The Traitor

Chapter IV · The Old Code

Chapter IV of The Traitor, “The Old Code,” is here in full — 56 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Thomas, Jr. Dixon • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

The lank mountaineer merely nodded, followed the young lawyer into the office, and stood in silence watching him as he opened a case of duelling pistols which had been handed down through four generations of his family.

“Don’t do it,” said Dan abruptly.

“I’ve got to.”

“Ain’t no sense in it.”

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

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/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IV Reading 1/11

The Traitor

Chapter IV · The Old Code

Chapter IV of The Traitor, “The Old Code,” is here in full — 56 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/11 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

Line 2

Line 3

“Don’t do it,” said Dan abruptly.

Line 4

“I’ve got to.”

Line 5

“Ain’t no sense in it.”

Learner Dictionary

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.

abruptly adverb US /əˈbrʌptli/

quickly and without warning

From this reading ““Don’t do it,” said Dan abruptly.”

briskly adverb US /ˈbrɪskli/

in a brisk manner

From this reading “JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.”

generations noun US /ˌdʒenərˈeɪʃənz/

plural of “generation” — all the people living at the same time or of approximately the same age

From this reading “The lank mountaineer merely nodded, followed the young lawyer into the office, and stood in silence watching him as he opened a case of duelling pistols which had been handed down through four generations of his family.”

graham noun US /ˈɡreɪəm/

United States evangelical preacher famous as a mass evangelist (born in 1918)

From this reading “JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.”

lank adjective US /læŋk/

long and thin and often limp

lawyer noun US /ˈlɔːjər/

a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice

mountaineer noun US /ˈmaʊntɪnɪr/

someone who climbs mountains

pistols noun US /ˈpɪstəlz/

plural of “pistol” — a firearm that is held and fired with one hand

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

next morning adjective + noun

In this reading “JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.”

four generations noun + noun counted as “four generation”

In this reading “The lank mountaineer merely nodded, followed the young lawyer into the office, and stood in silence watching him as he opened a case of duelling pistols which had been handed down through four generations of his family.”

young lawyer adjective + noun

at the door preposition + article + noun counted as “at … door”

In this reading “JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.”

in silence preposition + noun

into the office preposition + article + noun counted as “into … office”

All words in this reading · 59

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

abruptlyadverbUS /əˈbrʌptli/

quickly and without warning

From this reading “Don’t do it,” said Dan abruptly.

Ain't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Ain’t no sense in it.”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The lank mountaineer merely nodded, followed the young lawyer into the office, and stood in silence watching him as he opened a case of duelling pistols which had been handed down through four generations of his family.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

brisklyadverbUS /ˈbrɪskli/

in a brisk manner

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

casenounUS /keɪs/

an occurrence of something

Dan

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading “Don’t do it,” said Dan abruptly.

Don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Don’t do it,” said Dan abruptly.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

duelling

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

familynounUS /ˈfæməli/

a social unit living together

followedverbUS /ˈfɑːloʊd/

past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

fournounUS /fɔːr/

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

generationsnounUS /ˌdʒenərˈeɪʃənz/

plural of “generation” — all the people living at the same time or of approximately the same age

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading “I’ve got to.”

GRAHAMnounUS /ˈɡreɪəm/

United States evangelical preacher famous as a mass evangelist (born in 1918)

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

handedadjectiveUS /ˈhændəd/

having or involving the use of hands

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

I've

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I’ve got to.”

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “Don’t do it,” said Dan abruptly.

JOHNnounUS /dʒɑːn/

a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

lankadjectiveUS /læŋk/

long and thin and often limp

lawyernounUS /ˈlɔːjər/

a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice

merelyadverbUS /ˈmɪrli/

and nothing more

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

mountaineernounUS /ˈmaʊntɪnɪr/

someone who climbs mountains

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading “Ain’t no sense in it.”

noddedverbUS /ˈnɑːdəd/

inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

officenounUS /ˈɔːfɪs/

place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

openedadjectiveUS /ˈoʊpənd/

used of mouth or eyes

pistolsnounUS /ˈpɪstəlz/

plural of “pistol” — a firearm that is held and fired with one hand

quarternounUS /ˈkwɔːrtər/

one of four equal parts

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “Don’t do it,” said Dan abruptly.

sensenounUS /sens/

a general conscious awareness

From this reading “Ain’t no sense in it.”

silencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

standingadjectiveUS /ˈstændɪŋ/

having a supporting base

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

tennounUS /ten/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

walkedverbUS /wɔːkt/

past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

watchingnounUS /ˈwɑːtʃɪŋ/

the act of observing; taking a patient look

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

Wiley

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading JOHN GRAHAM walked briskly to his office the next morning at a quarter to ten, and found Dan Wiley standing at the door.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

Chapter 4 of The Traitor by Thomas, Jr. Dixon holds 56 sentences, grouped into 12 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.

What does chapter 4 of The Traitor contain?

Chapter 4 holds 56 sentences of The Traitor, unabridged, divided into 12 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The Traitor by Thomas, Jr. Dixon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 56 sentences, grouped into 12 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of The Traitor?

Work through the 12 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 12 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 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.

Questions about reading The Traitor

Common questions about reading The Traitor by Thomas, Jr. Dixon on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Traitor?

Yes. All 4658 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54766 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Traitor is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #54766, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Traitor take to read?

About 388 minutes of reading across 932 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Traitor

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Traitor, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Mather: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Traitor; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Latch: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Traitor; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Shook: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Traitor; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Gently: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Traitor; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter IV · The Old Code

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