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The Sign of Silence
The Sign of Silence

Chapter II

Cover illustration for The Sign of Silence
Context Illustration Reading 1/55 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE SCENT.
After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.
He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.
Time after time I had questioned him regarding his strange reference to his successor, but to all my queries he was entirely dumb.
He had, I recollected, never been the same since his return from a flying visit to Egypt.
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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 Sign of Silence

Chapter II

Reading 1/55 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE SCENT.
/ðə sɛnt/
Line 2
After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.
Line 3
He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.
Line 4
Time after time I had questioned him regarding his strange reference to his successor, but to all my queries he was entirely dumb.
Line 5
He had, I recollected, never been the same since his return from a flying visit to Egypt.

Learner Dictionary

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

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “He had, I recollected, never been the same since his return from a flying visit to Egypt.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.”

Entirely noun US /ˈentirely/

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

From this reading “Time after time I had questioned him regarding his strange reference to his successor, but to all my queries he was entirely dumb.”

Know noun US /know/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.”

Lest conjunction US /lest/

in order that something should not happen

From this reading “He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.”

Let auxiliary verb US /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading “He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had, I recollected, never been the same since his return from a flying visit to Egypt.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.”

Same noun US /same/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had, I recollected, never been the same since his return from a flying visit to Egypt.”

SCENT noun US /sɛnt/

A distinctive smell or aroma.

From this reading “THE SCENT.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.”

Since preposition US /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading “He had, I recollected, never been the same since his return from a flying visit to Egypt.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Time after time I had questioned him regarding his strange reference to his successor, but to all my queries he was entirely dumb.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.”

All words in this reading · 74

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 He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

all

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

From this reading Time after time I had questioned him regarding his strange reference to his successor, but to all my queries he was entirely dumb.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

assurance

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

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading He had, I recollected, never been the same since his return from a flying visit to Egypt.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Time after time I had questioned him regarding his strange reference to his successor, but to all my queries he was entirely dumb.

chatted

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

delivered

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

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

descend

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

Digby's

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

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

drank

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

dumb

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

From this reading Time after time I had questioned him regarding his strange reference to his successor, but to all my queries he was entirely dumb.

Egypt

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

From this reading He had, I recollected, never been the same since his return from a flying visit to Egypt.

entirelynounUS /ˈentirely/

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

From this reading Time after time I had questioned him regarding his strange reference to his successor, but to all my queries he was entirely dumb.

flying

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

From this reading He had, I recollected, never been the same since his return from a flying visit to Egypt.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading He had, I recollected, never been the same since his return from a flying visit to Egypt.

giving

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

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

good-humoured

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

hall-porter

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Time after time I had questioned him regarding his strange reference to his successor, but to all my queries he was entirely dumb.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Time after time I had questioned him regarding his strange reference to his successor, but to all my queries he was entirely dumb.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

just

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

knownounUS /know/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

lestconjunctionUS /lest/

in order that something should not happen

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

letter

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

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had, I recollected, never been the same since his return from a flying visit to Egypt.

noiselessly

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

o'clock

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

old

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

out

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

queries

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

From this reading Time after time I had questioned him regarding his strange reference to his successor, but to all my queries he was entirely dumb.

questioned

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

From this reading Time after time I had questioned him regarding his strange reference to his successor, but to all my queries he was entirely dumb.

receiving

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

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

recollected

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

From this reading He had, I recollected, never been the same since his return from a flying visit to Egypt.

reference

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

From this reading Time after time I had questioned him regarding his strange reference to his successor, but to all my queries he was entirely dumb.

regarding

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

From this reading Time after time I had questioned him regarding his strange reference to his successor, but to all my queries he was entirely dumb.

return

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

From this reading He had, I recollected, never been the same since his return from a flying visit to Egypt.

revive

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

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

safely

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

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

samenounUS /same/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had, I recollected, never been the same since his return from a flying visit to Egypt.

SCENTnounUS /sɛnt/

A distinctive smell or aroma.

From this reading THE SCENT.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading He had, I recollected, never been the same since his return from a flying visit to Egypt.

Sir

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

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

soda

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

somewhat

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

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

spirits

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

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

stairs

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

strange

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

From this reading Time after time I had questioned him regarding his strange reference to his successor, but to all my queries he was entirely dumb.

style

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

successor

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

From this reading Time after time I had questioned him regarding his strange reference to his successor, but to all my queries he was entirely dumb.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE SCENT.

TimenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Time after time I had questioned him regarding his strange reference to his successor, but to all my queries he was entirely dumb.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.

urging

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

visit

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

From this reading He had, I recollected, never been the same since his return from a flying visit to Egypt.

visitor

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Time after time I had questioned him regarding his strange reference to his successor, but to all my queries he was entirely dumb.

whisky

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

From this reading He chatted in his old, good-humoured style, drank a whisky and soda, and, just before one o'clock, let me out, urging me to descend the stairs noiselessly lest the hall-porter should know that he had had a visitor.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading After giving me the letter, and receiving my assurance that it would be safely delivered, Sir Digby's spirits seemed somewhat to revive.