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A Nest of Spies
A Nest of Spies

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of A Nest of Spies is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for A Nest of Spies
Context Illustration Reading 1/85 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Or whether it has been stolen from him," finished Juve.
The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:
"Robbed!
Robbed!
But by whom?
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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.

A Nest of Spies

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of A Nest of Spies is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/85 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"Or whether it has been stolen from him," finished Juve.
Line 2
The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:
/ðə ˌsʌpəˈzɪʃən wɪtʃ ðə dɪˈtektɪv hæd pʊt ˈɪntuː wɜːrdz wɑːz soʊ ɡreɪv soʊ ˈterəbəl soʊ ˈweɪti ɪn ɪts ˈkɑːnsəkwəns ðæt ðə ˌsuːpərənˈtendənt kraɪd ɪn ə ˈʃeɪkɪŋ vɔɪs/
Line 3
"Robbed!
/rɑːbd/
Line 4
Robbed!
/rɑːbd/
Line 5
But by whom?
/bʌt baɪ huːm/

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.

consequence noun US /ˈkɑːnsəkwəns/

a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

From this reading “The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:”

detective noun US /dɪˈtektɪv/

a police officer who investigates crimes

From this reading “The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:”

Robbed verb US /rɑːbd/

inflected form of “rob” — take something away by force or without the consent of the owner

From this reading “"Robbed!”

shaking noun US /ˈʃeɪkɪŋ/

the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements

From this reading “The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:”

stolen verb US /ˈstoʊlən/

inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent

From this reading “"Or whether it has been stolen from him," finished Juve.”

superintendent noun US /ˌsuːpərənˈtendənt/

a person who directs and manages an organization

From this reading “The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:”

supposition noun US /ˌsʌpəˈzɪʃən/

a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence

From this reading “The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:”

weighty adjective US /ˈweɪti/

having relatively great weight; heavy

From this reading “The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:”

All words in this reading · 36

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 The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading "Or whether it has been stolen from him," finished Juve.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But by whom?

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading But by whom?

consequencenounUS /ˈkɑːnsəkwəns/

a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

criedverbUS /kraɪd/

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

detectivenounUS /dɪˈtektɪv/

a police officer who investigates crimes

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

finishedadjectiveUS /ˈfɪnɪʃt/

(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state

From this reading "Or whether it has been stolen from him," finished Juve.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading "Or whether it has been stolen from him," finished Juve.

gravenounUS /ɡreɪv/

death of a person

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Or whether it has been stolen from him," finished Juve.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading "Or whether it has been stolen from him," finished Juve.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "Or whether it has been stolen from him," finished Juve.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

Juve

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

From this reading "Or whether it has been stolen from him," finished Juve.

OrconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading "Or whether it has been stolen from him," finished Juve.

putverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

RobbedverbUS /rɑːbd/

inflected form of “rob” — take something away by force or without the consent of the owner

From this reading "Robbed!

shakingnounUS /ˈʃeɪkɪŋ/

the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

stolenverbUS /ˈstoʊlən/

inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent

From this reading "Or whether it has been stolen from him," finished Juve.

superintendentnounUS /ˌsuːpərənˈtendənt/

a person who directs and manages an organization

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

suppositionnounUS /ˌsʌpəˈzɪʃən/

a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

terribleadjectiveUS /ˈterəbəl/

causing fear or dread or terror

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

weightyadjectiveUS /ˈweɪti/

having relatively great weight; heavy

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

whetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading "Or whether it has been stolen from him," finished Juve.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading But by whom?

wordsnounUS /wɜːrdz/

the words that are spoken

From this reading The supposition which the detective had put into words was so grave, so terrible, so weighty in its consequence that the superintendent cried, in a shaking voice:

Chapter 2 of A Nest of Spies by Pierre Souvestre holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 2 of A Nest of Spies contain?

Chapter 2 holds 426 sentences of A Nest of Spies, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of A Nest of Spies by Pierre Souvestre exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 2 of A Nest of Spies?

Work through the 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 86 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 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading A Nest of Spies

Common questions about reading A Nest of Spies by Pierre Souvestre on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Nest of Spies?

Yes. All 7984 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29029 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Nest of Spies is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #29029, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Nest of Spies take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1597 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Nest of Spies section by section

How to work through A Nest of Spies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 19 chapters of A Nest of Spies to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in A Nest of Spies

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Nest of Spies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Authors
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Nest of Spies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fantomas
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Nest of Spies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Exploits
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Nest of Spies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Messengers
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Nest of Spies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.