Chapter 3 of The Torch and Other Tales is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Torch and Other Tales is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"God's my judge!" began Mary, dropping in the chair by the fire. "God's my judge, Rupert and Susan, but he's offered marriage!" "Bob!" I said; and yet I weren't so surprised as I pretended to be. And my wife didn't even pretend.
Chapter 3 of The Torch and Other Tales is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “"Bob!"”
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading “"God's my judge!" began Mary, dropping in the chair by the fire.”
possessive form of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading “"God's my judge!" began Mary, dropping in the chair by the fire.”
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading “"God's my judge, Rupert and Susan, but he's offered marriage!"”
make believe with the intent to deceive
From this reading “And my wife didn't even pretend.”
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading “I said; and yet I weren't so surprised as I pretended to be.”
English leader (born in Germany) of the Royalist forces during the English Civil War (1619-1682)
From this reading “"God's my judge, Rupert and Susan, but he's offered marriage!"”
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading “I said; and yet I weren't so surprised as I pretended to be.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "God's my judge, Rupert and Susan, but he's offered marriage!"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I said; and yet I weren't so surprised as I pretended to be.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I said; and yet I weren't so surprised as I pretended to be.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "God's my judge!" began Mary, dropping in the chair by the fire.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading "Bob!"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "God's my judge, Rupert and Susan, but he's offered marriage!"
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "God's my judge!" began Mary, dropping in the chair by the fire.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading "God's my judge!" began Mary, dropping in the chair by the fire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And my wife didn't even pretend.
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading "God's my judge!" began Mary, dropping in the chair by the fire.
divisible by two
From this reading And my wife didn't even pretend.
start firing a weapon
From this reading "God's my judge!" began Mary, dropping in the chair by the fire.
possessive form of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading "God's my judge!" began Mary, dropping in the chair by the fire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "God's my judge, Rupert and Susan, but he's offered marriage!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I said; and yet I weren't so surprised as I pretended to be.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "God's my judge!" began Mary, dropping in the chair by the fire.
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading "God's my judge!" began Mary, dropping in the chair by the fire.
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading "God's my judge, Rupert and Susan, but he's offered marriage!"
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading "God's my judge!" began Mary, dropping in the chair by the fire.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "God's my judge!" began Mary, dropping in the chair by the fire.
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading "God's my judge, Rupert and Susan, but he's offered marriage!"
make believe with the intent to deceive
From this reading And my wife didn't even pretend.
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading I said; and yet I weren't so surprised as I pretended to be.
English leader (born in Germany) of the Royalist forces during the English Civil War (1619-1682)
From this reading "God's my judge, Rupert and Susan, but he's offered marriage!"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I said; and yet I weren't so surprised as I pretended to be.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I said; and yet I weren't so surprised as I pretended to be.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading I said; and yet I weren't so surprised as I pretended to be.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "God's my judge, Rupert and Susan, but he's offered marriage!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "God's my judge!" began Mary, dropping in the chair by the fire.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I said; and yet I weren't so surprised as I pretended to be.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I said; and yet I weren't so surprised as I pretended to be.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading And my wife didn't even pretend.
but in spite of that
From this reading I said; and yet I weren't so surprised as I pretended to be.
Chapter 3 of The Torch and Other Tales by Eden Phillpotts holds 435 sentences, grouped into 87 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 3 holds 435 sentences of The Torch and Other Tales, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Torch and Other Tales by Eden Phillpotts exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 435 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 3 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 Torch and Other Tales by Eden Phillpotts on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3899 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15737 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15737, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 324 minutes of reading across 780 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Torch and Other Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Torch and Other Tales 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 Torch and Other Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
