Chapter 25 of Balsamo, the Magician is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXV
Chapter 25 of Balsamo, the Magician is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN THE LOFT. To tell the truth, the loft where Jacques stowed his guest was not fit for habitation. The mattress was on the floor and the chief article of furniture. Rats had pulled about and gnawed a heap of yellowed papers. On clotheslines across the attic were paper bags in which were drying beans, herbs and household linen.
Chapter 25 of Balsamo, the Magician is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
plural of “bean” — any of various edible seeds of plants of the family Leguminosae used for food
From this reading “On clotheslines across the attic were paper bags in which were drying beans, herbs and household linen.”
-ing form of “dry” — remove the moisture from and make dry
From this reading “On clotheslines across the attic were paper bags in which were drying beans, herbs and household linen.”
past form of “gnaw” — bite or chew on with the teeth
From this reading “Rats had pulled about and gnawed a heap of yellowed papers.”
the native habitat or home of an animal or plant
From this reading “To tell the truth, the loft where Jacques stowed his guest was not fit for habitation.”
plural of “herb” — a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests
From this reading “On clotheslines across the attic were paper bags in which were drying beans, herbs and household linen.”
floor consisting of a large unpartitioned space over a factory or warehouse or other commercial space
From this reading “IN THE LOFT.”
a large thick pad filled with resilient material and often incorporating coiled springs, used as a bed or part of a bed
From this reading “The mattress was on the floor and the chief article of furniture.”
past form of “stow” — fill by packing tightly
From this reading “To tell the truth, the loft where Jacques stowed his guest was not fit for habitation.”
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.
a bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases
In this reading “On clotheslines across the attic were paper bags in which were drying beans, herbs and household linen.”
In this reading “The mattress was on the floor and the chief article of furniture.”
In this reading “To tell the truth, the loft where Jacques stowed his guest was not fit for habitation.”
In this reading “The mattress was on the floor and the chief article of furniture.”
In this reading “To tell the truth, the loft where Jacques stowed his guest was not fit for habitation.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Rats had pulled about and gnawed a heap of yellowed papers.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Rats had pulled about and gnawed a heap of yellowed papers.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading On clotheslines across the attic were paper bags in which were drying beans, herbs and household linen.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The mattress was on the floor and the chief article of furniture.
nonfictional prose forming an independent part of a publication
From this reading The mattress was on the floor and the chief article of furniture.
floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage
From this reading On clotheslines across the attic were paper bags in which were drying beans, herbs and household linen.
plural of “bag” — a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading On clotheslines across the attic were paper bags in which were drying beans, herbs and household linen.
plural of “bean” — any of various edible seeds of plants of the family Leguminosae used for food
From this reading On clotheslines across the attic were paper bags in which were drying beans, herbs and household linen.
a person who is in charge
From this reading The mattress was on the floor and the chief article of furniture.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On clotheslines across the attic were paper bags in which were drying beans, herbs and household linen.
-ing form of “dry” — remove the moisture from and make dry
From this reading On clotheslines across the attic were paper bags in which were drying beans, herbs and household linen.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading To tell the truth, the loft where Jacques stowed his guest was not fit for habitation.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading The mattress was on the floor and the chief article of furniture.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading To tell the truth, the loft where Jacques stowed his guest was not fit for habitation.
furnishings that make a room or other area ready for occupancy
From this reading The mattress was on the floor and the chief article of furniture.
past form of “gnaw” — bite or chew on with the teeth
From this reading Rats had pulled about and gnawed a heap of yellowed papers.
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading To tell the truth, the loft where Jacques stowed his guest was not fit for habitation.
the native habitat or home of an animal or plant
From this reading To tell the truth, the loft where Jacques stowed his guest was not fit for habitation.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Rats had pulled about and gnawed a heap of yellowed papers.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading Rats had pulled about and gnawed a heap of yellowed papers.
plural of “herb” — a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests
From this reading On clotheslines across the attic were paper bags in which were drying beans, herbs and household linen.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading To tell the truth, the loft where Jacques stowed his guest was not fit for habitation.
a social unit living together
From this reading On clotheslines across the attic were paper bags in which were drying beans, herbs and household linen.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE LOFT.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To tell the truth, the loft where Jacques stowed his guest was not fit for habitation.
a fabric woven with fibers from the flax plant
From this reading On clotheslines across the attic were paper bags in which were drying beans, herbs and household linen.
floor consisting of a large unpartitioned space over a factory or warehouse or other commercial space
From this reading IN THE LOFT.
a large thick pad filled with resilient material and often incorporating coiled springs, used as a bed or part of a bed
From this reading The mattress was on the floor and the chief article of furniture.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading To tell the truth, the loft where Jacques stowed his guest was not fit for habitation.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The mattress was on the floor and the chief article of furniture.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The mattress was on the floor and the chief article of furniture.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading On clotheslines across the attic were paper bags in which were drying beans, herbs and household linen.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading Rats had pulled about and gnawed a heap of yellowed papers.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading Rats had pulled about and gnawed a heap of yellowed papers.
plural of “rat” — any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading Rats had pulled about and gnawed a heap of yellowed papers.
past form of “stow” — fill by packing tightly
From this reading To tell the truth, the loft where Jacques stowed his guest was not fit for habitation.
express in words
From this reading To tell the truth, the loft where Jacques stowed his guest was not fit for habitation.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE LOFT.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To tell the truth, the loft where Jacques stowed his guest was not fit for habitation.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading To tell the truth, the loft where Jacques stowed his guest was not fit for habitation.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To tell the truth, the loft where Jacques stowed his guest was not fit for habitation.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading On clotheslines across the attic were paper bags in which were drying beans, herbs and household linen.
in or at the place that
From this reading To tell the truth, the loft where Jacques stowed his guest was not fit for habitation.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading On clotheslines across the attic were paper bags in which were drying beans, herbs and household linen.
changed to a yellowish color by age
From this reading Rats had pulled about and gnawed a heap of yellowed papers.
Chapter 25 of Balsamo, the Magician by Alexandre Dumas holds 73 sentences, grouped into 15 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 25 holds 73 sentences of Balsamo, the Magician, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 25 of Balsamo, the Magician by Alexandre Dumas exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 73 sentences, grouped into 15 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 25 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Balsamo, the Magician by Alexandre Dumas on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6299 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45822 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45822, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 524 minutes of reading across 1260 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Balsamo, the Magician section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Balsamo, the Magician to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Balsamo, the Magician, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
