Chapter 15 of Toppleton's Client is here in full — 212 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 Toppleton's Client is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BARNCASTLE CONFIDES IN HOPKINS. TOPPLETON had not long to wait. His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door. "Who's there?" he cried. "It is I, Toppleton--Barncastle.
Chapter 15 of Toppleton's Client is here in full — 212 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.
a state at a particular time
From this reading “His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.”
third-person singular of “confide” — reveal in private; tell confidentially
From this reading “BARNCASTLE CONFIDES IN HOPKINS.”
United States educator and theologian (1802-1887)
From this reading “BARNCASTLE CONFIDES IN HOPKINS.”
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading “His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.”
conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm; not abnormal
From this reading “His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.”
past form of “resume” — take up or begin anew
From this reading “His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.”
the sound of light blow or knock
From this reading “His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.”
unsteady in gait as from infirmity or old age
From this reading “His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.”
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 “His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.”
In this reading “His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.”
In this reading “His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.”
In this reading “BARNCASTLE CONFIDES IN HOPKINS.”
In this reading “His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.”
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 His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BARNCASTLE CONFIDES IN HOPKINS.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
a state at a particular time
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
third-person singular of “confide” — reveal in private; tell confidentially
From this reading BARNCASTLE CONFIDES IN HOPKINS.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Who's there?" he cried.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading TOPPLETON had not long to wait.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
only a very short time before
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
United States educator and theologian (1802-1887)
From this reading BARNCASTLE CONFIDES IN HOPKINS.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "It is I, Toppleton--Barncastle.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading BARNCASTLE CONFIDES IN HOPKINS.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is I, Toppleton--Barncastle.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is I, Toppleton--Barncastle.
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 TOPPLETON had not long to wait.
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm; not abnormal
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading TOPPLETON had not long to wait.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
past form of “resume” — take up or begin anew
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
the sound of light blow or knock
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Who's there?" he cried.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TOPPLETON had not long to wait.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TOPPLETON had not long to wait.
unsteady in gait as from infirmity or old age
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading TOPPLETON had not long to wait.
at the time that
From this reading His nerves had hardly resumed their normal condition when he heard a tottering step in the hall outside, followed by a soft tapping at the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who's there?" he cried.
Chapter 15 of Toppleton's Client by John Kendrick Bangs holds 212 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 212 sentences of Toppleton's Client, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Toppleton's Client by John Kendrick Bangs exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 212 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.
Common questions about reading Toppleton's Client by John Kendrick Bangs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2656 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34171 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34171, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 221 minutes of reading across 532 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Toppleton's Client section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Toppleton's Client 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 Toppleton's Client, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
