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Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story
Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story
Context Illustration Reading 1/81 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.
On Friday morning Irma Hamerton came to town again.
I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.
Every one sat up and stared.
She was as lovely as only herself, but I thought, looked harassed.
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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.

Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.
/ˈmætərz stʊd ðʌs æt ðə end ʌv ðə wiːk huːz bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ hæd ˈwɪtnəst ðə ˈnuːpɔːrt ˈrɑːbəri/
Line 2
On Friday morning Irma Hamerton came to town again.
Line 3
I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.
/aɪ ˈwɪtnəst hɜːr ərˈaɪvəl ɪn ðə ˈlɑːbi ʌv ðə ˈrɑːtərdæm wɪtʃ juː wɪl rɪˈmɛm.bər wɑːz hɜːr hoʊˈtel bɪˈfɔːr ɪt hæd bɪn maɪn/
Line 4
Every one sat up and stared.
/ˈevəri wʌn sæt ʌp ənd sterd/
Line 5
She was as lovely as only herself, but I thought, looked harassed.
/ʃiː wɑːz æz ˈlʌvli æz ˈoʊnli hərˈself bʌt aɪ θɔːt lʊkt hərˈæst/

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.

arrival noun US /ərˈaɪvəl/

accomplishment of an objective

From this reading “I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.”

Friday noun US /ˈfraɪdi/

the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day

From this reading “On Friday morning Irma Hamerton came to town again.”

harassed adjective US /hərˈæst/

troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances

From this reading “She was as lovely as only herself, but I thought, looked harassed.”

lobby noun US /ˈlɑːbi/

a large entrance or reception room or area

From this reading “I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.”

Newport noun US /ˈnuːpɔːrt/

a port city in southeastern Wales

From this reading “Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.”

robbery noun US /ˈrɑːbəri/

larceny by threat of violence

From this reading “Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.”

Rotterdam noun US /ˈrɑːtərdæm/

the 2nd largest city in the Netherlands; located in the western Netherlands near the North Sea

From this reading “I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.”

witnessed verb US /ˈwɪtnəst/

past form of “witness” — be a witness to

From this reading “Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.”

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.

at the end preposition + article + noun counted as “at … end”

In this reading “Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.”

All words in this reading · 54

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.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading On Friday morning Irma Hamerton came to town again.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Every one sat up and stared.

arrivalnounUS /ərˈaɪvəl/

accomplishment of an objective

From this reading I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading She was as lovely as only herself, but I thought, looked harassed.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.

beginningnounUS /bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/

the event consisting of the start of something

From this reading Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading She was as lovely as only herself, but I thought, looked harassed.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading On Friday morning Irma Hamerton came to town again.

endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.

EverydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Every one sat up and stared.

FridaynounUS /ˈfraɪdi/

the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day

From this reading On Friday morning Irma Hamerton came to town again.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.

Hamerton

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

From this reading On Friday morning Irma Hamerton came to town again.

harassedadjectiveUS /hərˈæst/

troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances

From this reading She was as lovely as only herself, but I thought, looked harassed.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading She was as lovely as only herself, but I thought, looked harassed.

hotelnounUS /hoʊˈtel/

a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services

From this reading I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.

Irma

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

From this reading On Friday morning Irma Hamerton came to town again.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.

lobbynounUS /ˈlɑːbi/

a large entrance or reception room or area

From this reading I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading She was as lovely as only herself, but I thought, looked harassed.

lovelyadjectiveUS /ˈlʌvli/

appealing to the emotions as well as the eye

From this reading She was as lovely as only herself, but I thought, looked harassed.

MattersnounUS /ˈmætərz/

plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern

From this reading Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.

minepronounUS /maɪn/

the one or ones belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading On Friday morning Irma Hamerton came to town again.

NewportnounUS /ˈnuːpɔːrt/

a port city in southeastern Wales

From this reading Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On Friday morning Irma Hamerton came to town again.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Every one sat up and stared.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading She was as lovely as only herself, but I thought, looked harassed.

rememberverbUS /rɪˈmɛm.bər/

To recall to mind.

From this reading I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.

robberynounUS /ˈrɑːbəri/

larceny by threat of violence

From this reading Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.

RotterdamnounUS /ˈrɑːtərdæm/

the 2nd largest city in the Netherlands; located in the western Netherlands near the North Sea

From this reading I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading Every one sat up and stared.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She was as lovely as only herself, but I thought, looked harassed.

staredverbUS /sterd/

past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes

From this reading Every one sat up and stared.

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

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

From this reading She was as lovely as only herself, but I thought, looked harassed.

thusadverbUS /ðʌs/

(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result

From this reading Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading On Friday morning Irma Hamerton came to town again.

townnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading On Friday morning Irma Hamerton came to town again.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Every one sat up and stared.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.

weeknounUS /wiːk/

any period of seven consecutive days

From this reading Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.

witnessedverbUS /ˈwɪtnəst/

past form of “witness” — be a witness to

From this reading Matters stood thus at the end of the week whose beginning had witnessed the Newport robbery.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading I witnessed her arrival in the lobby of the Rotterdam, which you will remember was her hotel before it had been mine.

Chapter 15 of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story by Hulbert Footner holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 15 of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story contain?

Chapter 15 holds 407 sentences of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 15 of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story by Hulbert Footner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 15 of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story?

Work through the 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 82 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 15 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story

Common questions about reading Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story by Hulbert Footner on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story?

Yes. All 6984 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57236 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #57236, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story take to read?

About 582 minutes of reading across 1397 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story section by section

How to work through Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 17 chapters of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story 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 Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story

Words and structures a reader meets early in Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Printed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
United
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
States
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
America
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.