Chapter 3 of The Secret of the Night is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 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 the Night is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense. “Natacha has affected us all, has she not, Feodor?” “Yes, she made me weep,” declared the general. “But let us have champagne to cheer us up. Our young friend here will think we are chicken-hearted.”
Chapter 3 of The Secret of the Night is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
acted upon; influenced
From this reading ““Natacha has affected us all, has she not, Feodor?””
a white sparkling wine either produced in Champagne or resembling that produced there
From this reading ““But let us have champagne to cheer us up.”
give encouragement to
From this reading ““But let us have champagne to cheer us up.”
made known or openly avowed
From this reading ““Yes, she made me weep,” declared the general.”
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading ““A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.”
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading ““A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading ““A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.”
shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading ““Yes, she made me weep,” declared the general.”
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 “A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.
acted upon; influenced
From this reading “Natacha has affected us all, has she not, Feodor?”
(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 “Natacha has affected us all, has she not, Feodor?”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Our young friend here will think we are chicken-hearted.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But let us have champagne to cheer us up.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading “A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.
a white sparkling wine either produced in Champagne or resembling that produced there
From this reading “But let us have champagne to cheer us up.
give encouragement to
From this reading “But let us have champagne to cheer us up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Our young friend here will think we are chicken-hearted.”
made known or openly avowed
From this reading “Yes, she made me weep,” declared the general.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Natacha has affected us all, has she not, Feodor?”
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Our young friend here will think we are chicken-hearted.”
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading “Yes, she made me weep,” declared the general.
a young female
From this reading “A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Natacha has affected us all, has she not, Feodor?”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “But let us have champagne to cheer us up.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Our young friend here will think we are chicken-hearted.”
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “But let us have champagne to cheer us up.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading “Yes, she made me weep,” declared the general.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Yes, she made me weep,” declared the general.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Natacha has affected us all, has she not, Feodor?”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Natacha has affected us all, has she not, Feodor?”
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our young friend here will think we are chicken-hearted.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading “A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading “A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Natacha has affected us all, has she not, Feodor?”
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading “A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Yes, she made me weep,” declared the general.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Our young friend here will think we are chicken-hearted.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “But let us have champagne to cheer us up.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “But let us have champagne to cheer us up.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Natacha has affected us all, has she not, Feodor?”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Our young friend here will think we are chicken-hearted.”
shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading “Yes, she made me weep,” declared the general.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Our young friend here will think we are chicken-hearted.”
hope for; have a wish
From this reading “A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, she made me weep,” declared the general.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “A young girl may wish her father a pleasant sleep, surely!” said Matrena Petrovna, with a certain good sense.
Chapter 3 of The Secret of the Night by Gaston Leroux holds 216 sentences, grouped into 44 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 216 sentences of The Secret of the Night, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Secret of the Night by Gaston Leroux exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 216 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 the Night by Gaston Leroux on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7078 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1686 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1686, a public-domain edition. 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.
