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The Turnpike House
The Turnpike House

Chapter XXX · The Truth at Last

Chapter XXX of The Turnpike House, “The Truth at Last,” is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/26 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"It is not impossible," said Geoffrey, thunderstruck.
Mrs. Marshall shook her head.
"So possible that I always thought so myself," she said.
"My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.
"I have told you several times, Geoffrey, that I believed Mrs. Jenner to be guilty."
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Turnpike House

Chapter XXX · The Truth at Last

Chapter XXX of The Turnpike House, “The Truth at Last,” is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"It is not impossible," said Geoffrey, thunderstruck.
Line 2
Mrs. Marshall shook her head.
/ˈmɪsɪz ˈmɑːrʃəl ʃʊk hɜːr hed/
Line 3
"So possible that I always thought so myself," she said.
/soʊ ˈpɑːsəbəl ðæt aɪ ˈɔːlweɪz θɔːt soʊ ˌmaɪˈself ʃiː sed/
Line 4
"My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.
Line 5
"I have told you several times, Geoffrey, that I believed Mrs. Jenner to be guilty."

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.

assembled verb US /əˈsembəld/

past form of “assemble” — create by putting components or members together

From this reading “"My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.”

believed verb US /bɪˈliːvd/

past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true

From this reading “"I have told you several times, Geoffrey, that I believed Mrs. Jenner to be guilty."”

guilty adjective US /ˈɡɪlti/

responsible for or chargeable with a reprehensible act

From this reading “"I have told you several times, Geoffrey, that I believed Mrs. Jenner to be guilty."”

Heron's noun US /ˈherənz/

possessive form of “heron” — Greek mathematician and inventor who devised a way to determine the area of a triangle and who described various mechanical devices (first century)

From this reading “"My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.”

Jenner noun US /ˈdʒenər/

English physician who pioneered vaccination; Jenner inoculated people with small amounts of cowpox to prevent them from getting smallpox (1749-1823)

From this reading “"I have told you several times, Geoffrey, that I believed Mrs. Jenner to be guilty."”

library noun US /ˈlaɪbreriː/

a room where books are kept

From this reading “"My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.”

Marshall noun US /ˈmɑːrʃəl/

United States actor (1914-1998)

From this reading “Mrs. Marshall shook her head.”

thunderstruck adjective US /ˈθʌndərstrʌk/

as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise

From this reading “"It is not impossible," said Geoffrey, thunderstruck.”

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.

several times adjective + noun

In this reading “"I have told you several times, Geoffrey, that I believed Mrs. Jenner to be guilty."”

third person noun + noun

pronouns and verbs that are used to refer to something other than the speaker or addressee of the language in which they occur

In this reading “"My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.”

own idea verb + noun

In this reading “"My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.”

assembled in verb + particle counted as “assemble in”

In this reading “"My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.”

All words in this reading · 49

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.

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading "So possible that I always thought so myself," she said.

assembledverbUS /əˈsembəld/

past form of “assemble” — create by putting components or members together

From this reading "My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "I have told you several times, Geoffrey, that I believed Mrs. Jenner to be guilty."

believedverbUS /bɪˈliːvd/

past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true

From this reading "I have told you several times, Geoffrey, that I believed Mrs. Jenner to be guilty."

Cass

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

From this reading "My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.

Geoffrey

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

From this reading "It is not impossible," said Geoffrey, thunderstruck.

guiltyadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪlti/

responsible for or chargeable with a reprehensible act

From this reading "I have told you several times, Geoffrey, that I believed Mrs. Jenner to be guilty."

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "I have told you several times, Geoffrey, that I believed Mrs. Jenner to be guilty."

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading Mrs. Marshall shook her head.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Mrs. Marshall shook her head.

Heron'snounUS /ˈherənz/

possessive form of “heron” — Greek mathematician and inventor who devised a way to determine the area of a triangle and who described various mechanical devices (first century)

From this reading "My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "So possible that I always thought so myself," she said.

ideanounUS /aɪˈdiːə/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading "My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.

impossibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɑːsəbəl/

not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with

From this reading "It is not impossible," said Geoffrey, thunderstruck.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading "My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "It is not impossible," said Geoffrey, thunderstruck.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "It is not impossible," said Geoffrey, thunderstruck.

JennernounUS /ˈdʒenər/

English physician who pioneered vaccination; Jenner inoculated people with small amounts of cowpox to prevent them from getting smallpox (1749-1823)

From this reading "I have told you several times, Geoffrey, that I believed Mrs. Jenner to be guilty."

librarynounUS /ˈlaɪbreriː/

a room where books are kept

From this reading "My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.

MarshallnounUS /ˈmɑːrʃəl/

United States actor (1914-1998)

From this reading Mrs. Marshall shook her head.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading "My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.

MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading Mrs. Marshall shook her head.

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.

myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading "So possible that I always thought so myself," she said.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "It is not impossible," said Geoffrey, thunderstruck.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading "My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading "My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.

partynounUS /ˈpɑːrti/

an organization to gain political power

From this reading "My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.

personnounUS /ˈpɜːrsən/

a human being

From this reading "My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.

possibleadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːsəbəl/

capable of happening or existing

From this reading "So possible that I always thought so myself," she said.

remarkedverbUS /rɪˈmɑːrkt/

past form of “remark” — make mention of

From this reading "My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "It is not impossible," said Geoffrey, thunderstruck.

sameadjectiveUS /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

From this reading "My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.

severaladjectiveUS /ˈsevrəl/

(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many

From this reading "I have told you several times, Geoffrey, that I believed Mrs. Jenner to be guilty."

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "So possible that I always thought so myself," she said.

shooknounUS /ʃʊk/

a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment

From this reading Mrs. Marshall shook her head.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading "So possible that I always thought so myself," she said.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "So possible that I always thought so myself," she said.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.

thirdnounUS /θɜːrd/

one of three equal parts of a divisible whole

From this reading "My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading "So possible that I always thought so myself," she said.

thunderstruckadjectiveUS /ˈθʌndərstrʌk/

as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise

From this reading "It is not impossible," said Geoffrey, thunderstruck.

timesnounUS /taɪmz/

a more or less definite period of time now or previously present

From this reading "I have told you several times, Geoffrey, that I believed Mrs. Jenner to be guilty."

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading "I have told you several times, Geoffrey, that I believed Mrs. Jenner to be guilty."

toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading "I have told you several times, Geoffrey, that I believed Mrs. Jenner to be guilty."

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading "My own idea was the same," remarked Mr. Cass, who was the third person of the party now assembled in Mr. Heron's library.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "I have told you several times, Geoffrey, that I believed Mrs. Jenner to be guilty."

Chapter 30 of The Turnpike House by Fergus Hume holds 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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 30 of The Turnpike House contain?

Chapter 30 holds 131 sentences of The Turnpike House, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 30 of The Turnpike House by Fergus Hume exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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 30 of The Turnpike House?

Work through the 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 27 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 30 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 30 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 Turnpike House

Common questions about reading The Turnpike House by Fergus Hume on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Turnpike House?

Yes. All 6014 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55782 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Turnpike House is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #55782, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Turnpike House take to read?

About 501 minutes of reading across 1203 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Turnpike House section by section

How to work through The Turnpike House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Turnpike House to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Turnpike House

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

Convict's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Turnpike House; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Return
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Turnpike House; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stood
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Turnpike House; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Where
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Turnpike House; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.