Chapter 10 of The Secret of Chimneys is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Secret of Chimneys is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“The Comtesses de Breteuil, Chateau de Breteuil, Dinard.” “You didn’t actually see the Comtesse yourself? It was all done by letter?” “Exactly.” “H’m!” said Anthony.
Chapter 10 of The Secret of Chimneys is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
in actual fact
From this reading ““You didn’t actually see the Comtesse yourself?”
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 ““H’m!” said Anthony.”
an impressive country house (or castle) in France
From this reading ““The Comtesses de Breteuil, Chateau de Breteuil, Dinard.””
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading “It was all done by letter?””
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading ““Exactly.””
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading “It was all done by letter?””
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading ““You didn’t actually see the Comtesse yourself?”
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading ““You didn’t actually see the Comtesse yourself?”
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.
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.
in actual fact
From this reading “You didn’t actually see the Comtesse yourself?
(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 It was all done by letter?”
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 “H’m!” said Anthony.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “The Comtesses de Breteuil, Chateau de Breteuil, Dinard.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It was all done by letter?”
an impressive country house (or castle) in France
From this reading “The Comtesses de Breteuil, Chateau de Breteuil, Dinard.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You didn’t actually see the Comtesse yourself?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “The Comtesses de Breteuil, Chateau de Breteuil, Dinard.”
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading “The Comtesses de Breteuil, Chateau de Breteuil, Dinard.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You didn’t actually see the Comtesse yourself?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “The Comtesses de Breteuil, Chateau de Breteuil, Dinard.”
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading It was all done by letter?”
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading “Exactly.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “H’m!” said Anthony.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was all done by letter?”
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading It was all done by letter?”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “H’m!” said Anthony.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “You didn’t actually see the Comtesse yourself?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The Comtesses de Breteuil, Chateau de Breteuil, Dinard.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was all done by letter?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You didn’t actually see the Comtesse yourself?
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading “You didn’t actually see the Comtesse yourself?
Chapter 10 of The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 10 holds 416 sentences of The Secret of Chimneys, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 10 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.
