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The secret of the old mill
The secret of the old mill

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of The secret of the old mill is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Franklin W. Dixon • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The secret of the old mill
Context Illustration Reading 1/31 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
CON RILEY GUARDS A PACKAGE Officer Con Riley was at peace with the world.
His heart was full of contentment and his stomach was full of pie.
The sun was shining and one of the aldermen had just given him a fairly good cigar.
His beat had been free of crime for a week.
His wife had gone to the country for a visit and she had taken the children with her.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The secret of the old mill

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of The secret of the old mill is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
CON RILEY GUARDS A PACKAGE Officer Con Riley was at peace with the world.
/kɑːn ˈraɪli ɡɑːrdz ə ˈpækədʒ ˈɔːfəsər kɑːn ˈraɪli wɑːz æt piːs wɪð ðə wɜːrld/
Line 2
His heart was full of contentment and his stomach was full of pie.
/hɪz hɑːrt wɑːz fʊl ʌv kənˈtentmənt ənd hɪz ˈstʌmək wɑːz fʊl ʌv paɪ/
Line 3
The sun was shining and one of the aldermen had just given him a fairly good cigar.
/ðə sʌn wɑːz ˈʃaɪnɪŋ ənd wʌn ʌv ðə ˈɔːldərmɪn hæd dʒʌst ˈɡɪvən hɪm ə ˈferli ɡʊd sɪˈɡɑːr/
Line 4
His beat had been free of crime for a week.
/hɪz biːt hæd bɪn friː ʌv kraɪm fɔːr ə wiːk/
Line 5
His wife had gone to the country for a visit and she had taken the children with her.
/hɪz waɪf hæd ɡɔːn tuː ðə ˈkʌntri fɔːr ə ˈvɪzɪt ənd ʃiː hæd ˈteɪkən ðə ˈtʃɪldrən wɪð hɜːr/

Learner Dictionary

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.

aldermen noun US /ˈɔːldərmɪn/

plural of “alderman” — a member of a municipal legislative body (as a city council)

From this reading “The sun was shining and one of the aldermen had just given him a fairly good cigar.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
con noun US /kɑːn/

an argument opposed to a proposal

From this reading “CON RILEY GUARDS A PACKAGE Officer Con Riley was at peace with the world.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
contentment noun US /kənˈtentmənt/

happiness with one's situation in life

From this reading “His heart was full of contentment and his stomach was full of pie.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
guards noun US /ɡɑːrdz/

plural of “guard” — a person who keeps watch over something or someone

From this reading “CON RILEY GUARDS A PACKAGE Officer Con Riley was at peace with the world.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
package noun US /ˈpækədʒ/

a collection of things wrapped or boxed together

From this reading “CON RILEY GUARDS A PACKAGE Officer Con Riley was at peace with the world.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pie noun US /paɪ/

dish baked in pastry-lined pan often with a pastry top

From this reading “His heart was full of contentment and his stomach was full of pie.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
riley noun US /ˈraɪli/

United States poet (1849-1916)

From this reading “CON RILEY GUARDS A PACKAGE Officer Con Riley was at peace with the world.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stomach noun US /ˈstʌmək/

an enlarged and muscular saclike organ of the alimentary canal; the principal organ of digestion

From this reading “His heart was full of contentment and his stomach was full of pie.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

fairly good adverb + adjective

In this reading “The sun was shining and one of the aldermen had just given him a fairly good cigar.”

1,382 times in 426,211 chapters
for a week preposition + article + noun counted as “for … week”

In this reading “His beat had been free of crime for a week.”

12,309 times in 426,211 chapters
at peace preposition + noun

dead

In this reading “CON RILEY GUARDS A PACKAGE Officer Con Riley was at peace with the world.”

4,774 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 46

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading CON RILEY GUARDS A PACKAGE Officer Con Riley was at peace with the world.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
aldermennounUS /ˈɔːldərmɪn/

plural of “alderman” — a member of a municipal legislative body (as a city council)

From this reading The sun was shining and one of the aldermen had just given him a fairly good cigar.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading His heart was full of contentment and his stomach was full of pie.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading CON RILEY GUARDS A PACKAGE Officer Con Riley was at peace with the world.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
beatverbUS /biːt/

come out better in a competition, race, or conflict

From this reading His beat had been free of crime for a week.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading His beat had been free of crime for a week.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
childrennounUS /ˈtʃɪldrən/

plural of “child” — a young person of either sex

From this reading His wife had gone to the country for a visit and she had taken the children with her.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cigarnounUS /sɪˈɡɑːr/

a roll of tobacco for smoking

From this reading The sun was shining and one of the aldermen had just given him a fairly good cigar.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CONnounUS /kɑːn/

an argument opposed to a proposal

From this reading CON RILEY GUARDS A PACKAGE Officer Con Riley was at peace with the world.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
contentmentnounUS /kənˈtentmənt/

happiness with one's situation in life

From this reading His heart was full of contentment and his stomach was full of pie.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
countrynounUS /ˈkʌntri/

a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading His wife had gone to the country for a visit and she had taken the children with her.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
crimenounUS /kraɪm/

(criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act

From this reading His beat had been free of crime for a week.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fairlyadverbUS /ˈferli/

to certain extent or degree

From this reading The sun was shining and one of the aldermen had just given him a fairly good cigar.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading His beat had been free of crime for a week.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
freeverbUS /friː/

grant freedom to; free from confinement

From this reading His beat had been free of crime for a week.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading His heart was full of contentment and his stomach was full of pie.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/

acknowledged as a supposition

From this reading The sun was shining and one of the aldermen had just given him a fairly good cigar.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading His wife had gone to the country for a visit and she had taken the children with her.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading The sun was shining and one of the aldermen had just given him a fairly good cigar.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GUARDSnounUS /ɡɑːrdz/

plural of “guard” — a person who keeps watch over something or someone

From this reading CON RILEY GUARDS A PACKAGE Officer Con Riley was at peace with the world.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The sun was shining and one of the aldermen had just given him a fairly good cigar.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading His heart was full of contentment and his stomach was full of pie.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading His wife had gone to the country for a visit and she had taken the children with her.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The sun was shining and one of the aldermen had just given him a fairly good cigar.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading His heart was full of contentment and his stomach was full of pie.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading The sun was shining and one of the aldermen had just given him a fairly good cigar.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading His heart was full of contentment and his stomach was full of pie.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OfficernounUS /ˈɔːfəsər/

any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command

From this reading CON RILEY GUARDS A PACKAGE Officer Con Riley was at peace with the world.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The sun was shining and one of the aldermen had just given him a fairly good cigar.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
PACKAGEnounUS /ˈpækədʒ/

a collection of things wrapped or boxed together

From this reading CON RILEY GUARDS A PACKAGE Officer Con Riley was at peace with the world.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
peacenounUS /piːs/

the state prevailing during the absence of war

From this reading CON RILEY GUARDS A PACKAGE Officer Con Riley was at peace with the world.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pienounUS /paɪ/

dish baked in pastry-lined pan often with a pastry top

From this reading His heart was full of contentment and his stomach was full of pie.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
RILEYnounUS /ˈraɪli/

United States poet (1849-1916)

From this reading CON RILEY GUARDS A PACKAGE Officer Con Riley was at peace with the world.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading His wife had gone to the country for a visit and she had taken the children with her.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
shiningadjectiveUS /ˈʃaɪnɪŋ/

marked by exceptional merit

From this reading The sun was shining and one of the aldermen had just given him a fairly good cigar.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stomachnounUS /ˈstʌmək/

an enlarged and muscular saclike organ of the alimentary canal; the principal organ of digestion

From this reading His heart was full of contentment and his stomach was full of pie.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sunnounUS /sʌn/

the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system

From this reading The sun was shining and one of the aldermen had just given him a fairly good cigar.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading His wife had gone to the country for a visit and she had taken the children with her.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading CON RILEY GUARDS A PACKAGE Officer Con Riley was at peace with the world.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading His wife had gone to the country for a visit and she had taken the children with her.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
visitverbUS /ˈvɪzɪt/

go to see a place, as for entertainment

From this reading His wife had gone to the country for a visit and she had taken the children with her.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading CON RILEY GUARDS A PACKAGE Officer Con Riley was at peace with the world.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
weeknounUS /wiːk/

any period of seven consecutive days

From this reading His beat had been free of crime for a week.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading His wife had gone to the country for a visit and she had taken the children with her.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading CON RILEY GUARDS A PACKAGE Officer Con Riley was at peace with the world.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading CON RILEY GUARDS A PACKAGE Officer Con Riley was at peace with the world.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 14 of The secret of the old mill by Franklin W. Dixon holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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.

What does chapter 14 of The secret of the old mill contain?

Chapter 14 holds 156 sentences of The secret of the old mill, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 14 of The secret of the old mill by Franklin W. Dixon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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.

How do I study chapter 14 of The secret of the old mill?

Work through the 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 14 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.

Questions about reading The secret of the old mill

Common questions about reading The secret of the old mill by Franklin W. Dixon on this page, its source edition and its audio.

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Vocabulary met early in The secret of the old mill

Words and structures a reader meets early in The secret of the old mill, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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