Chapter 2 of The Young Bank Messenger is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Young Bank Messenger is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A DEATHBED REVELATION. Ernest made the best of his way home, for he knew his uncle would be waiting for him. The old man's eyes were closed, but he opened them when Ernest entered the room. "Was I gone long?" asked the boy. "I don't know.
Chapter 2 of The Young Bank Messenger is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading “The old man's eyes were closed, but he opened them when Ernest entered the room.”
the last few hours before death
From this reading “A DEATHBED REVELATION.”
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading “The old man's eyes were closed, but he opened them when Ernest entered the room.”
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “The old man's eyes were closed, but he opened them when Ernest entered the room.”
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading “The old man's eyes were closed, but he opened them when Ernest entered the room.”
the speech act of making something evident
From this reading “A DEATHBED REVELATION.”
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading “Ernest made the best of his way home, for he knew his uncle would be waiting for him.”
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading “Ernest made the best of his way home, for he knew his uncle would be waiting for him.”
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 A DEATHBED REVELATION.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Was I gone long?" asked the boy.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Ernest made the best of his way home, for he knew his uncle would be waiting for him.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading Ernest made the best of his way home, for he knew his uncle would be waiting for him.
a youthful male person
From this reading "Was I gone long?" asked the boy.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The old man's eyes were closed, but he opened them when Ernest entered the room.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading The old man's eyes were closed, but he opened them when Ernest entered the room.
the last few hours before death
From this reading A DEATHBED REVELATION.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading The old man's eyes were closed, but he opened them when Ernest entered the room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ernest made the best of his way home, for he knew his uncle would be waiting for him.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The old man's eyes were closed, but he opened them when Ernest entered the room.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Ernest made the best of his way home, for he knew his uncle would be waiting for him.
destroyed or killed
From this reading "Was I gone long?" asked the boy.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Ernest made the best of his way home, for he knew his uncle would be waiting for him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Ernest made the best of his way home, for he knew his uncle would be waiting for him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Ernest made the best of his way home, for he knew his uncle would be waiting for him.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Ernest made the best of his way home, for he knew his uncle would be waiting for him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Was I gone long?" asked the boy.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Ernest made the best of his way home, for he knew his uncle would be waiting for him.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "Was I gone long?" asked the boy.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Ernest made the best of his way home, for he knew his uncle would be waiting for him.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The old man's eyes were closed, but he opened them when Ernest entered the room.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Ernest made the best of his way home, for he knew his uncle would be waiting for him.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old man's eyes were closed, but he opened them when Ernest entered the room.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading The old man's eyes were closed, but he opened them when Ernest entered the room.
the speech act of making something evident
From this reading A DEATHBED REVELATION.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The old man's eyes were closed, but he opened them when Ernest entered the room.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ernest made the best of his way home, for he knew his uncle would be waiting for him.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The old man's eyes were closed, but he opened them when Ernest entered the room.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading Ernest made the best of his way home, for he knew his uncle would be waiting for him.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Ernest made the best of his way home, for he knew his uncle would be waiting for him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Was I gone long?" asked the boy.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Ernest made the best of his way home, for he knew his uncle would be waiting for him.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The old man's eyes were closed, but he opened them when Ernest entered the room.
at the time that
From this reading The old man's eyes were closed, but he opened them when Ernest entered the room.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Ernest made the best of his way home, for he knew his uncle would be waiting for him.
Chapter 2 of The Young Bank Messenger by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 2 holds 159 sentences of The Young Bank Messenger, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Young Bank Messenger by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 2 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 Young Bank Messenger by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4829 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25150 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25150, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 402 minutes of reading across 966 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Young Bank Messenger section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of The Young Bank Messenger 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 Young Bank Messenger, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
