Chapter 2 of The Secret Pact is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 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 Pact is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Old Judson feels his come-down I guess. In the flush days he wouldn't be caught dead in a beanery." "Is he really poor, Jerry?" "Probably down to his last hundred thousand," the reporter grinned. "What you say is conflicting," declared Penny impatiently.
Chapter 2 of The Secret Pact is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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 disagreement
From this reading “"What you say is conflicting," declared Penny impatiently.”
plural of “feel” — an intuitive awareness
From this reading “"Old Judson feels his come-down I guess.”
the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
From this reading “In the flush days he wouldn't be caught dead in a beanery."”
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading “"Probably down to his last hundred thousand," the reporter grinned.”
with impatience; in an impatient manner
From this reading “"What you say is conflicting," declared Penny impatiently.”
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading “"Is he really poor, Jerry?"”
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading “"What you say is conflicting," declared Penny impatiently.”
a person who investigates and reports or edits news stories
From this reading “"Probably down to his last hundred thousand," the reporter grinned.”
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.
the cardinal number that is the fifth power of ten
In this reading “"Probably down to his last hundred thousand," the reporter grinned.”
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 In the flush days he wouldn't be caught dead in a beanery."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading In the flush days he wouldn't be caught dead in a beanery."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the flush days he wouldn't be caught dead in a beanery."
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading In the flush days he wouldn't be caught dead in a beanery."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Old Judson feels his come-down I guess.
in disagreement
From this reading "What you say is conflicting," declared Penny impatiently.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading In the flush days he wouldn't be caught dead in a beanery."
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading In the flush days he wouldn't be caught dead in a beanery."
made known or openly avowed
From this reading "What you say is conflicting," declared Penny impatiently.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Probably down to his last hundred thousand," the reporter grinned.
plural of “feel” — an intuitive awareness
From this reading "Old Judson feels his come-down I guess.
the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
From this reading In the flush days he wouldn't be caught dead in a beanery."
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading "Probably down to his last hundred thousand," the reporter grinned.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "Old Judson feels his come-down I guess.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In the flush days he wouldn't be caught dead in a beanery."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Old Judson feels his come-down I guess.
ten 10s
From this reading "Probably down to his last hundred thousand," the reporter grinned.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Old Judson feels his come-down I guess.
with impatience; in an impatient manner
From this reading "What you say is conflicting," declared Penny impatiently.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the flush days he wouldn't be caught dead in a beanery."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is he really poor, Jerry?"
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading "Is he really poor, Jerry?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Old Judson feels his come-down I guess.
immediately past
From this reading "Probably down to his last hundred thousand," the reporter grinned.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Old Judson feels his come-down I guess.
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading "What you say is conflicting," declared Penny impatiently.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading "Is he really poor, Jerry?"
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading "Probably down to his last hundred thousand," the reporter grinned.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "Is he really poor, Jerry?"
a person who investigates and reports or edits news stories
From this reading "Probably down to his last hundred thousand," the reporter grinned.
express in words
From this reading "What you say is conflicting," declared Penny impatiently.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the flush days he wouldn't be caught dead in a beanery."
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading "Probably down to his last hundred thousand," the reporter grinned.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Probably down to his last hundred thousand," the reporter grinned.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What you say is conflicting," declared Penny impatiently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the flush days he wouldn't be caught dead in a beanery."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What you say is conflicting," declared Penny impatiently.
Chapter 2 of The Secret Pact by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 438 sentences of The Secret Pact, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Secret Pact by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Pact by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3908 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34682 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34682, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 325 minutes of reading across 782 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret Pact section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Secret Pact 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 Pact, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
