Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The House of Whispers
The House of Whispers

Chapter II

Cover illustration for The House of Whispers
Context Illustration Reading 1/25 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
SEALS OF DESTINY Ten minutes later she returned, panting, her face pale and haggard, her mouth hard-set.
For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.
She feared that her father might detect her agitation, for he was so quick in discovering in her the slightest unusual emotion.
She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.
Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The House of Whispers

Chapter II

Reading 1/25 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
SEALS OF DESTINY Ten minutes later she returned, panting, her face pale and haggard, her mouth hard-set.
Line 2
For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.
Line 3
She feared that her father might detect her agitation, for he was so quick in discovering in her the slightest unusual emotion.
Line 4
She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.
Line 5
Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.”

Behind preposition US /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading “She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.”

Hand noun US /hand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.”

Herself pronoun US /hərˈself/

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

From this reading “For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “She feared that her father might detect her agitation, for he was so quick in discovering in her the slightest unusual emotion.”

Open verb US /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading “For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.”

Returned noun US /ˈreturned/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “SEALS OF DESTINY Ten minutes later she returned, panting, her face pale and haggard, her mouth hard-set.”

Silence noun US /ˈsaɪ.ləns/

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading “For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.”

Something pronoun US /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.”

Stood noun US /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.”

All words in this reading · 85

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

agitation

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

From this reading She feared that her father might detect her agitation, for he was so quick in discovering in her the slightest unusual emotion.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading SEALS OF DESTINY Ten minutes later she returned, panting, her face pale and haggard, her mouth hard-set.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.

back

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

From this reading Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.

blotting-pad

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

From this reading Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.

breast

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

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

busy

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

From this reading Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.

calm

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

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

compelled

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

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.

DESTINY

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

From this reading SEALS OF DESTINY Ten minutes later she returned, panting, her face pale and haggard, her mouth hard-set.

detect

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

From this reading She feared that her father might detect her agitation, for he was so quick in discovering in her the slightest unusual emotion.

discovering

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

From this reading She feared that her father might detect her agitation, for he was so quick in discovering in her the slightest unusual emotion.

doors

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

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

dreading

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

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.

emotion

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

From this reading She feared that her father might detect her agitation, for he was so quick in discovering in her the slightest unusual emotion.

endeavour

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

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

expression

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

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.

face

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

From this reading SEALS OF DESTINY Ten minutes later she returned, panting, her face pale and haggard, her mouth hard-set.

father

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

From this reading She feared that her father might detect her agitation, for he was so quick in discovering in her the slightest unusual emotion.

fear

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

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.

feared

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

From this reading She feared that her father might detect her agitation, for he was so quick in discovering in her the slightest unusual emotion.

fingers

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

From this reading Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.

follow

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

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

full

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

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.

glanced

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

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.

grounds

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

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.

haggard

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

From this reading SEALS OF DESTINY Ten minutes later she returned, panting, her face pale and haggard, her mouth hard-set.

hand

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

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

hard-set

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

From this reading SEALS OF DESTINY Ten minutes later she returned, panting, her face pale and haggard, her mouth hard-set.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She feared that her father might detect her agitation, for he was so quick in discovering in her the slightest unusual emotion.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading SEALS OF DESTINY Ten minutes later she returned, panting, her face pale and haggard, her mouth hard-set.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

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

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.

later

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

From this reading SEALS OF DESTINY Ten minutes later she returned, panting, her face pale and haggard, her mouth hard-set.

leading

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

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.

man

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

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading She feared that her father might detect her agitation, for he was so quick in discovering in her the slightest unusual emotion.

minutes

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

From this reading SEALS OF DESTINY Ten minutes later she returned, panting, her face pale and haggard, her mouth hard-set.

moment

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

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

motionless

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

From this reading Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.

mouth

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

From this reading SEALS OF DESTINY Ten minutes later she returned, panting, her face pale and haggard, her mouth hard-set.

night

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

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading SEALS OF DESTINY Ten minutes later she returned, panting, her face pale and haggard, her mouth hard-set.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

out

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

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.

pale

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

From this reading SEALS OF DESTINY Ten minutes later she returned, panting, her face pale and haggard, her mouth hard-set.

panting

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

From this reading SEALS OF DESTINY Ten minutes later she returned, panting, her face pale and haggard, her mouth hard-set.

pressed

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

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

quick

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

From this reading She feared that her father might detect her agitation, for he was so quick in discovering in her the slightest unusual emotion.

reappearance

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

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.

returnednounUS /ˈreturned/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading SEALS OF DESTINY Ten minutes later she returned, panting, her face pale and haggard, her mouth hard-set.

SEALS

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

From this reading SEALS OF DESTINY Ten minutes later she returned, panting, her face pale and haggard, her mouth hard-set.

seated

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

From this reading Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading SEALS OF DESTINY Ten minutes later she returned, panting, her face pale and haggard, her mouth hard-set.

silencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

slightest

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

From this reading She feared that her father might detect her agitation, for he was so quick in discovering in her the slightest unusual emotion.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading She feared that her father might detect her agitation, for he was so quick in discovering in her the slightest unusual emotion.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

strenuous

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

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

Ten

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

From this reading SEALS OF DESTINY Ten minutes later she returned, panting, her face pale and haggard, her mouth hard-set.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading She feared that her father might detect her agitation, for he was so quick in discovering in her the slightest unusual emotion.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

Then

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

From this reading Then she looked at her father, who, still seated motionless with his back to her, was busy with his fingers upon something on the blotting-pad before him.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.

threshold

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

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

unusual

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

From this reading She feared that her father might detect her agitation, for he was so quick in discovering in her the slightest unusual emotion.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading For a moment she stood in silence upon the threshold of the open doors leading to the grounds, her hand pressed to her breast in a strenuous endeavour to calm herself.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading She feared that her father might detect her agitation, for he was so quick in discovering in her the slightest unusual emotion.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading She glanced behind her with an expression full of fear, as though dreading the reappearance of that man who had compelled her to follow him out into the night.