Chapter 5 of The Secret Pact is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Secret Pact is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Could it have been written by a prowler in the building?" she mused. "Ever since we started the paper I've felt that someone was hiding there. It may be a scheme to get me away." Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder. Taking Louise into her confidence, she made careful plans.
Chapter 5 of The Secret Pact is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading “Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.”
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading “"Ever since we started the paper I've felt that someone was hiding there.”
someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another without permission
From this reading “Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.”
past form of “muse” — reflect deeply on a subject
From this reading “"Could it have been written by a prowler in the building?" she mused.”
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading “Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.”
someone who prowls or sneaks about; usually with unlawful intentions
From this reading “"Could it have been written by a prowler in the building?" she mused.”
an elaborate and systematic plan of action
From this reading “It may be a scheme to get me away."”
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading “Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.”
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 “Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.”
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 "Could it have been written by a prowler in the building?" she mused.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading It may be a scheme to get me away."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It may be a scheme to get me away."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Could it have been written by a prowler in the building?" she mused.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading "Could it have been written by a prowler in the building?" she mused.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Could it have been written by a prowler in the building?" she mused.
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading Taking Louise into her confidence, she made careful plans.
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading Taking Louise into her confidence, she made careful plans.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "Could it have been written by a prowler in the building?" she mused.
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.
at any time
From this reading "Ever since we started the paper I've felt that someone was hiding there.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading "Ever since we started the paper I've felt that someone was hiding there.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading It may be a scheme to get me away."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Could it have been written by a prowler in the building?" she mused.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading "Ever since we started the paper I've felt that someone was hiding there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ever since we started the paper I've felt that someone was hiding there.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Could it have been written by a prowler in the building?" she mused.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Taking Louise into her confidence, she made careful plans.
someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another without permission
From this reading Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Could it have been written by a prowler in the building?" she mused.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Taking Louise into her confidence, she made careful plans.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading It may be a scheme to get me away."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It may be a scheme to get me away."
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.
past form of “muse” — reflect deeply on a subject
From this reading "Could it have been written by a prowler in the building?" she mused.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading "Ever since we started the paper I've felt that someone was hiding there.
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.
plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished
From this reading Taking Louise into her confidence, she made careful plans.
someone who prowls or sneaks about; usually with unlawful intentions
From this reading "Could it have been written by a prowler in the building?" she mused.
an elaborate and systematic plan of action
From this reading It may be a scheme to get me away."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Could it have been written by a prowler in the building?" she mused.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading "Ever since we started the paper I've felt that someone was hiding there.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.
a person, without saying who
From this reading "Ever since we started the paper I've felt that someone was hiding there.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Ever since we started the paper I've felt that someone was hiding there.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading Taking Louise into her confidence, she made careful plans.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Ever since we started the paper I've felt that someone was hiding there.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Could it have been written by a prowler in the building?" she mused.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Ever since we started the paper I've felt that someone was hiding there.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It may be a scheme to get me away."
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Ever since we started the paper I've felt that someone was hiding there.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Ever since we started the paper I've felt that someone was hiding there.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Before dropping off to sleep Penny made up her mind that the following night she would set a trap for the intruder.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading "Could it have been written by a prowler in the building?" she mused.
Chapter 5 of The Secret Pact by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 430 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 5 holds 430 sentences of The Secret Pact, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Secret Pact by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 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 5 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.
