Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
At the Sign of the Silver Flagon
At the Sign of the Silver Flagon

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for At the Sign of the Silver Flagon
Context Illustration Reading 1/30 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"I AM GOING TO SPEAK OUT," SAID PHILIP.
When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:
"O, dear me!
I'm wanted on the stage!
Hold my baby, Mr. Rowe, till I come off again."
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.

At the Sign of the Silver Flagon

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/30 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"I AM GOING TO SPEAK OUT," SAID PHILIP.
/aɪ æm ˈɡoʊɪŋ tuː spiːk aʊt sed ˈfɪləp/
Line 2
When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:
/wen ˈfɪləp meɪd hɪz əˈpɪrəns ðæt ˈiːvnɪŋ bɪˈhaɪnd ðə siːnz ðə fɜːrst oʊld ˈwʊmən smaɪld sɪɡˈnɪfɪkəntli æt hɪm ənd wʌns wen hɜːr kjuː tuː ɡoʊ ɑːn ðə steɪdʒ wɑːz ˈɡɪvən ʃiː kraɪd tuː hɪm ʌv ˈmæləs əˈfɔːrθɑːt/
Line 3
"O, dear me!
/oʊ dɪr miː/
Line 4
I'm wanted on the stage!
Line 5
Hold my baby, Mr. Rowe, till I come off again."

Learner Dictionary

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.

aforethought adjective US /əˈfɔːrθɑːt/

with planning and intention

From this reading “When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:”

baby noun US /ˈbeɪbi/

a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk

From this reading “Hold my baby, Mr. Rowe, till I come off again."”

cue noun US /kjuː/

an actor's line that immediately precedes and serves as a reminder for some action or speech

From this reading “When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:”

malice noun US /ˈmæləs/

feeling a need to see others suffer

From this reading “When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:”

philip noun US /ˈfɪləp/

Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)

From this reading “"I AM GOING TO SPEAK OUT," SAID PHILIP.”

scenes noun US /siːnz/

plural of “scene” — the place where some action occurs

From this reading “When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:”

significantly adverb US /sɪɡˈnɪfɪkəntli/

in a statistically significant way

From this reading “When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:”

stage noun US /steɪdʒ/

any distinct time period in a sequence of events

From this reading “When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

Old Woman adjective + noun

a woman who is old

In this reading “When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:”

behind the scenes preposition + article + noun counted as “behind … scene”

In this reading “When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:”

on the stage preposition + article + noun counted as “on … stage”

In this reading “When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:”

go on verb + particle

continue a certain state, condition, or activity

In this reading “When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:”

SPEAK OUT verb + adjective

express one's opinion openly and without fear or hesitation

In this reading “"I AM GOING TO SPEAK OUT," SAID PHILIP.”

All words in this reading · 52

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.

aforethoughtadjectiveUS /əˈfɔːrθɑːt/

with planning and intention

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading Hold my baby, Mr. Rowe, till I come off again."

AMauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading "I AM GOING TO SPEAK OUT," SAID PHILIP.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

appearancenounUS /əˈpɪrəns/

outward or visible aspect of a person or thing

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

babynounUS /ˈbeɪbi/

a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk

From this reading Hold my baby, Mr. Rowe, till I come off again."

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Hold my baby, Mr. Rowe, till I come off again."

criedverbUS /kraɪd/

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

cuenounUS /kjuː/

an actor's line that immediately precedes and serves as a reminder for some action or speech

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading "O, dear me!

eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

FirstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/

acknowledged as a supposition

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

GOINGnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading "I AM GOING TO SPEAK OUT," SAID PHILIP.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

HoldverbUS /hoʊld/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading Hold my baby, Mr. Rowe, till I come off again."

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "I AM GOING TO SPEAK OUT," SAID PHILIP.

I'm

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

From this reading I'm wanted on the stage!

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

malicenounUS /ˈmæləs/

feeling a need to see others suffer

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "O, dear me!

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading Hold my baby, Mr. Rowe, till I come off again."

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Hold my baby, Mr. Rowe, till I come off again."

OnounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading "O, dear me!

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading Hold my baby, Mr. Rowe, till I come off again."

OldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

OUTadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading "I AM GOING TO SPEAK OUT," SAID PHILIP.

PHILIPnounUS /ˈfɪləp/

Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)

From this reading "I AM GOING TO SPEAK OUT," SAID PHILIP.

Rowe

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

From this reading Hold my baby, Mr. Rowe, till I come off again."

SAIDadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "I AM GOING TO SPEAK OUT," SAID PHILIP.

scenesnounUS /siːnz/

plural of “scene” — the place where some action occurs

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

significantlyadverbUS /sɪɡˈnɪfɪkəntli/

in a statistically significant way

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

smiledverbUS /smaɪld/

past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

SPEAKverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading "I AM GOING TO SPEAK OUT," SAID PHILIP.

stagenounUS /steɪdʒ/

any distinct time period in a sequence of events

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

tillprepositionUS /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading Hold my baby, Mr. Rowe, till I come off again."

TOparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading "I AM GOING TO SPEAK OUT," SAID PHILIP.

wantedadjectiveUS /ˈwɔːntɪd/

desired or wished for or sought

From this reading I'm wanted on the stage!

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

WomannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading When Philip made his appearance that evening behind the scenes, the First Old Woman smiled significantly at him, and once, when her cue to go on the stage was given, she cried to him, of malice aforethought:

Chapter 12 of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon holds 154 sentences, grouped into 31 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.

What does chapter 12 of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon contain?

Chapter 12 holds 154 sentences of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 154 sentences, grouped into 31 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.

How do I study chapter 12 of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon?

Work through the 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 31 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.

Can chapter 12 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading At the Sign of the Silver Flagon

Common questions about reading At the Sign of the Silver Flagon by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon?

Yes. All 5583 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53062 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #53062, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does At the Sign of the Silver Flagon take to read?

About 465 minutes of reading across 1117 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read At the Sign of the Silver Flagon section by section

How to work through At the Sign of the Silver Flagon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 38 chapters of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in At the Sign of the Silver Flagon

Words and structures a reader meets early in At the Sign of the Silver Flagon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Curtain
A word that appears in the opening chapter of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Falls
A word that appears in the opening chapter of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Brief
A word that appears in the opening chapter of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Space
A word that appears in the opening chapter of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.