Chapter 2 of The Swindler and Other Stories is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Swindler and Other Stories is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh!" breathed Cynthia. "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?" West uttered his brief, hard laugh. "What do you take me for?" She heaved a great sigh of relief.
Chapter 2 of The Swindler and Other Stories is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
uttered without voice
From this reading “"Oh!" breathed Cynthia.”
of short duration or distance
From this reading “West uttered his brief, hard laugh.”
(Greek mythology) the virgin goddess of the hunt and the Moon; daughter of Leto and twin sister of Apollo; identified with Roman Diana
From this reading “"Oh!" breathed Cynthia.”
the first light of day
From this reading “"Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"”
past form of “heave” — utter a sound, as with obvious effort
From this reading “She heaved a great sigh of relief.”
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “She heaved a great sigh of relief.”
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading “"Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"”
communicated in words
From this reading “West uttered his brief, hard laugh.”
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 She heaved a great sigh of relief.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
uttered without voice
From this reading "Oh!" breathed Cynthia.
of short duration or distance
From this reading West uttered his brief, hard laugh.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
(Greek mythology) the virgin goddess of the hunt and the Moon; daughter of Leto and twin sister of Apollo; identified with Roman Diana
From this reading "Oh!" breathed Cynthia.
the first light of day
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What do you take me for?"
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
opinion or judgment
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "What do you take me for?"
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading She heaved a great sigh of relief.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading West uttered his brief, hard laugh.
past form of “heave” — utter a sound, as with obvious effort
From this reading She heaved a great sigh of relief.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading West uttered his brief, hard laugh.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
immediately past
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
the sound of laughing
From this reading West uttered his brief, hard laugh.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "What do you take me for?"
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She heaved a great sigh of relief.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh!" breathed Cynthia.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading She heaved a great sigh of relief.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She heaved a great sigh of relief.
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading She heaved a great sigh of relief.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
carry out
From this reading "What do you take me for?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
communicated in words
From this reading West uttered his brief, hard laugh.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading West uttered his brief, hard laugh.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What do you take me for?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What do you take me for?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Then"--with sudden hope dawning in her eyes--"it really was your doing, that trick at the card-table last night?"
Chapter 2 of The Swindler and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 409 sentences of The Swindler and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Swindler and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Swindler and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8523 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18644 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18644, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1705 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Swindler and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Swindler and Other Stories 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 Swindler and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
