Chapter 2 of The Secret of the Earth is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 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 the Earth is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"And what does he want?" I asked as we trudged along the sidewalk. Torrence laughed; and then, as if thinking of how to reply, said: "Oh, he’s a lunatic! Wants the loan of twenty pounds on a house and lot he says he owns down in Deptford.
Chapter 2 of The Secret of the Earth is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
the temporary provision of money (usually at interest)
From this reading “Wants the loan of twenty pounds on a house and lot he says he owns down in Deptford.”
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading “Wants the loan of twenty pounds on a house and lot he says he owns down in Deptford.”
insane and believed to be affected by the phases of the moon
From this reading “"Oh, he’s a lunatic!”
third-person singular of “own” — have ownership or possession of
From this reading “Wants the loan of twenty pounds on a house and lot he says he owns down in Deptford.”
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading “Wants the loan of twenty pounds on a house and lot he says he owns down in Deptford.”
walk consisting of a paved area for pedestrians; usually beside a street or roadway
From this reading “I asked as we trudged along the sidewalk.”
past form of “trudge” — walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
From this reading “I asked as we trudged along the sidewalk.”
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading “Wants the loan of twenty pounds on a house and lot he says he owns down in Deptford.”
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 “I asked as we trudged along the sidewalk.”
In this reading “I asked as we trudged along the sidewalk.”
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 "Oh, he’s a lunatic!
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading I asked as we trudged along the sidewalk.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And what does he want?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I asked as we trudged along the sidewalk.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked as we trudged along the sidewalk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wants the loan of twenty pounds on a house and lot he says he owns down in Deptford.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "And what does he want?"
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Wants the loan of twenty pounds on a house and lot he says he owns down in Deptford.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "And what does he want?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, he’s a lunatic!
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Wants the loan of twenty pounds on a house and lot he says he owns down in Deptford.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Torrence laughed; and then, as if thinking of how to reply, said:
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I asked as we trudged along the sidewalk.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Torrence laughed; and then, as if thinking of how to reply, said:
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Wants the loan of twenty pounds on a house and lot he says he owns down in Deptford.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Torrence laughed; and then, as if thinking of how to reply, said:
the temporary provision of money (usually at interest)
From this reading Wants the loan of twenty pounds on a house and lot he says he owns down in Deptford.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading Wants the loan of twenty pounds on a house and lot he says he owns down in Deptford.
insane and believed to be affected by the phases of the moon
From this reading "Oh, he’s a lunatic!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Torrence laughed; and then, as if thinking of how to reply, said:
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, he’s a lunatic!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Wants the loan of twenty pounds on a house and lot he says he owns down in Deptford.
third-person singular of “own” — have ownership or possession of
From this reading Wants the loan of twenty pounds on a house and lot he says he owns down in Deptford.
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading Wants the loan of twenty pounds on a house and lot he says he owns down in Deptford.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading Torrence laughed; and then, as if thinking of how to reply, said:
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Torrence laughed; and then, as if thinking of how to reply, said:
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading Wants the loan of twenty pounds on a house and lot he says he owns down in Deptford.
walk consisting of a paved area for pedestrians; usually beside a street or roadway
From this reading I asked as we trudged along the sidewalk.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I asked as we trudged along the sidewalk.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Torrence laughed; and then, as if thinking of how to reply, said:
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading Torrence laughed; and then, as if thinking of how to reply, said:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Torrence laughed; and then, as if thinking of how to reply, said:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Torrence laughed; and then, as if thinking of how to reply, said:
past form of “trudge” — walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
From this reading I asked as we trudged along the sidewalk.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading Wants the loan of twenty pounds on a house and lot he says he owns down in Deptford.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "And what does he want?"
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading Wants the loan of twenty pounds on a house and lot he says he owns down in Deptford.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading I asked as we trudged along the sidewalk.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "And what does he want?"
Chapter 2 of The Secret of the Earth by Charles Willing Beale holds 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 427 sentences of The Secret of the Earth, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Secret of the Earth by Charles Willing Beale exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 the Earth by Charles Willing Beale on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3898 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44535 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44535, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 324 minutes of reading across 780 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret of the Earth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Secret of the Earth 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 the Earth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
