Chapter 39 of The Third Volume is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of The Third Volume is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE TRUTH. HILLISTON came and went in the space of a few minutes. None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence. Thinking of Hilliston's last speech, Denis was the first to speak. "What does that mean, sir?" he asked his master, with an air of helpless bewilderment.
Chapter 39 of The Third Volume is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.”
confusion resulting from failure to understand
From this reading “"What does that mean, sir?" he asked his master, with an air of helpless bewilderment.”
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading “None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.”
an opening that permits escape or release
From this reading “None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.”
lacking in or deprived of strength or power
From this reading “"What does that mean, sir?" he asked his master, with an air of helpless bewilderment.”
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading “HILLISTON came and went in the space of a few minutes.”
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading “Thinking of Hilliston's last speech, Denis was the first to speak.”
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.”
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.
In this reading “HILLISTON came and went in the space of a few minutes.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.”
In this reading “None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.”
In this reading “None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.”
In this reading “"What does that mean, sir?" he asked his master, with an air of helpless bewilderment.”
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 HILLISTON came and went in the space of a few minutes.
later than; following
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading "What does that mean, sir?" he asked his master, with an air of helpless bewilderment.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "What does that mean, sir?" he asked his master, with an air of helpless bewilderment.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading HILLISTON came and went in the space of a few minutes.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What does that mean, sir?" he asked his master, with an air of helpless bewilderment.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
confusion resulting from failure to understand
From this reading "What does that mean, sir?" he asked his master, with an air of helpless bewilderment.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading HILLISTON came and went in the space of a few minutes.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thinking of Hilliston's last speech, Denis was the first to speak.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What does that mean, sir?" he asked his master, with an air of helpless bewilderment.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
an opening that permits escape or release
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading HILLISTON came and went in the space of a few minutes.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Thinking of Hilliston's last speech, Denis was the first to speak.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What does that mean, sir?" he asked his master, with an air of helpless bewilderment.
lacking in or deprived of strength or power
From this reading "What does that mean, sir?" he asked his master, with an air of helpless bewilderment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HILLISTON came and went in the space of a few minutes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thinking of Hilliston's last speech, Denis was the first to speak.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading HILLISTON came and went in the space of a few minutes.
immediately past
From this reading Thinking of Hilliston's last speech, Denis was the first to speak.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading "What does that mean, sir?" he asked his master, with an air of helpless bewilderment.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "What does that mean, sir?" he asked his master, with an air of helpless bewilderment.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading HILLISTON came and went in the space of a few minutes.
not one, and not any
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading HILLISTON came and went in the space of a few minutes.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
term of address for a man
From this reading "What does that mean, sir?" he asked his master, with an air of helpless bewilderment.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading HILLISTON came and went in the space of a few minutes.
express in speech
From this reading Thinking of Hilliston's last speech, Denis was the first to speak.
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading Thinking of Hilliston's last speech, Denis was the first to speak.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "What does that mean, sir?" he asked his master, with an air of helpless bewilderment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TRUTH.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading Thinking of Hilliston's last speech, Denis was the first to speak.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading None of those present made any attempt to stay his exit, but as the door closed after him they looked at one another in silence.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading THE TRUTH.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Thinking of Hilliston's last speech, Denis was the first to speak.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading HILLISTON came and went in the space of a few minutes.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What does that mean, sir?" he asked his master, with an air of helpless bewilderment.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "What does that mean, sir?" he asked his master, with an air of helpless bewilderment.
Chapter 39 of The Third Volume by Fergus Hume holds 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 39 holds 137 sentences of The Third Volume, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of The Third Volume by Fergus Hume exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 39 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 Third Volume by Fergus Hume on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6333 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43288 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43288, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 527 minutes of reading across 1267 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Third Volume section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Third Volume 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 Third Volume, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
