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Arsène Lupin
Arsène Lupin

Chapter XIX · The Duke Goes

Cover illustration for Arsène Lupin
Context Illustration Reading 1/70 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.
He moved about the room uneasily, fingering the bric-a-brac, glancing at the Duke and looking quickly away from him again.
Then he came to a standstill on the hearth-rug with his back to the fireplace.
“Do you think it’s quite safe to stand there, at least with your back to the hearth?
If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Arsène Lupin

Chapter XIX · The Duke Goes

Reading 1/70 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.
Line 2
He moved about the room uneasily, fingering the bric-a-brac, glancing at the Duke and looking quickly away from him again.
Line 3
Then he came to a standstill on the hearth-rug with his back to the fireplace.
Line 4
“Do you think it’s quite safe to stand there, at least with your back to the hearth?
Line 5
If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “He moved about the room uneasily, fingering the bric-a-brac, glancing at the Duke and looking quickly away from him again.”

Again noun US /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He moved about the room uneasily, fingering the bric-a-brac, glancing at the Duke and looking quickly away from him again.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.”

Behind preposition US /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading “If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.”

Least noun US /least/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““Do you think it’s quite safe to stand there, at least with your back to the hearth?”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.”

Quite noun US /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““Do you think it’s quite safe to stand there, at least with your back to the hearth?”

Stand noun US /stand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““Do you think it’s quite safe to stand there, at least with your back to the hearth?”

Suddenly noun US /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading “If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.”

Think noun US /think/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““Do you think it’s quite safe to stand there, at least with your back to the hearth?”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.”

All words in this reading · 72

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 When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading He moved about the room uneasily, fingering the bric-a-brac, glancing at the Duke and looking quickly away from him again.

againnounUS /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He moved about the room uneasily, fingering the bric-a-brac, glancing at the Duke and looking quickly away from him again.

air

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

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He moved about the room uneasily, fingering the bric-a-brac, glancing at the Duke and looking quickly away from him again.

away

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

From this reading He moved about the room uneasily, fingering the bric-a-brac, glancing at the Duke and looking quickly away from him again.

back

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

From this reading Then he came to a standstill on the hearth-rug with his back to the fireplace.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.

bric-a-brac

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

From this reading He moved about the room uneasily, fingering the bric-a-brac, glancing at the Duke and looking quickly away from him again.

calm

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

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

came

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

From this reading Then he came to a standstill on the hearth-rug with his back to the fireplace.

catch

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

From this reading If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.

Doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading “Do you think it’s quite safe to stand there, at least with your back to the hearth?

drawing-room

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

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

dropped

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

From this reading If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.

Duke

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

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

fingering

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

From this reading He moved about the room uneasily, fingering the bric-a-brac, glancing at the Duke and looking quickly away from him again.

fireplace

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

From this reading Then he came to a standstill on the hearth-rug with his back to the fireplace.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading He moved about the room uneasily, fingering the bric-a-brac, glancing at the Duke and looking quickly away from him again.

glancing

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

From this reading He moved about the room uneasily, fingering the bric-a-brac, glancing at the Duke and looking quickly away from him again.

Guerchard

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

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

he'd

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

From this reading If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.

hearth

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

From this reading “Do you think it’s quite safe to stand there, at least with your back to the hearth?

hearth-rug

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

From this reading Then he came to a standstill on the hearth-rug with his back to the fireplace.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading He moved about the room uneasily, fingering the bric-a-brac, glancing at the Duke and looking quickly away from him again.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

it's

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

From this reading “Do you think it’s quite safe to stand there, at least with your back to the hearth?

joined

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

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

leastnounUS /least/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Do you think it’s quite safe to stand there, at least with your back to the hearth?

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

looking

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

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

lost

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

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

Lupin

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

From this reading If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.

more

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

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

moved

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

From this reading He moved about the room uneasily, fingering the bric-a-brac, glancing at the Duke and looking quickly away from him again.

nervous

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

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Then he came to a standstill on the hearth-rug with his back to the fireplace.

opening

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

From this reading If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.

quickly

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

From this reading He moved about the room uneasily, fingering the bric-a-brac, glancing at the Duke and looking quickly away from him again.

quitenounUS /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Do you think it’s quite safe to stand there, at least with your back to the hearth?

remonstrance

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

From this reading If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.

room

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

From this reading He moved about the room uneasily, fingering the bric-a-brac, glancing at the Duke and looking quickly away from him again.

safe

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

From this reading “Do you think it’s quite safe to stand there, at least with your back to the hearth?

said

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

From this reading If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.

stand

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

From this reading “Do you think it’s quite safe to stand there, at least with your back to the hearth?

standstill

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

From this reading Then he came to a standstill on the hearth-rug with his back to the fireplace.

suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

Then

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

From this reading Then he came to a standstill on the hearth-rug with his back to the fireplace.

there

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

From this reading “Do you think it’s quite safe to stand there, at least with your back to the hearth?

thinknounUS /think/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Do you think it’s quite safe to stand there, at least with your back to the hearth?

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Then he came to a standstill on the hearth-rug with his back to the fireplace.

tone

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

From this reading If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.

twice

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

From this reading If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.

uneasily

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

From this reading He moved about the room uneasily, fingering the bric-a-brac, glancing at the Duke and looking quickly away from him again.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When Guerchard joined the Duke in the drawing-room, he had lost his calm air and was looking more than a little nervous.

wink

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

From this reading If Lupin dropped through that opening suddenly, he’d catch you from behind before you could wink twice,” said the Duke, in a tone of remonstrance.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Then he came to a standstill on the hearth-rug with his back to the fireplace.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “Do you think it’s quite safe to stand there, at least with your back to the hearth?

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “Do you think it’s quite safe to stand there, at least with your back to the hearth?