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The Red House Mystery: The Piccadilly Novels
The Red House Mystery: The Piccadilly Novels

Chapter XXXIII

Cover illustration for The Red House Mystery: The Piccadilly Novels
Context Illustration Reading 1/17 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
One surprise makes many.
The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.
Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.
Dillwyn went down to the funeral, and heard the will read.
It was all true.
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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.

The Red House Mystery: The Piccadilly Novels

Chapter XXXIII

Reading 1/17 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
One surprise makes many.
Line 2
The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.
Line 3
Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.
Line 4
Dillwyn went down to the funeral, and heard the will read.
Line 5
It was all true.

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.”

Descended noun US /ˈdescended/

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

From this reading “The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.”

Heir noun US /er/

A person legally or magically entitled to the property or rank of another on that person's death.

From this reading “Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “One surprise makes many.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.”

Told noun US /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Dillwyn went down to the funeral, and heard the will read.”

All words in this reading · 68

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 The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

accepted

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

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

all

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

From this reading It was all true.

Ambert

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

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

astonishment

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

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

curate

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

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

day

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

days

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

descendednounUS /ˈdescended/

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

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

died

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

Dillwyn

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

down

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

From this reading Dillwyn went down to the funeral, and heard the will read.

Elfrida

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

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

Elfrida's

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

emancipation

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

evening

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

fact

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

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

funeral

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

From this reading Dillwyn went down to the funeral, and heard the will read.

greater

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

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

Greatorex

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

hardly

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

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

heard

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

From this reading Dillwyn went down to the funeral, and heard the will read.

heirnounUS /er/

A person legally or magically entitled to the property or rank of another on that person's death.

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was all true.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

later

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

letter

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

Lord

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

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

made

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

makes

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

From this reading One surprise makes many.

man

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

many

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

From this reading One surprise makes many.

neighbourhood

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

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

news

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

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

Old

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One surprise makes many.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

piece

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

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

read

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

From this reading Dillwyn went down to the funeral, and heard the will read.

recovered

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

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

Reginald

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

Rickton

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

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

saw

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

solicitors

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

surprise

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

From this reading One surprise makes many.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

thrown

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

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Dillwyn went down to the funeral, and heard the will read.

toldnounUS /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

true

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

From this reading It was all true.

two

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

very

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

From this reading Old Reginald Greatorex died on the very evening of the day that saw Elfrida's emancipation, and a letter two days later from his solicitors told Dillwyn that the old man had made him his heir.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was all true.

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Dillwyn went down to the funeral, and heard the will read.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading The neighbourhood of Rickton had hardly recovered from its astonishment about the fact that Elfrida had thrown over Lord Ambert and accepted the curate, when a still greater piece of news descended upon them.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading Dillwyn went down to the funeral, and heard the will read.