Chapter 12 of A Devotee is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of A Devotee is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.' ALFRED DE MUSSET. Sibyl continued pale and listless, and presently Mr. Loftus found fault with her gowns. They were not new enough. The colours of her tea-gowns did not suit her.
Chapter 12 of A Devotee is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
standard time in the 5th time zone west of Greenwich, reckoned at the 75th meridian; used in the eastern United States
From this reading “'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'”
plural of “gown” — a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions
From this reading “Sibyl continued pale and listless, and presently Mr. Loftus found fault with her gowns.”
lacking zest or vivacity
From this reading “Sibyl continued pale and listless, and presently Mr. Loftus found fault with her gowns.”
common sense
From this reading “'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'”
(ballet) a step in dancing (especially in classical ballet)
From this reading “'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'”
a useful or valuable quality
From this reading “'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'”
a woman who tells fortunes
From this reading “Sibyl continued pale and listless, and presently Mr. Loftus found fault with her gowns.”
someone who buys tickets to an event in order to resell them at a profit
From this reading “'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'”
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.
In this reading “Sibyl continued pale and listless, and presently Mr. Loftus found fault with her gowns.”
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.
king of Wessex; defeated the Vikings and encouraged writing in English (849-899)
From this reading ALFRED DE MUSSET.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Sibyl continued pale and listless, and presently Mr. Loftus found fault with her gowns.
(French) happiness and good humor
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
a ductile grey metallic element of the lanthanide series; used in lighter flints; the most abundant of the rare-earth group
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
a distinguishing emblem
From this reading The colours of her tea-gowns did not suit her.
without stop or interruption
From this reading Sibyl continued pale and listless, and presently Mr. Loftus found fault with her gowns.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The colours of her tea-gowns did not suit her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
half the width of an em
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading They were not new enough.
standard time in the 5th time zone west of Greenwich, reckoned at the 75th meridian; used in the eastern United States
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading Sibyl continued pale and listless, and presently Mr. Loftus found fault with her gowns.
set up or found
From this reading Sibyl continued pale and listless, and presently Mr. Loftus found fault with her gowns.
plural of “gown” — a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions
From this reading Sibyl continued pale and listless, and presently Mr. Loftus found fault with her gowns.
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Sibyl continued pale and listless, and presently Mr. Loftus found fault with her gowns.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
lacking zest or vivacity
From this reading Sibyl continued pale and listless, and presently Mr. Loftus found fault with her gowns.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sibyl continued pale and listless, and presently Mr. Loftus found fault with her gowns.
most important element
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
a form of address for a man
From this reading Sibyl continued pale and listless, and presently Mr. Loftus found fault with her gowns.
French poet and writer (1810-1857)
From this reading ALFRED DE MUSSET.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading They were not new enough.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading They were not new enough.
common sense
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The colours of her tea-gowns did not suit her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading Sibyl continued pale and listless, and presently Mr. Loftus found fault with her gowns.
(ballet) a step in dancing (especially in classical ballet)
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
a useful or valuable quality
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
in the near future
From this reading Sibyl continued pale and listless, and presently Mr. Loftus found fault with her gowns.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
the capital and largest city of Dominica
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
a woman who tells fortunes
From this reading Sibyl continued pale and listless, and presently Mr. Loftus found fault with her gowns.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading The colours of her tea-gowns did not suit her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The colours of her tea-gowns did not suit her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The colours of her tea-gowns did not suit her.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were not new enough.
someone who buys tickets to an event in order to resell them at a profit
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
an organization of independent states formed in 1945 to promote international peace and security
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
a hole for the escape of gas or air
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Oui, sans doute, tout meurt; ce monde est un grand rêve, Et le peu de bonheur qui nous vient en chemin, Nous n'avons pas plus tôt ce roseau dans la main, Que le vent nous l'enlève.'
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were not new enough.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Sibyl continued pale and listless, and presently Mr. Loftus found fault with her gowns.
Chapter 12 of A Devotee by Mary Cholmondeley holds 85 sentences, grouped into 17 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.
Chapter 12 holds 85 sentences of A Devotee, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of A Devotee by Mary Cholmondeley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 85 sentences, grouped into 17 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 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 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 12 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.
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Yes. All 1651 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40408 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40408, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 137 minutes of reading across 331 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Devotee section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of A Devotee 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 Devotee, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
