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By Right of Sword
By Right of Sword

Chapter XXVI

Chapter 26 of By Right of Sword is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for By Right of Sword
Context Illustration Reading 1/19 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MY DECISION.
The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.
I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.
That may have rendered me unduly susceptible to this new development.
Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

By Right of Sword

Chapter XXVI

Chapter 26 of By Right of Sword is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/19 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
MY DECISION.
/maɪ dɪˈsɪʒən/
Line 2
The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.
Line 3
I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.
/aɪ wɑːz ɪn ə ˈveri ˈhaɪli strʌŋ kənˈdɪʃən ənd maɪ nɜːrvz wɜːr noʊ daʊt ˈɡreɪtli rɔːt əˈpɑːn æz ðə rɪˈzʌlt ʌv ðə ˈstɜːrɪŋ ɪˈvents ʌv ðə ˈpriːviəs fjuː deɪz/
Line 4
That may have rendered me unduly susceptible to this new development.
/ðæt meɪ hæv ˈrendərd miː ənˈduːli səˈseptəbəl tuː ðɪs nuː dɪˈveləpmənt/
Line 5
Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.
/biː ðæt æz ɪt meɪ aɪ went aʊt ʌv ðə ˈprɪnsɪz ˈprezəns fɪld wɪð ə ˈspɜːrɪŋ dɪˈzaɪər tuː kɪl ðə mæn huː æz ɪt siːmd tuː miː wɑːz ˈplænɪŋ maɪ ˈruːən ɪn ðɪs moʊst ˈtretʃərəs ˈmænər/

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.

development noun US /dɪˈveləpmənt/

act of improving by expanding or enlarging or refining

From this reading “That may have rendered me unduly susceptible to this new development.”

planning noun US /ˈplænɪŋ/

an act of formulating a program for a definite course of action

From this reading “Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.”

Prince's noun US /ˈprɪnsɪz/

possessive form of “prince” — a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)

From this reading “Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.”

spurring noun US /ˈspɜːrɪŋ/

a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something

From this reading “Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.”

strung adjective US /strʌŋ/

that is on a string

From this reading “I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.”

susceptible adjective US /səˈseptəbəl/

(often followed by “of” or “to”) yielding readily to or capable of

From this reading “That may have rendered me unduly susceptible to this new development.”

treacherous adjective US /ˈtretʃərəs/

dangerously unstable and unpredictable

From this reading “Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.”

unduly adverb US /ənˈduːli/

to an undue degree

From this reading “That may have rendered me unduly susceptible to this new development.”

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.

highly strung adverb + adjective

being in a tense state

In this reading “I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.”

few days adjective + noun

In this reading “I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.”

stirring events noun + noun counted as “stirring event”

In this reading “I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.”

higher pitch adjective + noun

In this reading “The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.”

new development adjective + noun

In this reading “That may have rendered me unduly susceptible to this new development.”

went out verb + adjective counted as “go out”

move out of or depart from

In this reading “Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.”

kill the man verb + article + noun counted as “kill … man”

In this reading “Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.”

All words in this reading · 71

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.

Beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.

Bilbassoff

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

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

conditionnounUS /kənˈdɪʃən/

a state at a particular time

From this reading I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.

DECISIONnounUS /dɪˈsɪʒən/

the act of making up your mind about something

From this reading MY DECISION.

desirenounUS /dɪˈzaɪər/

the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state

From this reading Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.

developmentnounUS /dɪˈveləpmənt/

act of improving by expanding or enlarging or refining

From this reading That may have rendered me unduly susceptible to this new development.

doubtnounUS /daʊt/

the state of being unsure of something

From this reading I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.

eventsnounUS /ɪˈvents/

plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time

From this reading I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

excitementnounUS /ɪkˈsaɪtmənt/

the feeling of lively and cheerful joy

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.

filledadjectiveUS /fɪld/

(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with

From this reading Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

greatlyadverbUS /ˈɡreɪtli/

to an extraordinary extent or degree

From this reading I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

happenedverbUS /ˈhæpənd/

past form of “happen” — come to pass

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading That may have rendered me unduly susceptible to this new development.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

higheradjectiveUS /ˈhaɪər/

advanced in complexity or elaboration

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

highlyadverbUS /ˈhaɪli/

to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect

From this reading I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.

killverbUS /kɪl/

cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly

From this reading Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

mannounUS /mæn/

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

From this reading Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.

mannernounUS /ˈmænər/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading That may have rendered me unduly susceptible to this new development.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.

MYdeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading MY DECISION.

nervesnounUS /nɜːrvz/

an uneasy psychological state

From this reading I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading That may have rendered me unduly susceptible to this new development.

newsnounUS /nuːz/

information about recent and important events

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.

pitchnounUS /pɪtʃ/

the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

planningnounUS /ˈplænɪŋ/

an act of formulating a program for a definite course of action

From this reading Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.

presencenounUS /ˈprezəns/

the state of being present; current existence

From this reading Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.

previousadjectiveUS /ˈpriːviəs/

just preceding something else in time or order

From this reading I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.

PrincenounUS /prɪns/

a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

Prince'snounUS /ˈprɪnsɪz/

possessive form of “prince” — a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)

From this reading Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.

renderedverbUS /ˈrendərd/

past form of “render” — cause to become

From this reading That may have rendered me unduly susceptible to this new development.

resultnounUS /rɪˈzʌlt/

a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

From this reading I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.

ruinnounUS /ˈruːən/

an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction

From this reading Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.

spurringnounUS /ˈspɜːrɪŋ/

a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something

From this reading Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.

stirringnounUS /ˈstɜːrɪŋ/

agitating a liquid with an implement

From this reading I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.

strungadjectiveUS /strʌŋ/

that is on a string

From this reading I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.

susceptibleadjectiveUS /səˈseptəbəl/

(often followed by “of” or “to”) yielding readily to or capable of

From this reading That may have rendered me unduly susceptible to this new development.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading That may have rendered me unduly susceptible to this new development.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

treacherousadjectiveUS /ˈtretʃərəs/

dangerously unstable and unpredictable

From this reading Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.

undulyadverbUS /ənˈduːli/

to an undue degree

From this reading That may have rendered me unduly susceptible to this new development.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading I was in a very highly strung condition, and my nerves were no doubt greatly wrought upon as the result of the stirring events of the previous few days.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Be that as it may, I went out of the Prince's presence filled with a spurring desire to kill the man who as it seemed to me was planning my ruin in this most treacherous manner.

wroughtadjectiveUS /rɔːt/

shaped to fit by or as if by altering the contours of a pliable mass (as by work or effort)

From this reading The news I heard from Prince Bilbassoff wrought me to a higher pitch of excitement than anything that had ever happened in my life.

Chapter 26 of By Right of Sword by Arthur W. Marchmont holds 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 26 of By Right of Sword contain?

Chapter 26 holds 97 sentences of By Right of Sword, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 26 of By Right of Sword by Arthur W. Marchmont exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 By Right of Sword?

Work through the 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 20 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 By Right of Sword

Common questions about reading By Right of Sword by Arthur W. Marchmont on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of By Right of Sword?

Yes. All 5614 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38357 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of By Right of Sword is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #38357, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does By Right of Sword take to read?

About 467 minutes of reading across 1123 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in By Right of Sword

Words and structures a reader meets early in By Right of Sword, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Jaffray's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of By Right of Sword; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Parson
A word that appears in the opening chapter of By Right of Sword; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Thring's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of By Right of Sword; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Secret
A word that appears in the opening chapter of By Right of Sword; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.