Chapter 15 of The Weapons of Mystery is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Weapons of Mystery is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found. There was much in my favour. I possessed freedom; I had plenty of money; I had plenty of time. On the other hand, there was much against me. Was he alive?
Chapter 15 of The Weapons of Mystery is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
put to use
From this reading “BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.”
a feeling of favorable regard
From this reading “There was much in my favour.”
past form of “free” — grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading “BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.”
the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints
From this reading “I possessed freedom; I had plenty of money; I had plenty of time.”
a full supply
From this reading “I possessed freedom; I had plenty of money; I had plenty of time.”
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading “I possessed freedom; I had plenty of money; I had plenty of time.”
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading “BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.”
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading “BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.”
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.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading On the other hand, there was much against me.
possessing life
From this reading Was he alive?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
put to use
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
a feeling of favorable regard
From this reading There was much in my favour.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
set up or found
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
past form of “free” — grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints
From this reading I possessed freedom; I had plenty of money; I had plenty of time.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I possessed freedom; I had plenty of money; I had plenty of time.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading On the other hand, there was much against me.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was much in my favour.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading On the other hand, there was much against me.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading I possessed freedom; I had plenty of money; I had plenty of time.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading There was much in my favour.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading There was much in my favour.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
not any; not one
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I possessed freedom; I had plenty of money; I had plenty of time.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the other hand, there was much against me.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading On the other hand, there was much against me.
a full supply
From this reading I possessed freedom; I had plenty of money; I had plenty of time.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading I possessed freedom; I had plenty of money; I had plenty of time.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On the other hand, there was much against me.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was much in my favour.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I possessed freedom; I had plenty of money; I had plenty of time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was much in my favour.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading BEGINNING TO SEARCH No sooner did I begin to feel freed from Voltaire's power than I began to exert myself to find Kaffar, if indeed he were to be found.
Chapter 15 of The Weapons of Mystery by Joseph Hocking holds 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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 15 holds 211 sentences of The Weapons of Mystery, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Weapons of Mystery by Joseph Hocking exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 15 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.
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