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A Blot on the Scutcheon
A Blot on the Scutcheon

Chapter XXV

Chapter 25 of A Blot on the Scutcheon is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Mabel Winifred Knowles • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for A Blot on the Scutcheon
Context Illustration Reading 1/20 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
BERTRAND TELLS A TALE The wine at the sign of Le Bon Camarade was abominable.
Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.
Jean Gouicket came in haste.
He knew who were the great ones now, this burly Breton.
Aha! the cunning one!
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.

A Blot on the Scutcheon

Chapter XXV

Chapter 25 of A Blot on the Scutcheon is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
BERTRAND TELLS A TALE The wine at the sign of Le Bon Camarade was abominable.
Line 2
Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.
Line 3
Jean Gouicket came in haste.
Line 4
He knew who were the great ones now, this burly Breton.
/hiː nuː huː wɜːr ðə ɡreɪt wʌnz naʊ ðɪs ˈbɜːrli ˈbretən/
Line 5
Aha! the cunning one!

Learner Dictionary

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.

abominable adjective US /əˈbɑːmənəbəl/

unequivocally detestable

From this reading “BERTRAND TELLS A TALE The wine at the sign of Le Bon Camarade was abominable.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bellowing noun US /ˈbeloʊɪŋ/

a very loud utterance (like the sound of an animal)

From this reading “Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Breton noun US /ˈbretən/

a native or inhabitant of Brittany (especially one who speaks the Breton language)

From this reading “He knew who were the great ones now, this burly Breton.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
burly adjective US /ˈbɜːrli/

muscular and heavily built

From this reading “He knew who were the great ones now, this burly Breton.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Committee noun US /kəˈmɪti/

a special group delegated to consider some matter

From this reading “Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
evinced verb US /ɪˈvɪnst/

past form of “evince” — give expression to

From this reading “Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
flinging verb US /ˈflɪŋɪŋ/

-ing form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness

From this reading “Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Marcel noun US /mɑːrˈsel/

a hairdo characterized by deep regular waves that are made by a heated curling iron

From this reading “Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

on the floor preposition + article + noun counted as “on … floor”

In this reading “Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.”

33,886 times in 426,212 chapters
TELLS A TALE verb + article + noun counted as “tell … tale”

In this reading “BERTRAND TELLS A TALE The wine at the sign of Le Bon Camarade was abominable.”

2,325 times in 426,212 chapters
in haste preposition + noun

in a hurried or hasty manner

In this reading “Jean Gouicket came in haste.”

6,614 times in 426,212 chapters

All words in this reading · 54

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading BERTRAND TELLS A TALE The wine at the sign of Le Bon Camarade was abominable.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
abominableadjectiveUS /əˈbɑːmənəbəl/

unequivocally detestable

From this reading BERTRAND TELLS A TALE The wine at the sign of Le Bon Camarade was abominable.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Aha

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

From this reading Aha! the cunning one!

Pending verification
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading BERTRAND TELLS A TALE The wine at the sign of Le Bon Camarade was abominable.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
bellowingnounUS /ˈbeloʊɪŋ/

a very loud utterance (like the sound of an animal)

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BERTRAND

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

From this reading BERTRAND TELLS A TALE The wine at the sign of Le Bon Camarade was abominable.

Pending verification
Bon

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

From this reading BERTRAND TELLS A TALE The wine at the sign of Le Bon Camarade was abominable.

Pending verification
BretonnounUS /ˈbretən/

a native or inhabitant of Brittany (especially one who speaks the Breton language)

From this reading He knew who were the great ones now, this burly Breton.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
burlyadjectiveUS /ˈbɜːrli/

muscular and heavily built

From this reading He knew who were the great ones now, this burly Breton.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Camarade

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

From this reading BERTRAND TELLS A TALE The wine at the sign of Le Bon Camarade was abominable.

Pending verification
cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Jean Gouicket came in haste.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CommitteenounUS /kəˈmɪti/

a special group delegated to consider some matter

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
contentsnounUS /ˈkɑːntents/

(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cunningadjectiveUS /ˈkʌnɪŋ/

attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness

From this reading Aha! the cunning one!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
disapprobationnoun

an expression of strong disapproval; pronouncing as wrong or morally culpable

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
evincedverbUS /ɪˈvɪnst/

past form of “evince” — give expression to

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
flingingverbUS /ˈflɪŋɪŋ/

-ing form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
floornounUS /flɔːr/

the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
glassnounUS /ɡlæs/

a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Gouicket

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

From this reading Jean Gouicket came in haste.

Pending verification
greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading He knew who were the great ones now, this burly Breton.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hastenounUS /heɪst/

overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)

From this reading Jean Gouicket came in haste.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He knew who were the great ones now, this burly Breton.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
JeannounUS /dʒiːn/

a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric

From this reading Jean Gouicket came in haste.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading He knew who were the great ones now, this burly Breton.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
landlordnounUS /ˈlændlɔːrd/

a landowner who leases to others

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LenounUS /lə/

a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)

From this reading BERTRAND TELLS A TALE The wine at the sign of Le Bon Camarade was abominable.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MarcelnounUS /mɑːrˈsel/

a hairdo characterized by deep regular waves that are made by a heated curling iron

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading He knew who were the great ones now, this burly Breton.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading BERTRAND TELLS A TALE The wine at the sign of Le Bon Camarade was abominable.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
officernounUS /ˈɔːfəsər/

any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Aha! the cunning one!

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onesnounUS /wʌnz/

plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number

From this reading He knew who were the great ones now, this burly Breton.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ParisnounUS /ˈperɪs/

the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PublicnounUS /ˈpʌblɪk/

people in general considered as a whole

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SafetynounUS /ˈseɪfti/

the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
servantnounUS /ˈsɜːrvənt/

a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
signnounUS /saɪn/

a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)

From this reading BERTRAND TELLS A TALE The wine at the sign of Le Bon Camarade was abominable.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TALEnounUS /teɪl/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading BERTRAND TELLS A TALE The wine at the sign of Le Bon Camarade was abominable.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TELLSnounUS /telz/

plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer

From this reading BERTRAND TELLS A TALE The wine at the sign of Le Bon Camarade was abominable.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading BERTRAND TELLS A TALE The wine at the sign of Le Bon Camarade was abominable.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading He knew who were the great ones now, this burly Breton.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Trouet

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

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

Pending verification
trustedadjectiveUS /ˈtrʌstɪd/

(of persons) worthy of trust or confidence

From this reading Marcel Trouet, trusted servant and officer of the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, evinced his disapprobation by flinging the contents of his glass on the floor and bellowing for the landlord.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading BERTRAND TELLS A TALE The wine at the sign of Le Bon Camarade was abominable.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading He knew who were the great ones now, this burly Breton.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading He knew who were the great ones now, this burly Breton.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
winenounUS /waɪn/

fermented juice (of grapes especially)

From this reading BERTRAND TELLS A TALE The wine at the sign of Le Bon Camarade was abominable.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 25 of A Blot on the Scutcheon by Mabel Winifred Knowles holds 104 sentences, grouped into 21 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, 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.

What does chapter 25 of A Blot on the Scutcheon contain?

Chapter 25 holds 104 sentences of A Blot on the Scutcheon, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 25 of A Blot on the Scutcheon by Mabel Winifred Knowles exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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.

How do I study chapter 25 of A Blot on the Scutcheon?

Work through the 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 21 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.

Can chapter 25 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 25 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.

Questions about reading A Blot on the Scutcheon

Common questions about reading A Blot on the Scutcheon by Mabel Winifred Knowles on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Blot on the Scutcheon?

Yes. All 4268 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34164 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Blot on the Scutcheon is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #34164, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Blot on the Scutcheon take to read?

About 355 minutes of reading across 854 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Blot on the Scutcheon section by section

How to work through A Blot on the Scutcheon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in A Blot on the Scutcheon

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Blot on the Scutcheon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Blot on the Scutcheon; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Henry
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Blot on the Scutcheon; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Navarre
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Blot on the Scutcheon; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Brittany
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Blot on the Scutcheon; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.