Chapter 14 of The Sleuth of St. James's Square is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of The Sleuth of St. James's Square is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She spoke finally. “Have you a directory of London, Hecklemeir?” The man had been watching her closely. “If it is Scotland Yard, my Lady,” he said, “you will not require a direction. I can give you the address.
Chapter 14 of The Sleuth of St. James's Square is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
speak to
From this reading “I can give you the address.”
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading “The man had been watching her closely.”
an alphabetical list of names and addresses
From this reading ““Have you a directory of London, Hecklemeir?””
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading “She spoke finally.”
require as useful, just, or proper
From this reading ““If it is Scotland Yard, my Lady,” he said, “you will not require a direction.”
one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain; famous for bagpipes and plaids and kilts
From this reading ““If it is Scotland Yard, my Lady,” he said, “you will not require a direction.”
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading “The man had been watching her closely.”
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading ““If it is Scotland Yard, my Lady,” he said, “you will not require a direction.”
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 “Have you a directory of London, Hecklemeir?”
speak to
From this reading I can give you the address.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The man had been watching her closely.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I can give you the address.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading The man had been watching her closely.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading “If it is Scotland Yard, my Lady,” he said, “you will not require a direction.
an alphabetical list of names and addresses
From this reading “Have you a directory of London, Hecklemeir?”
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading She spoke finally.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading I can give you the address.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The man had been watching her closely.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Have you a directory of London, Hecklemeir?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “If it is Scotland Yard, my Lady,” he said, “you will not require a direction.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Have you a directory of London, Hecklemeir?”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The man had been watching her closely.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I can give you the address.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If it is Scotland Yard, my Lady,” he said, “you will not require a direction.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “If it is Scotland Yard, my Lady,” he said, “you will not require a direction.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “If it is Scotland Yard, my Lady,” he said, “you will not require a direction.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading “If it is Scotland Yard, my Lady,” he said, “you will not require a direction.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading “Have you a directory of London, Hecklemeir?”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man had been watching her closely.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “If it is Scotland Yard, my Lady,” he said, “you will not require a direction.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “If it is Scotland Yard, my Lady,” he said, “you will not require a direction.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Have you a directory of London, Hecklemeir?”
require as useful, just, or proper
From this reading “If it is Scotland Yard, my Lady,” he said, “you will not require a direction.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “If it is Scotland Yard, my Lady,” he said, “you will not require a direction.
one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain; famous for bagpipes and plaids and kilts
From this reading “If it is Scotland Yard, my Lady,” he said, “you will not require a direction.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She spoke finally.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading She spoke finally.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The man had been watching her closely.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading The man had been watching her closely.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “If it is Scotland Yard, my Lady,” he said, “you will not require a direction.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading “If it is Scotland Yard, my Lady,” he said, “you will not require a direction.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Have you a directory of London, Hecklemeir?”
Chapter 14 of The Sleuth of St. James's Square by Melville Davisson Post holds 214 sentences, grouped into 43 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 14 holds 214 sentences of The Sleuth of St. James's Square, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of The Sleuth of St. James's Square by Melville Davisson Post exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 214 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 14 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 Sleuth of St. James's Square by Melville Davisson Post on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5594 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2861 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2861, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 466 minutes of reading across 1119 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sleuth of St. James's Square section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Sleuth of St. James's Square 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 Sleuth of St. James's Square, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
