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Akbar: An Eastern Romance
Akbar: An Eastern Romance

Chapter XV

Cover illustration for Akbar: An Eastern Romance
Context Illustration Reading 1/39 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE DISCOVERY.
The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.
Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!
One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.
He had begun more and more to distrust her; and these repeated visits were partly to obtain more knowledge of her secrets and of the conspiracy.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Akbar: An Eastern Romance

Chapter XV

Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE DISCOVERY.
Line 2
The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.
Line 3
Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!
Line 4
One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.
Line 5
He had begun more and more to distrust her; and these repeated visits were partly to obtain more knowledge of her secrets and of the conspiracy.

Learner Dictionary

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

Accounts noun US /ˈaccounts/

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

From this reading “The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.”

Already noun US /already/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.”

Although noun US /ˈalthough/

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

From this reading “One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.”

Among preposition US /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading “Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.”

Obtain verb US /əbˈteɪn/

to get something, especially through effort

From this reading “He had begun more and more to distrust her; and these repeated visits were partly to obtain more knowledge of her secrets and of the conspiracy.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.”

Partly noun US /partly/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had begun more and more to distrust her; and these repeated visits were partly to obtain more knowledge of her secrets and of the conspiracy.”

Repeated noun US /repeated/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!”

Same noun US /same/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!”

These determiner US /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading “He had begun more and more to distrust her; and these repeated visits were partly to obtain more knowledge of her secrets and of the conspiracy.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!”

Towards preposition US /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading “One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.”

Waiting noun US /ˈwaiting/

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

From this reading “Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!”

All words in this reading · 76

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

accountsnounUS /ˈaccounts/

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

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

Agra

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

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

all

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

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

alreadynounUS /already/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

althoughnounUS /ˈalthough/

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

From this reading One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

begun

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

From this reading He had begun more and more to distrust her; and these repeated visits were partly to obtain more knowledge of her secrets and of the conspiracy.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

conspiracy

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

From this reading He had begun more and more to distrust her; and these repeated visits were partly to obtain more knowledge of her secrets and of the conspiracy.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.

detachment

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

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

DISCOVERY

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

From this reading THE DISCOVERY.

distance

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

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

distrust

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

From this reading He had begun more and more to distrust her; and these repeated visits were partly to obtain more knowledge of her secrets and of the conspiracy.

dwelling

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

From this reading One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.

eagerness

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

From this reading One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.

Emperor

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

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

evening

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

From this reading One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

flatter

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

From this reading One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

formerly

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

From this reading One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

Gulbadan

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

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

head

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

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.

join

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

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

knowledge

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

From this reading He had begun more and more to distrust her; and these repeated visits were partly to obtain more knowledge of her secrets and of the conspiracy.

marched

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

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

more

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

From this reading He had begun more and more to distrust her; and these repeated visits were partly to obtain more knowledge of her secrets and of the conspiracy.

north

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

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.

obtainverbUS /əbˈteɪn/

to get something, especially through effort

From this reading He had begun more and more to distrust her; and these repeated visits were partly to obtain more knowledge of her secrets and of the conspiracy.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.

orders

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

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

out

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

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

partly

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

From this reading He had begun more and more to distrust her; and these repeated visits were partly to obtain more knowledge of her secrets and of the conspiracy.

repeatednounUS /repeated/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

reported

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

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

Rezia

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

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

samenounUS /same/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.

secrets

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

From this reading He had begun more and more to distrust her; and these repeated visits were partly to obtain more knowledge of her secrets and of the conspiracy.

set

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

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

shorten

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

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

Siddha

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

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

some

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

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

sought

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

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

steps

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

From this reading One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE DISCOVERY.

then

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

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading He had begun more and more to distrust her; and these repeated visits were partly to obtain more knowledge of her secrets and of the conspiracy.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.

troops

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

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

turned

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

From this reading One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.

visits

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

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

waiting

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

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The Emperor, at the head of his troops, had set out for the north, and all accounts reported that he was already at some distance from Agra.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading He had begun more and more to distrust her; and these repeated visits were partly to obtain more knowledge of her secrets and of the conspiracy.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading One evening he turned his steps towards her dwelling, although he could not flatter himself it was with the same eagerness as formerly.

wonder

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

From this reading Siddha was still waiting for orders to join his detachment, which had marched among the first; what wonder, then, if he had sought to shorten the time of waiting by repeated visits to Rezia Gulbadan!