Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
A Traitor in London
A Traitor in London

Chapter XXI · In South Africa

Cover illustration for A Traitor in London
Context Illustration Reading 1/42 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.
Brenda clung to him as though she would never let him go.
She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.
He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.
It was some time before husband and wife recovered themselves sufficiently to exchange confidences.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Traitor in London

Chapter XXI · In South Africa

Reading 1/42 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.
Line 2
Brenda clung to him as though she would never let him go.
Line 3
She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.
Line 4
He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.
Line 5
It was some time before husband and wife recovered themselves sufficiently to exchange confidences.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “It was some time before husband and wife recovered themselves sufficiently to exchange confidences.”

Beyond preposition US /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading “He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.”

Clung noun US /clung/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Brenda clung to him as though she would never let him go.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.”

Journey noun US /ˈjourney/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.”

Left noun US /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.”

Let auxiliary verb US /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading “Brenda clung to him as though she would never let him go.”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Brenda clung to him as though she would never let him go.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.”

Perhaps noun US /perhaps/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.”

Themselves pronoun US /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading “It was some time before husband and wife recovered themselves sufficiently to exchange confidences.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “Brenda clung to him as though she would never let him go.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was some time before husband and wife recovered themselves sufficiently to exchange confidences.”

Undertaking noun US /ˌʌndərˈteɪkɪŋ/

a serious task, project, or venture that someone agrees to do

From this reading “He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “Brenda clung to him as though she would never let him go.”

All words in this reading · 83

Every word is available to listen to. 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 She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

arduous

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

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Brenda clung to him as though she would never let him go.

assuredly

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

From this reading She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading It was some time before husband and wife recovered themselves sufficiently to exchange confidences.

beyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.

Brenda

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

From this reading Brenda clung to him as though she would never let him go.

bronzed

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

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

campaign

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

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

clungnounUS /clung/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Brenda clung to him as though she would never let him go.

confidences

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

From this reading It was some time before husband and wife recovered themselves sufficiently to exchange confidences.

dangerous

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

From this reading He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.

death

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

From this reading She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.

delighted

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

From this reading He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.

England

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

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

exchange

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

From this reading It was some time before husband and wife recovered themselves sufficiently to exchange confidences.

fit

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

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.

go

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

From this reading Brenda clung to him as though she would never let him go.

grave

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

From this reading She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

hardened

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

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

Harold

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

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Brenda clung to him as though she would never let him go.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.

husband

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

From this reading It was some time before husband and wife recovered themselves sufficiently to exchange confidences.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

indeed

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

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

jaws

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

From this reading She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.

journeynounUS /ˈjourney/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.

leftnounUS /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading Brenda clung to him as though she would never let him go.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.

mercies

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

From this reading She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.

moved

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

From this reading He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.

near

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

From this reading He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Brenda clung to him as though she would never let him go.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.

perhaps

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

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

pluck

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

From this reading He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.

Pretoria

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

From this reading She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.

recovered

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

From this reading It was some time before husband and wife recovered themselves sufficiently to exchange confidences.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Brenda clung to him as though she would never let him go.

side

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

From this reading He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.

snatched

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

From this reading She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.

some

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

From this reading It was some time before husband and wife recovered themselves sufficiently to exchange confidences.

sufficiently

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

From this reading It was some time before husband and wife recovered themselves sufficiently to exchange confidences.

tender

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

From this reading She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.

tenderness

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

From this reading He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading It was some time before husband and wife recovered themselves sufficiently to exchange confidences.

thinner

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

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Brenda clung to him as though she would never let him go.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was some time before husband and wife recovered themselves sufficiently to exchange confidences.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Brenda clung to him as though she would never let him go.

toilsome

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

From this reading He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.

undertakingnounUS /ˌʌndərˈteɪkɪŋ/

a serious task, project, or venture that someone agrees to do

From this reading He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.

Van

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

From this reading She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

way

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

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.

wife

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

From this reading It was some time before husband and wife recovered themselves sufficiently to exchange confidences.

words

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

From this reading He, on his side, was delighted and moved beyond words at her tenderness, and at her pluck in undertaking a toilsome and dangerous journey to be near him.

work

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

From this reading It was indeed Harold--thinner, perhaps, than when he had left England, but bronzed and hardened, and fit in every way for the arduous work of the campaign.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Brenda clung to him as though she would never let him go.

Zwieten

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

From this reading She looked upon him as one who had been snatched from the jaws of death; and assuredly he would have found a grave in Pretoria had he been left to the tender mercies of Van Zwieten.