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The skeleton key
The skeleton key

Chapter XIX · The Dark Horse

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Context Illustration Reading 1/21 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.
Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.
He could have understood, no doubt, no reason for his feeling any.
His commission had been to discover the murderer of Annie Evans, and, according to the best of his lights, he had executed that commission.
It was not his fault if it had led him in a direction tragically counter to the expectations of his employer.
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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 skeleton key

Chapter XIX · The Dark Horse

Reading 1/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.
Line 2
Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.
Line 3
He could have understood, no doubt, no reason for his feeling any.
Line 4
His commission had been to discover the murderer of Annie Evans, and, according to the best of his lights, he had executed that commission.
Line 5
It was not his fault if it had led him in a direction tragically counter to the expectations of his employer.

Learner Dictionary

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

Alone noun US /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “His commission had been to discover the murderer of Annie Evans, and, according to the best of his lights, he had executed that commission.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “He could have understood, no doubt, no reason for his feeling any.”

Feeling noun US /ˈfeeling/

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

From this reading “He could have understood, no doubt, no reason for his feeling any.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “He could have understood, no doubt, no reason for his feeling any.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.”

Seeing noun US /seeing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.”

Whose determiner US /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading “Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.”

All words in this reading · 83

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 Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

abused

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

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

according

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

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

alonenounUS /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading His commission had been to discover the murderer of Annie Evans, and, according to the best of his lights, he had executed that commission.

Annie

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

From this reading His commission had been to discover the murderer of Annie Evans, and, according to the best of his lights, he had executed that commission.

any

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

From this reading He could have understood, no doubt, no reason for his feeling any.

appointment

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

awaited

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

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

Baron

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading His commission had been to discover the murderer of Annie Evans, and, according to the best of his lights, he had executed that commission.

best

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

From this reading His commission had been to discover the murderer of Annie Evans, and, according to the best of his lights, he had executed that commission.

Bickerdike

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

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

Calvin's

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

Characteristically

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

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

commission

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

From this reading His commission had been to discover the murderer of Annie Evans, and, according to the best of his lights, he had executed that commission.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading He could have understood, no doubt, no reason for his feeling any.

counter

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

From this reading It was not his fault if it had led him in a direction tragically counter to the expectations of his employer.

cruelly

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

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

detective

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

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

direction

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

From this reading It was not his fault if it had led him in a direction tragically counter to the expectations of his employer.

discover

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

From this reading His commission had been to discover the murderer of Annie Evans, and, according to the best of his lights, he had executed that commission.

doubt

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

From this reading He could have understood, no doubt, no reason for his feeling any.

embarrassment

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

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

employer

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

Evans

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

From this reading His commission had been to discover the murderer of Annie Evans, and, according to the best of his lights, he had executed that commission.

executed

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

From this reading His commission had been to discover the murderer of Annie Evans, and, according to the best of his lights, he had executed that commission.

expectations

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

From this reading It was not his fault if it had led him in a direction tragically counter to the expectations of his employer.

fault

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

From this reading It was not his fault if it had led him in a direction tragically counter to the expectations of his employer.

feelingnounUS /ˈfeeling/

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

From this reading He could have understood, no doubt, no reason for his feeling any.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He could have understood, no doubt, no reason for his feeling any.

former

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading He could have understood, no doubt, no reason for his feeling any.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

hospitality

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

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

house

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

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading It was not his fault if it had led him in a direction tragically counter to the expectations of his employer.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading It was not his fault if it had led him in a direction tragically counter to the expectations of his employer.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was not his fault if it had led him in a direction tragically counter to the expectations of his employer.

Le

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

led

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

From this reading It was not his fault if it had led him in a direction tragically counter to the expectations of his employer.

lights

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

From this reading His commission had been to discover the murderer of Annie Evans, and, according to the best of his lights, he had executed that commission.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

Mr

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

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

murderer

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

From this reading His commission had been to discover the murderer of Annie Evans, and, according to the best of his lights, he had executed that commission.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading He could have understood, no doubt, no reason for his feeling any.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading His commission had been to discover the murderer of Annie Evans, and, according to the best of his lights, he had executed that commission.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

punctually

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

reason

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

From this reading He could have understood, no doubt, no reason for his feeling any.

return

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

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

Ridgway

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

Sage

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

seated

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

seeing

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

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

Sergeant

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

showed

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

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

shown

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

Sir

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

study

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

surprise

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

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading His commission had been to discover the murderer of Annie Evans, and, according to the best of his lights, he had executed that commission.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

tragically

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

From this reading It was not his fault if it had led him in a direction tragically counter to the expectations of his employer.

turning

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

understood

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

From this reading He could have understood, no doubt, no reason for his feeling any.

up

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading Sergeant Ridgway, turning up punctually to his appointment, was shown into Sir Calvin’s study, where he found, not his former employer, but the Baron Le Sage, seated alone.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading Characteristically, the detective showed as little surprise at seeing who awaited him as he did embarrassment over his return to a house whose hospitality he had, according to Mr. Bickerdike, so cruelly abused.