Chapter 33 of The Way of Ambition is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIII
Chapter 33 of The Way of Ambition is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
That night, when Claude arrived at the St. Regis, Charmian was still out. She did not return till just after midnight. When she came into the sitting-room she found Claude in an armchair near the window, which was slightly open. He had no book or paper, and seemed to be listening to something. "Claudie!
Chapter 33 of The Way of Ambition is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
chair with a support on each side for arms
From this reading “When she came into the sitting-room she found Claude in an armchair near the window, which was slightly open.”
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading “That night, when Claude arrived at the St. Regis, Charmian was still out.”
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading “He had no book or paper, and seemed to be listening to something.”
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading “He had no book or paper, and seemed to be listening to something.”
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading “She did not return till just after midnight.”
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading “He had no book or paper, and seemed to be listening to something.”
to a small degree or extent
From this reading “When she came into the sitting-room she found Claude in an armchair near the window, which was slightly open.”
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading “When she came into the sitting-room she found Claude in an armchair near the window, which was slightly open.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading She did not return till just after midnight.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading When she came into the sitting-room she found Claude in an armchair near the window, which was slightly open.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had no book or paper, and seemed to be listening to something.
chair with a support on each side for arms
From this reading When she came into the sitting-room she found Claude in an armchair near the window, which was slightly open.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading That night, when Claude arrived at the St. Regis, Charmian was still out.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading That night, when Claude arrived at the St. Regis, Charmian was still out.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He had no book or paper, and seemed to be listening to something.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading He had no book or paper, and seemed to be listening to something.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When she came into the sitting-room she found Claude in an armchair near the window, which was slightly open.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That night, when Claude arrived at the St. Regis, Charmian was still out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That night, when Claude arrived at the St. Regis, Charmian was still out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Claudie!
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She did not return till just after midnight.
set up or found
From this reading When she came into the sitting-room she found Claude in an armchair near the window, which was slightly open.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had no book or paper, and seemed to be listening to something.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had no book or paper, and seemed to be listening to something.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When she came into the sitting-room she found Claude in an armchair near the window, which was slightly open.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading When she came into the sitting-room she found Claude in an armchair near the window, which was slightly open.
and nothing more
From this reading She did not return till just after midnight.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading He had no book or paper, and seemed to be listening to something.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading She did not return till just after midnight.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading When she came into the sitting-room she found Claude in an armchair near the window, which was slightly open.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading That night, when Claude arrived at the St. Regis, Charmian was still out.
not any; not one
From this reading He had no book or paper, and seemed to be listening to something.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She did not return till just after midnight.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading When she came into the sitting-room she found Claude in an armchair near the window, which was slightly open.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He had no book or paper, and seemed to be listening to something.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading That night, when Claude arrived at the St. Regis, Charmian was still out.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading He had no book or paper, and seemed to be listening to something.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That night, when Claude arrived at the St. Regis, Charmian was still out.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading She did not return till just after midnight.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He had no book or paper, and seemed to be listening to something.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She did not return till just after midnight.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When she came into the sitting-room she found Claude in an armchair near the window, which was slightly open.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading When she came into the sitting-room she found Claude in an armchair near the window, which was slightly open.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading He had no book or paper, and seemed to be listening to something.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That night, when Claude arrived at the St. Regis, Charmian was still out.
not in physical motion
From this reading That night, when Claude arrived at the St. Regis, Charmian was still out.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That night, when Claude arrived at the St. Regis, Charmian was still out.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading That night, when Claude arrived at the St. Regis, Charmian was still out.
up to a particular time
From this reading She did not return till just after midnight.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had no book or paper, and seemed to be listening to something.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That night, when Claude arrived at the St. Regis, Charmian was still out.
at the time that
From this reading That night, when Claude arrived at the St. Regis, Charmian was still out.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading When she came into the sitting-room she found Claude in an armchair near the window, which was slightly open.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading When she came into the sitting-room she found Claude in an armchair near the window, which was slightly open.
Chapter 33 of The Way of Ambition by Robert Hichens holds 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 33 holds 111 sentences of The Way of Ambition, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 33 of The Way of Ambition by Robert Hichens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 33 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.
