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The Sign of the Seven Sins
The Sign of the Seven Sins

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of The Sign of the Seven Sins is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/32 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.
To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.
I hated her.
I really believe that if ever the spirit of murder has entered my heart it was at that moment.
I could have sprung upon her and killed her as she stepped into her carriage.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Sign of the Seven Sins

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of The Sign of the Seven Sins is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.
/ɡɪvz ðə kiː ʌv ðə ˈsaɪ.fər aɪ wɔːkt əˈlɔːŋ ðə ˈbʊləvɑːrd təˈwɔːrdz ðə ˈɑːprə æz wʌn ɪn ə driːm/
Line 2
To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.
Line 3
I hated her.
/aɪ ˈheɪtəd hɜːr/
Line 4
I really believe that if ever the spirit of murder has entered my heart it was at that moment.
/aɪ ˈrɪli bɪˈliːv ðæt ɪf ˈevər ðə ˈspɪrət ʌv ˈmɜːrdər hæz ˈentərd maɪ hɑːrt ɪt wɑːz æt ðæt ˈmoʊmənt/
Line 5
I could have sprung upon her and killed her as she stepped into her carriage.
/aɪ kʊd hæv sprʌŋ əˈpɑːn hɜːr ənd kɪld hɜːr æz ʃiː stept ˈɪntuː hɜːr ˈkærɪdʒ/

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.

affections noun US /əˈfekʃənz/

plural of “affection” — a positive feeling of liking

From this reading “To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.”

boulevard noun US /ˈbʊləvɑːrd/

a wide street or thoroughfare

From this reading “GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.”

cipher noun US /ˈsaɪ.fər/

A secret or disguised way of writing; a code used to conceal ancient secrets.

From this reading “GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.”

hated adjective US /ˈheɪtəd/

treated with dislike or contempt

From this reading “I hated her.”

Opera noun US /ˈɑːprə/

a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes

From this reading “GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.”

pink noun US /pɪŋk/

a light shade of red

From this reading “To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.”

replaced verb US /ˌriːˈpleɪst/

past form of “replace” — substitute a person or thing for (another that is broken or inefficient or lost or no longer working or yielding what is expected)

From this reading “To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.”

sprung verb US /sprʌŋ/

inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds

From this reading “I could have sprung upon her and killed her as she stepped into her carriage.”

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.

along the boulevard preposition + article + noun counted as “along … boulevard”

In this reading “GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.”

blue eyes adjective + noun

In this reading “To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.”

sprung upon verb + particle counted as “spring upon”

In this reading “I could have sprung upon her and killed her as she stepped into her carriage.”

All words in this reading · 65

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 GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.

affectionsnounUS /əˈfekʃənz/

plural of “affection” — a positive feeling of liking

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading I really believe that if ever the spirit of murder has entered my heart it was at that moment.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

believeverbUS /bɪˈliːv/

accept as true; take to be true

From this reading I really believe that if ever the spirit of murder has entered my heart it was at that moment.

blueadjectiveUS /bluː/

of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

boulevardnounUS /ˈbʊləvɑːrd/

a wide street or thoroughfare

From this reading GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.

carriagenounUS /ˈkærɪdʒ/

a railcar where passengers ride

From this reading I could have sprung upon her and killed her as she stepped into her carriage.

cheeksnounUS /tʃiːks/

plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

CIPHERnounUS /ˈsaɪ.fər/

A secret or disguised way of writing; a code used to conceal ancient secrets.

From this reading GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading I could have sprung upon her and killed her as she stepped into her carriage.

dreamnounUS /driːm/

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

From this reading GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.

enteredverbUS /ˈentərd/

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading I really believe that if ever the spirit of murder has entered my heart it was at that moment.

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading I really believe that if ever the spirit of murder has entered my heart it was at that moment.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

GIVESnounUS /ɡɪvz/

plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length

From this reading GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

hairnounUS /her/

a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading I really believe that if ever the spirit of murder has entered my heart it was at that moment.

hatedadjectiveUS /ˈheɪtəd/

treated with dislike or contempt

From this reading I hated her.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading I could have sprung upon her and killed her as she stepped into her carriage.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading I really believe that if ever the spirit of murder has entered my heart it was at that moment.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading I hated her.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading I really believe that if ever the spirit of murder has entered my heart it was at that moment.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading I could have sprung upon her and killed her as she stepped into her carriage.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

KEYnounUS /kiː/

metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated

From this reading GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.

killedverbUS /kɪld/

past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly

From this reading I could have sprung upon her and killed her as she stepped into her carriage.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

messagenounUS /ˈmesədʒ/

a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading I really believe that if ever the spirit of murder has entered my heart it was at that moment.

murderverbUS /ˈmɜːrdər/

kill intentionally and with premeditation

From this reading I really believe that if ever the spirit of murder has entered my heart it was at that moment.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I really believe that if ever the spirit of murder has entered my heart it was at that moment.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.

OperanounUS /ˈɑːprə/

a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes

From this reading GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.

pinknounUS /pɪŋk/

a light shade of red

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading I really believe that if ever the spirit of murder has entered my heart it was at that moment.

replacedverbUS /ˌriːˈpleɪst/

past form of “replace” — substitute a person or thing for (another that is broken or inefficient or lost or no longer working or yielding what is expected)

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading I could have sprung upon her and killed her as she stepped into her carriage.

spiritnounUS /ˈspɪrət/

the vital principle or animating force within living things

From this reading I really believe that if ever the spirit of murder has entered my heart it was at that moment.

sprungverbUS /sprʌŋ/

inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds

From this reading I could have sprung upon her and killed her as she stepped into her carriage.

steppedverbUS /stept/

inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step

From this reading I could have sprung upon her and killed her as she stepped into her carriage.

strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.

ToparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

tow-colored

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading I could have sprung upon her and killed her as she stepped into her carriage.

walkedverbUS /wɔːkt/

past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps

From this reading GIVES THE KEY OF THE CIPHER I walked along the boulevard towards the Opera as one in a dream.

warningnounUS /ˈwɔːrnɪŋ/

a message informing of danger

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading I really believe that if ever the spirit of murder has entered my heart it was at that moment.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

writtenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪtən/

set down in writing in any of various ways

From this reading To that woman with the tow-colored hair, the blue eyes, and pink cheeks--the woman who had replaced me in his affections--he had written that strange message in cipher--a message of warning, it might be.

Chapter 18 of The Sign of the Seven Sins by William Le Queux holds 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 18 of The Sign of the Seven Sins contain?

Chapter 18 holds 162 sentences of The Sign of the Seven Sins, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 18 of The Sign of the Seven Sins by William Le Queux exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 18 of The Sign of the Seven Sins?

Work through the 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 33 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.

Can chapter 18 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 18 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.

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Vocabulary met early in The Sign of the Seven Sins

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Sign of the Seven Sins, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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