Chapter 2 of The Silent House is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Silent House is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN UNSATISFACTORY EXPLANATION "Mr. Berwin!" cried Lucian, recognising the man. "Is it you?" "Who else should it be?" replied Berwin, bending forward to see who had jostled him. "Who else should it be, Mr. Denzil?" "But I thought--I thought," said the barrister, unable to conceal his surprise, "that is, I fancied you were indoors."
Chapter 2 of The Silent House is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
a British or Canadian lawyer who speaks in the higher courts of law on behalf of either the defense or prosecution
From this reading “"But I thought--I thought," said the barrister, unable to conceal his surprise, "that is, I fancied you were indoors."”
movement that causes the formation of a curve
From this reading “"Who else should it be?" replied Berwin, bending forward to see who had jostled him.”
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading “"But I thought--I thought," said the barrister, unable to conceal his surprise, "that is, I fancied you were indoors."”
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading “"But I thought--I thought," said the barrister, unable to conceal his surprise, "that is, I fancied you were indoors."”
within a building
From this reading “"But I thought--I thought," said the barrister, unable to conceal his surprise, "that is, I fancied you were indoors."”
past form of “jostle” — make one's way by jostling, pushing, or shoving
From this reading “"Who else should it be?" replied Berwin, bending forward to see who had jostled him.”
-ing form of “recognise” — show approval or appreciation of
From this reading “AN UNSATISFACTORY EXPLANATION "Mr. Berwin!" cried Lucian, recognising the man.”
not giving satisfaction
From this reading “AN UNSATISFACTORY EXPLANATION "Mr. Berwin!" cried Lucian, recognising the man.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN UNSATISFACTORY EXPLANATION "Mr. Berwin!" cried Lucian, recognising the man.
a British or Canadian lawyer who speaks in the higher courts of law on behalf of either the defense or prosecution
From this reading "But I thought--I thought," said the barrister, unable to conceal his surprise, "that is, I fancied you were indoors."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Who else should it be?" replied Berwin, bending forward to see who had jostled him.
movement that causes the formation of a curve
From this reading "Who else should it be?" replied Berwin, bending forward to see who had jostled him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN UNSATISFACTORY EXPLANATION "Mr. Berwin!" cried Lucian, recognising the man.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But I thought--I thought," said the barrister, unable to conceal his surprise, "that is, I fancied you were indoors."
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading "But I thought--I thought," said the barrister, unable to conceal his surprise, "that is, I fancied you were indoors."
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading AN UNSATISFACTORY EXPLANATION "Mr. Berwin!" cried Lucian, recognising the man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who else should it be, Mr. Denzil?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who else should it be?" replied Berwin, bending forward to see who had jostled him.
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading AN UNSATISFACTORY EXPLANATION "Mr. Berwin!" cried Lucian, recognising the man.
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading "But I thought--I thought," said the barrister, unable to conceal his surprise, "that is, I fancied you were indoors."
at or to or toward the front
From this reading "Who else should it be?" replied Berwin, bending forward to see who had jostled him.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Who else should it be?" replied Berwin, bending forward to see who had jostled him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Who else should it be?" replied Berwin, bending forward to see who had jostled him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "But I thought--I thought," said the barrister, unable to conceal his surprise, "that is, I fancied you were indoors."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "But I thought--I thought," said the barrister, unable to conceal his surprise, "that is, I fancied you were indoors."
within a building
From this reading "But I thought--I thought," said the barrister, unable to conceal his surprise, "that is, I fancied you were indoors."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is it you?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Is it you?"
past form of “jostle” — make one's way by jostling, pushing, or shoving
From this reading "Who else should it be?" replied Berwin, bending forward to see who had jostled him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN UNSATISFACTORY EXPLANATION "Mr. Berwin!" cried Lucian, recognising the man.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading AN UNSATISFACTORY EXPLANATION "Mr. Berwin!" cried Lucian, recognising the man.
a form of address for a man
From this reading AN UNSATISFACTORY EXPLANATION "Mr. Berwin!" cried Lucian, recognising the man.
-ing form of “recognise” — show approval or appreciation of
From this reading AN UNSATISFACTORY EXPLANATION "Mr. Berwin!" cried Lucian, recognising the man.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Who else should it be?" replied Berwin, bending forward to see who had jostled him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "But I thought--I thought," said the barrister, unable to conceal his surprise, "that is, I fancied you were indoors."
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Who else should it be?" replied Berwin, bending forward to see who had jostled him.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "Who else should it be?" replied Berwin, bending forward to see who had jostled him.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading "But I thought--I thought," said the barrister, unable to conceal his surprise, "that is, I fancied you were indoors."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "But I thought--I thought," said the barrister, unable to conceal his surprise, "that is, I fancied you were indoors."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AN UNSATISFACTORY EXPLANATION "Mr. Berwin!" cried Lucian, recognising the man.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "But I thought--I thought," said the barrister, unable to conceal his surprise, "that is, I fancied you were indoors."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Who else should it be?" replied Berwin, bending forward to see who had jostled him.
(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how
From this reading "But I thought--I thought," said the barrister, unable to conceal his surprise, "that is, I fancied you were indoors."
not giving satisfaction
From this reading AN UNSATISFACTORY EXPLANATION "Mr. Berwin!" cried Lucian, recognising the man.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "But I thought--I thought," said the barrister, unable to conceal his surprise, "that is, I fancied you were indoors."
which person or people
From this reading "Who else should it be?" replied Berwin, bending forward to see who had jostled him.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Is it you?"
Chapter 2 of The Silent House by Fergus Hume holds 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 122 sentences of The Silent House, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Silent House by Fergus Hume exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Silent House by Fergus Hume on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4316 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19069 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19069, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 359 minutes of reading across 864 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Silent House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of The Silent House 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 Silent House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
