Chapter 2 of A Blot in the 'Scutcheon is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Blot in the 'Scutcheon is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TRESHAM. Ah, you guessed aright! I am not well: there is no hiding it. But tell her I would see her at her leisure-- That is, at once! here in the library! The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
Chapter 2 of A Blot in the 'Scutcheon is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “Ah, you guessed aright!”
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading “I am not well: there is no hiding it.”
reflecting the fear or terror of one who is hunted
From this reading “The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!”
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading “The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!”
a native or inhabitant of Italy
From this reading “The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!”
time available for ease and relaxation
From this reading “But tell her I would see her at her leisure-- That is, at once! here in the library!”
a room where books are kept
From this reading “But tell her I would see her at her leisure-- That is, at once! here in the library!”
move stealthily
From this reading “The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
anew
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ah, you guessed aright!
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am not well: there is no hiding it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
in an accurate manner
From this reading Ah, you guessed aright!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But tell her I would see her at her leisure-- That is, at once! here in the library!
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But tell her I would see her at her leisure-- That is, at once! here in the library!
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
set up or found
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading Ah, you guessed aright!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading But tell her I would see her at her leisure-- That is, at once! here in the library!
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading But tell her I would see her at her leisure-- That is, at once! here in the library!
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading I am not well: there is no hiding it.
reflecting the fear or terror of one who is hunted
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I am not well: there is no hiding it.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But tell her I would see her at her leisure-- That is, at once! here in the library!
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I am not well: there is no hiding it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I am not well: there is no hiding it.
a native or inhabitant of Italy
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
time available for ease and relaxation
From this reading But tell her I would see her at her leisure-- That is, at once! here in the library!
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
a room where books are kept
From this reading But tell her I would see her at her leisure-- That is, at once! here in the library!
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
not any; not one
From this reading I am not well: there is no hiding it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I am not well: there is no hiding it.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
on one occasion
From this reading But tell her I would see her at her leisure-- That is, at once! here in the library!
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
express in words
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading But tell her I would see her at her leisure-- That is, at once! here in the library!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
move stealthily
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
express in words
From this reading But tell her I would see her at her leisure-- That is, at once! here in the library!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But tell her I would see her at her leisure-- That is, at once! here in the library!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But tell her I would see her at her leisure-- That is, at once! here in the library!
in or at that place or location
From this reading I am not well: there is no hiding it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TRESHAM.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The passage in that old Italian book We hunted for so long is found, say, found-- And if I let it slip again... you see, That she must come--and instantly!
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading I am not well: there is no hiding it.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading But tell her I would see her at her leisure-- That is, at once! here in the library!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Ah, you guessed aright!
Chapter 2 of A Blot in the 'Scutcheon by Robert Browning holds 222 sentences, grouped into 45 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 2 holds 222 sentences of A Blot in the 'Scutcheon, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Blot in the 'Scutcheon by Robert Browning exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 222 sentences, grouped into 45 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading A Blot in the 'Scutcheon by Robert Browning on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 426 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2880 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2880, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 35 minutes of reading across 86 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Blot in the 'Scutcheon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of A Blot in the 'Scutcheon to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Blot in the 'Scutcheon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
