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The Last Leaf
The Last Leaf

Chapter II · Part 2: The Last Leaf

Read and study this complete chapter with synchronized narration, pronunciation, and vocabulary support.

Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them.

Only Sue and old Behrman are present in Behrman's dim ground-floor studio: Sue has come downstairs to call him, while the failed painter sits near his long-blank canvas, painter's tools and juniper gin, revealing his rough protective nature; Johnsy and her room are not visible.
Context Illustration Reading 1/17 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them.
He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.
Behrman was a failure in art.
Forty years he had wielded the brush without getting near enough to touch the hem of his Mistress’s robe.
He had been always about to paint a masterpiece, but had never yet begun it.
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.

The Last Leaf

Chapter II · Part 2: The Last Leaf

Study this chapter through synchronized reading, listening, pronunciation, and contextual vocabulary.

Reading 1/17 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them.
Line 2
He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.
Line 3
Behrman was a failure in art.
Line 4
Forty years he had wielded the brush without getting near enough to touch the hem of his Mistress’s robe.
Line 5
He had been always about to paint a masterpiece, but had never yet begun it.

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.

masterpiece noun US /ˈmæstərˌpiːs/

an artist's greatest or most accomplished work

From this reading “He had been always about to paint a masterpiece, but had never yet begun it.”

satyr noun US /ˈseɪtər/

a woodland creature from Greek mythology

From this reading “He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.”

wielded verb US /ˈwiːldɪd/

held and used a tool with skill

From this reading “Forty years he had wielded the brush without getting near enough to touch the hem of his Mistress’s robe.”

All words in this reading · 59

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

a

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

From this reading Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them.

about

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

From this reading He had been always about to paint a masterpiece, but had never yet begun it.

along

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

From this reading He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.

always

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

From this reading He had been always about to paint a masterpiece, but had never yet begun it.

an

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

From this reading He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.

and

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

From this reading He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.

Angelo's

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

From this reading He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.

art

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

From this reading Behrman was a failure in art.

beard

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

From this reading He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.

been

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

From this reading He had been always about to paint a masterpiece, but had never yet begun it.

begun

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

From this reading He had been always about to paint a masterpiece, but had never yet begun it.

Behrman

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

From this reading Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them.

beneathprepositionUS /bɪˈniːθ/

Directly under; in or to a lower position than.

From this reading Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them.

body

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

From this reading He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.

brush

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

From this reading Forty years he had wielded the brush without getting near enough to touch the hem of his Mistress’s robe.

but

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

From this reading He had been always about to paint a masterpiece, but had never yet begun it.

curling

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

From this reading He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.

down

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

From this reading He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.

enough

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

From this reading Forty years he had wielded the brush without getting near enough to touch the hem of his Mistress’s robe.

failure

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

From this reading Behrman was a failure in art.

floor

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

From this reading Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them.

Forty

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

From this reading Forty years he had wielded the brush without getting near enough to touch the hem of his Mistress’s robe.

from

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

From this reading He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.

getting

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

From this reading Forty years he had wielded the brush without getting near enough to touch the hem of his Mistress’s robe.

ground

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

From this reading Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them.

had

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

From this reading He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.

He

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

From this reading He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.

head

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

From this reading He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.

hem

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

From this reading Forty years he had wielded the brush without getting near enough to touch the hem of his Mistress’s robe.

his

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

From this reading Forty years he had wielded the brush without getting near enough to touch the hem of his Mistress’s robe.

imp

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

From this reading He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.

in

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

From this reading Behrman was a failure in art.

it

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

From this reading He had been always about to paint a masterpiece, but had never yet begun it.

lived

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

From this reading Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them.

masterpiecenounUS /ˈmæstərˌpiːs/

an artist's greatest or most accomplished work

From this reading He had been always about to paint a masterpiece, but had never yet begun it.

Michael

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

From this reading He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.

Mistress's

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

From this reading Forty years he had wielded the brush without getting near enough to touch the hem of his Mistress’s robe.

Moses

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

From this reading He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.

near

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

From this reading Forty years he had wielded the brush without getting near enough to touch the hem of his Mistress’s robe.

never

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

From this reading He had been always about to paint a masterpiece, but had never yet begun it.

of

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

From this reading He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.

Old

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

From this reading Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them.

on

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

From this reading Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them.

paint

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

From this reading He had been always about to paint a masterpiece, but had never yet begun it.

painter

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

From this reading Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them.

past

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

From this reading He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.

robe

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

From this reading Forty years he had wielded the brush without getting near enough to touch the hem of his Mistress’s robe.

satyrnounUS /ˈseɪtər/

a woodland creature from Greek mythology

From this reading He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.

sixty

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

From this reading He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along the body of an imp.

the

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

From this reading Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them.

them

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

From this reading Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them.

to

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

From this reading Forty years he had wielded the brush without getting near enough to touch the hem of his Mistress’s robe.

touch

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

From this reading Forty years he had wielded the brush without getting near enough to touch the hem of his Mistress’s robe.

was

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

From this reading Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them.

who

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

From this reading Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them.

wieldedverbUS /ˈwiːldɪd/

held and used a tool with skill

From this reading Forty years he had wielded the brush without getting near enough to touch the hem of his Mistress’s robe.

without

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

From this reading Forty years he had wielded the brush without getting near enough to touch the hem of his Mistress’s robe.

years

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

From this reading Forty years he had wielded the brush without getting near enough to touch the hem of his Mistress’s robe.

yet

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

From this reading He had been always about to paint a masterpiece, but had never yet begun it.

Chapter Quiz

Use these questions to verify literal comprehension before continuing to the next chapter.

What is the central focus and narrative progression in 'Act 02: Old Behrman's Masterpiece in the Cold Rain'?

How does the narrator establish the atmosphere and intellectual tone in this section?

What pedagogical insight can an advanced English scholar derive from this passage?