Chapter 9 of A Nest of Spies is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of A Nest of Spies is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He rang: he was admitted, and shown into a waiting-room. There was a touch of the convent parlour about it. The man who had opened to him asked: "What name shall I give to the gentlemen, Monsieur?" "Tell them it is Corporal Vinson."
Chapter 9 of A Nest of Spies is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading “He rang: he was admitted, and shown into a waiting-room.”
a religious residence especially for nuns
From this reading “There was a touch of the convent parlour about it.”
a noncommissioned officer in the Army or Air Force or Marines
From this reading “"Tell them it is Corporal Vinson."”
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading “There was a touch of the convent parlour about it.”
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “He rang: he was admitted, and shown into a waiting-room.”
inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading “He rang: he was admitted, and shown into a waiting-room.”
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading “There was a touch of the convent parlour about it.”
United States jurist who served as chief justice of the Supreme Court (1890-1953)
From this reading “"Tell them it is Corporal Vinson."”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He rang: he was admitted, and shown into a waiting-room.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There was a touch of the convent parlour about it.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading He rang: he was admitted, and shown into a waiting-room.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He rang: he was admitted, and shown into a waiting-room.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading The man who had opened to him asked:
a religious residence especially for nuns
From this reading There was a touch of the convent parlour about it.
a noncommissioned officer in the Army or Air Force or Marines
From this reading "Tell them it is Corporal Vinson."
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading "What name shall I give to the gentlemen, Monsieur?"
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "What name shall I give to the gentlemen, Monsieur?"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The man who had opened to him asked:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He rang: he was admitted, and shown into a waiting-room.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The man who had opened to him asked:
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "What name shall I give to the gentlemen, Monsieur?"
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He rang: he was admitted, and shown into a waiting-room.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Tell them it is Corporal Vinson."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading There was a touch of the convent parlour about it.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man who had opened to him asked:
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading "What name shall I give to the gentlemen, Monsieur?"
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "What name shall I give to the gentlemen, Monsieur?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was a touch of the convent parlour about it.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading The man who had opened to him asked:
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading There was a touch of the convent parlour about it.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading He rang: he was admitted, and shown into a waiting-room.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "What name shall I give to the gentlemen, Monsieur?"
inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading He rang: he was admitted, and shown into a waiting-room.
express in words
From this reading "Tell them it is Corporal Vinson."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was a touch of the convent parlour about it.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Tell them it is Corporal Vinson."
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a touch of the convent parlour about it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The man who had opened to him asked:
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading There was a touch of the convent parlour about it.
United States jurist who served as chief justice of the Supreme Court (1890-1953)
From this reading "Tell them it is Corporal Vinson."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He rang: he was admitted, and shown into a waiting-room.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He rang: he was admitted, and shown into a waiting-room.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What name shall I give to the gentlemen, Monsieur?"
which person or people
From this reading The man who had opened to him asked:
Chapter 9 of A Nest of Spies by Pierre Souvestre holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 9 holds 423 sentences of A Nest of Spies, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of A Nest of Spies by Pierre Souvestre exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 9 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 Nest of Spies by Pierre Souvestre on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7984 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29029 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29029, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1597 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Nest of Spies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of A Nest of Spies 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 Nest of Spies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
