Chapter 2 of Way of the Lawless is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Way of the Lawless is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Uncle Jas was completely bowled over. Over against the wall as the door closed he was saying to himself: "What's happened? What's happened?" As far as he could make out his nephew retained very little fear of the authority of Jasper Lanning. One thing became clear to the old man.
Chapter 2 of Way of the Lawless is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
From this reading “As far as he could make out his nephew retained very little fear of the authority of Jasper Lanning.”
past form of “bowl” — roll (a ball)
From this reading “Uncle Jas was completely bowled over.”
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading “Over against the wall as the door closed he was saying to himself: "What's happened?”
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading “Uncle Jas was completely bowled over.”
an opaque form of quartz; red or yellow or brown or dark green in color; used for ornamentation or as a gemstone
From this reading “As far as he could make out his nephew retained very little fear of the authority of Jasper Lanning.”
a son of your brother or sister
From this reading “As far as he could make out his nephew retained very little fear of the authority of Jasper Lanning.”
continued in your keeping or use or memory
From this reading “As far as he could make out his nephew retained very little fear of the authority of Jasper Lanning.”
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading “Over against the wall as the door closed he was saying to himself: "What's happened?”
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 Over against the wall as the door closed he was saying to himself: "What's happened?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Over against the wall as the door closed he was saying to himself: "What's happened?
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
From this reading As far as he could make out his nephew retained very little fear of the authority of Jasper Lanning.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading One thing became clear to the old man.
past form of “bowl” — roll (a ball)
From this reading Uncle Jas was completely bowled over.
rid of obstructions
From this reading One thing became clear to the old man.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading Over against the wall as the door closed he was saying to himself: "What's happened?
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading Uncle Jas was completely bowled over.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading As far as he could make out his nephew retained very little fear of the authority of Jasper Lanning.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Over against the wall as the door closed he was saying to himself: "What's happened?
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading As far as he could make out his nephew retained very little fear of the authority of Jasper Lanning.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading As far as he could make out his nephew retained very little fear of the authority of Jasper Lanning.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Over against the wall as the door closed he was saying to himself: "What's happened?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Over against the wall as the door closed he was saying to himself: "What's happened?
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Over against the wall as the door closed he was saying to himself: "What's happened?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As far as he could make out his nephew retained very little fear of the authority of Jasper Lanning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Uncle Jas was completely bowled over.
an opaque form of quartz; red or yellow or brown or dark green in color; used for ornamentation or as a gemstone
From this reading As far as he could make out his nephew retained very little fear of the authority of Jasper Lanning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As far as he could make out his nephew retained very little fear of the authority of Jasper Lanning.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading As far as he could make out his nephew retained very little fear of the authority of Jasper Lanning.
engage in
From this reading As far as he could make out his nephew retained very little fear of the authority of Jasper Lanning.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading One thing became clear to the old man.
a son of your brother or sister
From this reading As far as he could make out his nephew retained very little fear of the authority of Jasper Lanning.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As far as he could make out his nephew retained very little fear of the authority of Jasper Lanning.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading One thing became clear to the old man.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One thing became clear to the old man.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading As far as he could make out his nephew retained very little fear of the authority of Jasper Lanning.
above and across; more than
From this reading Uncle Jas was completely bowled over.
continued in your keeping or use or memory
From this reading As far as he could make out his nephew retained very little fear of the authority of Jasper Lanning.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading Over against the wall as the door closed he was saying to himself: "What's happened?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Over against the wall as the door closed he was saying to himself: "What's happened?
a special situation
From this reading One thing became clear to the old man.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Over against the wall as the door closed he was saying to himself: "What's happened?
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading Uncle Jas was completely bowled over.
precisely as stated
From this reading As far as he could make out his nephew retained very little fear of the authority of Jasper Lanning.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Over against the wall as the door closed he was saying to himself: "What's happened?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Uncle Jas was completely bowled over.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Over against the wall as the door closed he was saying to himself: "What's happened?
Chapter 2 of Way of the Lawless by Max Brand holds 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 129 sentences of Way of the Lawless, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Way of the Lawless by Max Brand exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 Way of the Lawless by Max Brand on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4796 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9903 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9903, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 399 minutes of reading across 960 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Way of the Lawless section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Way of the Lawless 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 Way of the Lawless, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
