Chapter 23 of The Way of Ambition is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Way of Ambition is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Two days later Mrs. Shiffney slipped Gillier's libretto surreptitiously into Claude's hand. "It's splendid!" she almost whispered. "With such a libretto you can't fail." They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers. Mrs. Shiffney looked toward the door.
Chapter 23 of The Way of Ambition is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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.
plural of “album” — one or more recordings issued together; originally released on 12-inch phonograph records (usually with attractive record covers) and later on cassette audiotape and compact disc
From this reading “They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers.”
plural of “armchair” — chair with a support on each side for arms
From this reading “They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers.”
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading “They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers.”
fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading “"With such a libretto you can't fail."”
the words of an opera or musical play
From this reading “Two days later Mrs. Shiffney slipped Gillier's libretto surreptitiously into Claude's hand.”
gallery where works of art can be displayed
From this reading “They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers.”
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading “Two days later Mrs. Shiffney slipped Gillier's libretto surreptitiously into Claude's hand.”
in a surreptitious manner
From this reading “Two days later Mrs. Shiffney slipped Gillier's libretto surreptitiously into Claude's hand.”
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 "With such a libretto you can't fail."
plural of “album” — one or more recordings issued together; originally released on 12-inch phonograph records (usually with attractive record covers) and later on cassette audiotape and compact disc
From this reading They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "It's splendid!" she almost whispered.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers.
plural of “armchair” — chair with a support on each side for arms
From this reading They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "With such a libretto you can't fail."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Two days later Mrs. Shiffney slipped Gillier's libretto surreptitiously into Claude's hand.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Two days later Mrs. Shiffney slipped Gillier's libretto surreptitiously into Claude's hand.
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Mrs. Shiffney looked toward the door.
fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading "With such a libretto you can't fail."
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Two days later Mrs. Shiffney slipped Gillier's libretto surreptitiously into Claude's hand.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Two days later Mrs. Shiffney slipped Gillier's libretto surreptitiously into Claude's hand.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Two days later Mrs. Shiffney slipped Gillier's libretto surreptitiously into Claude's hand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's splendid!" she almost whispered.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Two days later Mrs. Shiffney slipped Gillier's libretto surreptitiously into Claude's hand.
the words of an opera or musical play
From this reading Two days later Mrs. Shiffney slipped Gillier's libretto surreptitiously into Claude's hand.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Mrs. Shiffney looked toward the door.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Two days later Mrs. Shiffney slipped Gillier's libretto surreptitiously into Claude's hand.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers.
gallery where works of art can be displayed
From this reading They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It's splendid!" she almost whispered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Two days later Mrs. Shiffney slipped Gillier's libretto surreptitiously into Claude's hand.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading Two days later Mrs. Shiffney slipped Gillier's libretto surreptitiously into Claude's hand.
having great beauty and splendor
From this reading "It's splendid!" she almost whispered.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "With such a libretto you can't fail."
in a surreptitious manner
From this reading Two days later Mrs. Shiffney slipped Gillier's libretto surreptitiously into Claude's hand.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers.
in the direction of
From this reading Mrs. Shiffney looked toward the door.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two days later Mrs. Shiffney slipped Gillier's libretto surreptitiously into Claude's hand.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were in the deserted salon of the hotel, among armchairs, albums and old French picture-papers.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading "It's splendid!" she almost whispered.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "With such a libretto you can't fail."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "With such a libretto you can't fail."
Chapter 23 of The Way of Ambition by Robert Hichens holds 379 sentences, grouped into 76 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 23 holds 379 sentences of The Way of Ambition, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Way of Ambition by Robert Hichens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 379 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 23 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 Way of Ambition by Robert Hichens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 13645 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19491 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19491, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2729 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Way of Ambition section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of The Way of Ambition 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 Way of Ambition, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
