Chapter 3 of Balthasar and Other Works - 1909 is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Balthasar and Other Works - 1909 is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“My father, I have nearly finished. Alas, for Leila’s love, I had broken my solemn plighted troth, I had betrayed my best friend. I had affronted God. Paul, having heard of Leila’s faithlessness, became mad with grief. He threatened her with death, but she replied gently:
Chapter 3 of Balthasar and Other Works - 1909 is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
past form of “affront” — treat, mention, or speak to rudely
From this reading “I had affronted God.”
used to show sadness, pity, or regret
From this reading “Alas, for Leila’s love, I had broken my solemn plighted troth, I had betrayed my best friend.”
past form of “betray” — reveal unintentionally
From this reading “Alas, for Leila’s love, I had broken my solemn plighted troth, I had betrayed my best friend.”
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)
From this reading “Paul, having heard of Leila’s faithlessness, became mad with grief.”
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading “Paul, having heard of Leila’s faithlessness, became mad with grief.”
dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises
From this reading “Alas, for Leila’s love, I had broken my solemn plighted troth, I had betrayed my best friend.”
(of flora or fauna) likely in the near future to become endangered
From this reading “He threatened her with death, but she replied gently:”
a mutual promise to marry
From this reading “Alas, for Leila’s love, I had broken my solemn plighted troth, I had betrayed my best friend.”
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.
past form of “affront” — treat, mention, or speak to rudely
From this reading I had affronted God.
used to show sadness, pity, or regret
From this reading Alas, for Leila’s love, I had broken my solemn plighted troth, I had betrayed my best friend.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Paul, having heard of Leila’s faithlessness, became mad with grief.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading Alas, for Leila’s love, I had broken my solemn plighted troth, I had betrayed my best friend.
past form of “betray” — reveal unintentionally
From this reading Alas, for Leila’s love, I had broken my solemn plighted troth, I had betrayed my best friend.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading Alas, for Leila’s love, I had broken my solemn plighted troth, I had betrayed my best friend.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He threatened her with death, but she replied gently:
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading He threatened her with death, but she replied gently:
unfaithfulness by virtue of being unreliable or treacherous
From this reading Paul, having heard of Leila’s faithlessness, became mad with grief.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “My father, I have nearly finished.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading “My father, I have nearly finished.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Alas, for Leila’s love, I had broken my solemn plighted troth, I had betrayed my best friend.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Alas, for Leila’s love, I had broken my solemn plighted troth, I had betrayed my best friend.
in a gradual manner
From this reading He threatened her with death, but she replied gently:
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading I had affronted God.
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)
From this reading Paul, having heard of Leila’s faithlessness, became mad with grief.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Alas, for Leila’s love, I had broken my solemn plighted troth, I had betrayed my best friend.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “My father, I have nearly finished.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Paul, having heard of Leila’s faithlessness, became mad with grief.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He threatened her with death, but she replied gently:
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Paul, having heard of Leila’s faithlessness, became mad with grief.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He threatened her with death, but she replied gently:
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “My father, I have nearly finished.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alas, for Leila’s love, I had broken my solemn plighted troth, I had betrayed my best friend.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading Alas, for Leila’s love, I had broken my solemn plighted troth, I had betrayed my best friend.
roused to anger
From this reading Paul, having heard of Leila’s faithlessness, became mad with grief.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My father, I have nearly finished.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “My father, I have nearly finished.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Paul, having heard of Leila’s faithlessness, became mad with grief.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading Paul, having heard of Leila’s faithlessness, became mad with grief.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alas, for Leila’s love, I had broken my solemn plighted troth, I had betrayed my best friend.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading He threatened her with death, but she replied gently:
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He threatened her with death, but she replied gently:
dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises
From this reading Alas, for Leila’s love, I had broken my solemn plighted troth, I had betrayed my best friend.
(of flora or fauna) likely in the near future to become endangered
From this reading He threatened her with death, but she replied gently:
a mutual promise to marry
From this reading Alas, for Leila’s love, I had broken my solemn plighted troth, I had betrayed my best friend.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Paul, having heard of Leila’s faithlessness, became mad with grief.
Chapter 3 of Balthasar and Other Works - 1909 by Anatole France holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 3 holds 418 sentences of Balthasar and Other Works - 1909, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Balthasar and Other Works - 1909 by Anatole France exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 3 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 Balthasar and Other Works - 1909 by Anatole France on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1264 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22059 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22059, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 105 minutes of reading across 253 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Balthasar and Other Works - 1909 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Balthasar and Other Works - 1909 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 Balthasar and Other Works - 1909, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
