Chapter 3 of The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance is here in full — 321 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance is here in full — 321 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The storm had abated. The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon. It was bitingly cold. Rotha walked fast and spoke little. Ralph understood their mission.
Chapter 3 of The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance is here in full — 321 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/64 · 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.
past form of “abate” — make less active or intense
From this reading “The storm had abated.”
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading “The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.”
plural of “continent” — one of the large landmasses of the earth
From this reading “The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.”
any shape resembling the curved shape of the moon in its first or last quarters
From this reading “The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.”
having the power of driving or impelling
From this reading “The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.”
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading “The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.”
an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work
From this reading “Ralph understood their mission.”
partially melted snow (or a mixture of rain and snow)
From this reading “The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.”
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 The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.
past form of “abate” — make less active or intense
From this reading The storm had abated.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.
extremely and sharply
From this reading It was bitingly cold.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading It was bitingly cold.
plural of “continent” — one of the large landmasses of the earth
From this reading The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.
any shape resembling the curved shape of the moon in its first or last quarters
From this reading The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.
having the power of driving or impelling
From this reading The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading Rotha walked fast and spoke little.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The storm had abated.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was bitingly cold.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Rotha walked fast and spoke little.
an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work
From this reading Ralph understood their mission.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ralph understood their mission.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Rotha walked fast and spoke little.
partially melted snow (or a mixture of rain and snow)
From this reading The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Rotha walked fast and spoke little.
not in physical motion
From this reading The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading The storm had abated.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The storm had abated.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Ralph understood their mission.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading Ralph understood their mission.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Rotha walked fast and spoke little.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was bitingly cold.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading The sleet and rain had ceased, but the wind still blew fierce and strong, driving black continents of cloud across a crescent moon.
Chapter 3 of The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance by Hall, Sir Caine holds 321 sentences, grouped into 65 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 3 holds 321 sentences of The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance, unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance by Hall, Sir Caine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 321 sentences, grouped into 65 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 65 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 65 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 Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance by Hall, Sir Caine on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8078 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14262 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14262, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1616 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance 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 Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
