Chapter 15 of A Nest of Spies is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of A Nest of Spies is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Ah, then, you'll foot the bill, Bobine, if you have such a rich situation?" "I will pay, Geoffrey," said Bobinette: "This old lady, I think."... Bobinette stopped. She went white as a sheet.... An old man had just entered the wine-shop.
Chapter 15 of A Nest of Spies is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “"Ah, then, you'll foot the bill, Bobine, if you have such a rich situation?"”
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading “An old man had just entered the wine-shop.”
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading “"Ah, then, you'll foot the bill, Bobine, if you have such a rich situation?"”
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading “"I will pay, Geoffrey," said Bobinette: "This old lady, I think."...”
possessing material wealth
From this reading “"Ah, then, you'll foot the bill, Bobine, if you have such a rich situation?"”
any broad thin expanse or surface
From this reading “She went white as a sheet....”
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading “"Ah, then, you'll foot the bill, Bobine, if you have such a rich situation?"”
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading “Bobinette stopped.”
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 "Ah, then, you'll foot the bill, Bobine, if you have such a rich situation?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah, then, you'll foot the bill, Bobine, if you have such a rich situation?"
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An old man had just entered the wine-shop.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She went white as a sheet....
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading "Ah, then, you'll foot the bill, Bobine, if you have such a rich situation?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah, then, you'll foot the bill, Bobine, if you have such a rich situation?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I will pay, Geoffrey," said Bobinette: "This old lady, I think."...
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading An old man had just entered the wine-shop.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading "Ah, then, you'll foot the bill, Bobine, if you have such a rich situation?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I will pay, Geoffrey," said Bobinette: "This old lady, I think."...
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading An old man had just entered the wine-shop.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Ah, then, you'll foot the bill, Bobine, if you have such a rich situation?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I will pay, Geoffrey," said Bobinette: "This old lady, I think."...
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Ah, then, you'll foot the bill, Bobine, if you have such a rich situation?"
and nothing more
From this reading An old man had just entered the wine-shop.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading "I will pay, Geoffrey," said Bobinette: "This old lady, I think."...
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading An old man had just entered the wine-shop.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "I will pay, Geoffrey," said Bobinette: "This old lady, I think."...
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading "I will pay, Geoffrey," said Bobinette: "This old lady, I think."...
possessing material wealth
From this reading "Ah, then, you'll foot the bill, Bobine, if you have such a rich situation?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I will pay, Geoffrey," said Bobinette: "This old lady, I think."...
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She went white as a sheet....
any broad thin expanse or surface
From this reading She went white as a sheet....
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading "Ah, then, you'll foot the bill, Bobine, if you have such a rich situation?"
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading Bobinette stopped.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "Ah, then, you'll foot the bill, Bobine, if you have such a rich situation?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Ah, then, you'll foot the bill, Bobine, if you have such a rich situation?"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Ah, then, you'll foot the bill, Bobine, if you have such a rich situation?"
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I will pay, Geoffrey," said Bobinette: "This old lady, I think."...
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "I will pay, Geoffrey," said Bobinette: "This old lady, I think."...
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading She went white as a sheet....
a Caucasian
From this reading She went white as a sheet....
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "I will pay, Geoffrey," said Bobinette: "This old lady, I think."...
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An old man had just entered the wine-shop.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Ah, then, you'll foot the bill, Bobine, if you have such a rich situation?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah, then, you'll foot the bill, Bobine, if you have such a rich situation?"
Chapter 15 of A Nest of Spies by Pierre Souvestre holds 428 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.
Chapter 15 holds 428 sentences of A Nest of Spies, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of A Nest of Spies by Pierre Souvestre exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 428 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.
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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 15 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.
