Chapter 23 of Three millions! is here in full — 285 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Three millions! is here in full — 285 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
JULIA HUNGERFORD. “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House. He was gloomy, sad, and despondent. The brightest vision of life had eluded his grasp, for Julia Hungerford was already in the toils of Dr. Bilks. She had forgotten him.
Chapter 23 of Three millions! is here in full — 285 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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.
hard close-grained wood of any of various birch trees; used especially in furniture and interior finishes and plywood
From this reading ““And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.”
superlative of “bright” — emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading “The brightest vision of life had eluded his grasp, for Julia Hungerford was already in the toils of Dr. Bilks.”
without or almost without hope
From this reading “He was gloomy, sad, and despondent.”
past form of “elude” — escape, either physically or mentally
From this reading “The brightest vision of life had eluded his grasp, for Julia Hungerford was already in the toils of Dr. Bilks.”
depressingly dark
From this reading “He was gloomy, sad, and despondent.”
hold firmly
From this reading “The brightest vision of life had eluded his grasp, for Julia Hungerford was already in the toils of Dr. Bilks.”
plural of “toil” — productive work (especially physical work done for wages)
From this reading “The brightest vision of life had eluded his grasp, for Julia Hungerford was already in the toils of Dr. Bilks.”
a vivid mental image
From this reading “The brightest vision of life had eluded his grasp, for Julia Hungerford was already in the toils of Dr. Bilks.”
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.
In this reading “The brightest vision of life had eluded his grasp, for Julia Hungerford was already in the toils of Dr. Bilks.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading The brightest vision of life had eluded his grasp, for Julia Hungerford was already in the toils of Dr. Bilks.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The brightest vision of life had eluded his grasp, for Julia Hungerford was already in the toils of Dr. Bilks.
hard close-grained wood of any of various birch trees; used especially in furniture and interior finishes and plywood
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
superlative of “bright” — emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading The brightest vision of life had eluded his grasp, for Julia Hungerford was already in the toils of Dr. Bilks.
without or almost without hope
From this reading He was gloomy, sad, and despondent.
someone who is a detective
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The brightest vision of life had eluded his grasp, for Julia Hungerford was already in the toils of Dr. Bilks.
past form of “elude” — escape, either physically or mentally
From this reading The brightest vision of life had eluded his grasp, for Julia Hungerford was already in the toils of Dr. Bilks.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The brightest vision of life had eluded his grasp, for Julia Hungerford was already in the toils of Dr. Bilks.
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading She had forgotten him.
depressingly dark
From this reading He was gloomy, sad, and despondent.
hold firmly
From this reading The brightest vision of life had eluded his grasp, for Julia Hungerford was already in the toils of Dr. Bilks.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The brightest vision of life had eluded his grasp, for Julia Hungerford was already in the toils of Dr. Bilks.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She had forgotten him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JULIA HUNGERFORD.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JULIA HUNGERFORD.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading The brightest vision of life had eluded his grasp, for Julia Hungerford was already in the toils of Dr. Bilks.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
done under pressure
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading He was gloomy, sad, and despondent.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had forgotten him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “And this is the end of all my hopes!” exclaimed Dick Birch, as he rushed into his room in the Bell River House.
plural of “toil” — productive work (especially physical work done for wages)
From this reading The brightest vision of life had eluded his grasp, for Julia Hungerford was already in the toils of Dr. Bilks.
a vivid mental image
From this reading The brightest vision of life had eluded his grasp, for Julia Hungerford was already in the toils of Dr. Bilks.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was gloomy, sad, and despondent.
Chapter 23 of Three millions! by Oliver Optic holds 285 sentences, grouped into 57 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 285 sentences of Three millions!, unabridged, divided into 57 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Three millions! by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 285 sentences, grouped into 57 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 57 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 57 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
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Choose one of the 0 chapters of Three millions! to begin.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Three millions!, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
