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Beatrix
Beatrix

Chapter XXVI · Chapter 26

Chapter 26 of Beatrix is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Beatrix
Context Illustration Reading 1/31 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Oh, mother!
I am not loved with the love that I feel in my heart.
Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.
Guenic, September 18.
Has he forgotten her?
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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.

Beatrix

Chapter XXVI · Chapter 26

Chapter 26 of Beatrix is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Oh, mother!
/oʊ ˈmʌðər/
Line 2
I am not loved with the love that I feel in my heart.
/aɪ æm nɑːt lʌvd wɪð ðə lʌv ðæt aɪ fiːl ɪn maɪ hɑːrt/
Line 3
Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.
Line 4
Guenic, September 18.
Line 5
Has he forgotten her?
/hæz hiː fərˈɡɑːt.n̩ hɜːr/

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.

amiable adjective US /ˈeɪmiəbəl/

disposed to please

From this reading “Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.”

charming adjective US /ˈtʃɑːrmɪŋ/

pleasing or delighting

From this reading “Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.”

gracious adjective US /ˈɡreɪʃəs/

characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit

From this reading “Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.”

loving adjective US /ˈlʌvɪŋ/

feeling or showing love and affection

From this reading “Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.”

monster noun US /ˈmɑːnstər/

an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts

From this reading “Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.”

pure adjective US /pjʊr/

free of extraneous elements of any kind

From this reading “Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.”

receiving verb US /rəˈsiːvɪŋ/

-ing form of “receive” — get something; come into possession of

From this reading “Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.”

September noun US /sepˈtembər/

the month following August and preceding October

From this reading “Guenic, September 18.”

All words in this reading · 61

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.

18

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

From this reading Guenic, September 18.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading I am not loved with the love that I feel in my heart.

amiableadjectiveUS /ˈeɪmiəbəl/

disposed to please

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

Calyste

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

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

charmingadjectiveUS /ˈtʃɑːrmɪŋ/

pleasing or delighting

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

feelverbUS /fiːl/

undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind

From this reading I am not loved with the love that I feel in my heart.

flowersnounUS /ˈflaʊərz/

plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

forgottenadjectiveUS /fərˈɡɑːt.n̩/

Not remembered; lapsed from memory.

From this reading Has he forgotten her?

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

graciousadjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪʃəs/

characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

Guenic

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

From this reading Guenic, September 18.

Hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Has he forgotten her?

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading I am not loved with the love that I feel in my heart.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Has he forgotten her?

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I am not loved with the love that I feel in my heart.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading I am not loved with the love that I feel in my heart.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading I am not loved with the love that I feel in my heart.

lovedadjectiveUS /lʌvd/

held dear

From this reading I am not loved with the love that I feel in my heart.

lovingadjectiveUS /ˈlʌvɪŋ/

feeling or showing love and affection

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

monsternounUS /ˈmɑːnstər/

an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading Oh, mother!

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I am not loved with the love that I feel in my heart.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I am not loved with the love that I feel in my heart.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading Oh, mother!

pureadjectiveUS /pjʊr/

free of extraneous elements of any kind

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

receivingverbUS /rəˈsiːvɪŋ/

-ing form of “receive” — get something; come into possession of

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

SeptembernounUS /sepˈtembər/

the month following August and preceding October

From this reading Guenic, September 18.

soulnounUS /soʊl/

the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading I am not loved with the love that I feel in my heart.

that's

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

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading I am not loved with the love that I feel in my heart.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

trueadjectiveUS /truː/

consistent with fact or reality; not false

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

twentynounUS /ˈtwenti/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

unlessconjunctionUS /ənˈles/

except if; if not

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading I am not loved with the love that I feel in my heart.

womennounUS /ˈwɪmən/

plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading Calyste is charming to me, that’s true! but what man, unless he were a monster, would not be, as Calyste is, amiable and gracious when receiving all the flowers of the soul of a young girl of twenty, brought up by you, pure, loving, and beautiful, as many women have said to you that I am.

Chapter 26 of Beatrix by Honoré de Balzac holds 159 sentences, grouped into 32 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 26 of Beatrix contain?

Chapter 26 holds 159 sentences of Beatrix, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 26 of Beatrix by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 26 of Beatrix?

Work through the 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 32 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 26 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 26 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 Beatrix

Common questions about reading Beatrix by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Beatrix?

Yes. All 5394 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1957 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Beatrix is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1957, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Beatrix take to read?

About 449 minutes of reading across 1079 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Beatrix section by section

How to work through Beatrix section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 35 chapters of Beatrix 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 Beatrix

Words and structures a reader meets early in Beatrix, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Somewhat
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Beatrix; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Remarkable
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Beatrix; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Balzac
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Beatrix; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dealing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Beatrix; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.