cried Virginia. “You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you? No, indeed!” She paused. “Do you know one thing that strikes me about all this?” she went on.
Chapter 9 of The Secret of Chimneys is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading ““You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?”
the dead body of a human being
From this reading ““You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?”
restrict (someone or something) so as to make free movement difficult
From this reading ““You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?”
being nothing more than specified
From this reading ““You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?”
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading “She paused.”
make believe with the intent to deceive
From this reading ““You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?”
plural of “strike” — a group's refusal to work in protest against low pay or bad work conditions
From this reading ““Do you know one thing that strikes me about all this?” she went on.”
a state in the eastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies; one of the Confederate States in the American Civil War
From this reading ““Of course you’re an old friend,” cried Virginia.”
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 ““You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?”
In this reading ““Of course you’re an old friend,” cried Virginia.”
as might be expected
In this reading ““Of course you’re an old friend,” cried Virginia.”
In this reading ““You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading ““Do you know one thing that strikes me about all this?” she went on.”
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 “You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Do you know one thing that strikes me about all this?” she went on.
personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading “You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?
(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 “Do you know one thing that strikes me about all this?” she went on.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Of course you’re an old friend,” cried Virginia.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?
the dead body of a human being
From this reading “You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “Of course you’re an old friend,” cried Virginia.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “Of course you’re an old friend,” cried Virginia.
restrict (someone or something) so as to make free movement difficult
From this reading “You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Do you know one thing that strikes me about all this?” she went on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “Of course you’re an old friend,” cried Virginia.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading No, indeed!”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Do you know one thing that strikes me about all this?” she went on.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Do you know one thing that strikes me about all this?” she went on.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading “You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading “You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?
immediately following in time or order
From this reading “You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?
not any; not one
From this reading No, indeed!”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Of course you’re an old friend,” cried Virginia.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “Of course you’re an old friend,” cried Virginia.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Do you know one thing that strikes me about all this?” she went on.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “Do you know one thing that strikes me about all this?” she went on.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading She paused.
make believe with the intent to deceive
From this reading “You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She paused.
plural of “strike” — a group's refusal to work in protest against low pay or bad work conditions
From this reading “Do you know one thing that strikes me about all this?” she went on.
express a supposition
From this reading “You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Do you know one thing that strikes me about all this?” she went on.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?
a special situation
From this reading “Do you know one thing that strikes me about all this?” she went on.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Do you know one thing that strikes me about all this?” she went on.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?
a state in the eastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies; one of the Confederate States in the American Civil War
From this reading “Of course you’re an old friend,” cried Virginia.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Do you know one thing that strikes me about all this?” she went on.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?
in the company of; together with
From this reading “You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You don’t suppose I’d cumber you with a corpse, and then pretend you were a mere acquaintance next time I met you?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Of course you’re an old friend,” cried Virginia.
Chapter 9 of The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie holds 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 9 holds 396 sentences of The Secret of Chimneys, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 9 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.
