Chapter 12 of A Royal Prisoner is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of A Royal Prisoner is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CAMOUFLAGE "Come in and sit down, Monsieur Wulfenmimenglaschk." The Marquis de Serac led the way into his study. He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress. Very embarrassed, Wulf bowed and bowed: "I am confused, Monsieur.
Chapter 12 of A Royal Prisoner is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
tending to become more severe or wider in scope
From this reading “He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.”
disguise by camouflaging; exploit the natural surroundings to disguise something
From this reading “CAMOUFLAGE "Come in and sit down, Monsieur Wulfenmimenglaschk."”
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading “"I am confused, Monsieur.”
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading “Very embarrassed, Wulf bowed and bowed:”
humorist who wrote about the imaginary life of cockroaches (1878-1937)
From this reading “The Marquis de Serac led the way into his study.”
in a powerful manner
From this reading “He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.”
the decade from 1960 to 1969
From this reading “He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.”
exhibiting the qualities or characteristics that identify a group or kind or category
From this reading “He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.”
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 was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.
tending to become more severe or wider in scope
From this reading He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am confused, Monsieur.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading CAMOUFLAGE "Come in and sit down, Monsieur Wulfenmimenglaschk."
of a stringed instrument; sounded by stroking with a bow
From this reading Very embarrassed, Wulf bowed and bowed:
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.
disguise by camouflaging; exploit the natural surroundings to disguise something
From this reading CAMOUFLAGE "Come in and sit down, Monsieur Wulfenmimenglaschk."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading CAMOUFLAGE "Come in and sit down, Monsieur Wulfenmimenglaschk."
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading "I am confused, Monsieur.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading The Marquis de Serac led the way into his study.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading CAMOUFLAGE "Come in and sit down, Monsieur Wulfenmimenglaschk."
put on clothes
From this reading He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading Very embarrassed, Wulf bowed and bowed:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Marquis de Serac led the way into his study.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am confused, Monsieur.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading CAMOUFLAGE "Come in and sit down, Monsieur Wulfenmimenglaschk."
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The Marquis de Serac led the way into his study.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading The Marquis de Serac led the way into his study.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.
social deportment
From this reading He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.
humorist who wrote about the imaginary life of cockroaches (1878-1937)
From this reading The Marquis de Serac led the way into his study.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading CAMOUFLAGE "Come in and sit down, Monsieur Wulfenmimenglaschk."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.
in a powerful manner
From this reading He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Marquis de Serac led the way into his study.
be seated
From this reading CAMOUFLAGE "Come in and sit down, Monsieur Wulfenmimenglaschk."
the decade from 1960 to 1969
From this reading He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.
not in physical motion
From this reading He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading The Marquis de Serac led the way into his study.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Marquis de Serac led the way into his study.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.
exhibiting the qualities or characteristics that identify a group or kind or category
From this reading He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.
precisely as stated
From this reading Very embarrassed, Wulf bowed and bowed:
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The Marquis de Serac led the way into his study.
showing characteristics of age, especially having grey or white hair
From this reading He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading He was a powerfully built, white-haired man, in the sixties, still active, with a slightly tired voice, a typical man of the world in his manners and dress.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Very embarrassed, Wulf bowed and bowed:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CAMOUFLAGE "Come in and sit down, Monsieur Wulfenmimenglaschk."
Chapter 12 of A Royal Prisoner by Pierre Souvestre holds 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 114 sentences of A Royal Prisoner, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of A Royal Prisoner by Pierre Souvestre exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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.
Common questions about reading A Royal Prisoner by Pierre Souvestre on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3849 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27789 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27789, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 320 minutes of reading across 770 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Royal Prisoner section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of A Royal Prisoner 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 Royal Prisoner, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
