Chapter 2 of The Secret of the Night is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 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 Night is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You are a marked man also, my poor boy.” “Oh, they have not got us yet.” Matrena Petrovna coughed. That _us_ overwhelmed her. With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
Chapter 2 of The Secret of the Night is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
remote in manner
From this reading “With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.”
superlative of “brave” — possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
From this reading “With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.”
steadiness of mind under stress
From this reading “With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.”
past form of “cough” — exhale abruptly, as when one has a chest cold or congestion
From this reading “Matrena Petrovna coughed.”
plural of “danger” — the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading “With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.”
the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
From this reading “With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.”
past form of “overwhelm” — overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
From this reading “That _us_ overwhelmed her.”
discretion in practical affairs
From this reading “With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.”
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 are a marked man also, my poor boy.”
remote in manner
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
in addition
From this reading “You are a marked man also, my poor boy.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “You are a marked man also, my poor boy.”
a youthful male person
From this reading “You are a marked man also, my poor boy.”
superlative of “brave” — possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
steadiness of mind under stress
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
past form of “cough” — exhale abruptly, as when one has a chest cold or congestion
From this reading Matrena Petrovna coughed.
plural of “danger” — the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
one or the other of two
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “Oh, they have not got us yet.”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Oh, they have not got us yet.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading That _us_ overwhelmed her.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “You are a marked man also, my poor boy.”
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading “You are a marked man also, my poor boy.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Matrena Petrovna coughed.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “You are a marked man also, my poor boy.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Oh, they have not got us yet.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, they have not got us yet.”
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
past form of “overwhelm” — overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
From this reading That _us_ overwhelmed her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Matrena Petrovna coughed.
a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “You are a marked man also, my poor boy.”
past form of “propose” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
discretion in practical affairs
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
have in common
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That _us_ overwhelmed her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Oh, they have not got us yet.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Oh, they have not got us yet.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With what calmness this boy that she had not known an hour proposed to share the dangers of a situation that excited general pity but from which the bravest kept aloof either from prudence or dismay.
but in spite of that
From this reading “Oh, they have not got us yet.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You are a marked man also, my poor boy.”
Chapter 2 of The Secret of the Night by Gaston Leroux holds 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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 208 sentences of The Secret of the Night, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Secret of the Night by Gaston Leroux exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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.
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Yes. All 7078 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1686 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1686, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 589 minutes of reading across 1416 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret of the Night section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of The Secret of the Night 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 Night, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
