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Cobwebs and Cables
Cobwebs and Cables

Chapter IX

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Context Illustration Reading 1/27 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
SUSPENSE.
Roland Sefton did not sleep that night.
As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.
If she did not come he would be a hopeless outcast indeed; yet if she came, what succor could she bring to him?
He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Cobwebs and Cables

Chapter IX

Reading 1/27 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
SUSPENSE.
Line 2
Roland Sefton did not sleep that night.
Line 3
As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.
Line 4
If she did not come he would be a hopeless outcast indeed; yet if she came, what succor could she bring to him?
Line 5
He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Appeased verb US /əˈpiːzd/

made less angry or upset

From this reading “He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “If she did not come he would be a hopeless outcast indeed; yet if she came, what succor could she bring to him?”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.”

Drew noun US /drew/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “If she did not come he would be a hopeless outcast indeed; yet if she came, what succor could she bring to him?”

Yet conjunction US /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.”

All words in this reading · 72

Every word is available to listen to. 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 If she did not come he would be a hopeless outcast indeed; yet if she came, what succor could she bring to him?

act

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

appeasedverbUS /əˈpiːzd/

made less angry or upset

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading If she did not come he would be a hopeless outcast indeed; yet if she came, what succor could she bring to him?

bring

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

From this reading If she did not come he would be a hopeless outcast indeed; yet if she came, what succor could she bring to him?

came

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

From this reading If she did not come he would be a hopeless outcast indeed; yet if she came, what succor could she bring to him?

cherished

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

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

claims

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

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

Clifford

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

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading If she did not come he would be a hopeless outcast indeed; yet if she came, what succor could she bring to him?

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

desponding

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading Roland Sefton did not sleep that night.

drewnounUS /drew/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

easily

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

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

feeble

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

Felicita

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

flickering

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

forbear

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

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

give

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

grew

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

heart

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading If she did not come he would be a hopeless outcast indeed; yet if she came, what succor could she bring to him?

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

hope

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

hopeless

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

From this reading If she did not come he would be a hopeless outcast indeed; yet if she came, what succor could she bring to him?

idea

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

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If she did not come he would be a hopeless outcast indeed; yet if she came, what succor could she bring to him?

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

indeed

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

From this reading If she did not come he would be a hopeless outcast indeed; yet if she came, what succor could she bring to him?

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

knew

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

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

men

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

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

message

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

more

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

Mr

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

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

near

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

night

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

From this reading Roland Sefton did not sleep that night.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Roland Sefton did not sleep that night.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

once

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

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

other

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

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

outcast

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

From this reading If she did not come he would be a hopeless outcast indeed; yet if she came, what succor could she bring to him?

propitiated

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

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

prosecute

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

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

response

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

Roland

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

From this reading Roland Sefton did not sleep that night.

satisfied

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

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

Sefton

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

From this reading Roland Sefton did not sleep that night.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading If she did not come he would be a hopeless outcast indeed; yet if she came, what succor could she bring to him?

sleep

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

From this reading Roland Sefton did not sleep that night.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

succor

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

From this reading If she did not come he would be a hopeless outcast indeed; yet if she came, what succor could she bring to him?

SUSPENSE

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

From this reading SUSPENSE.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Roland Sefton did not sleep that night.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

up

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

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.

well

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

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading If she did not come he would be a hopeless outcast indeed; yet if she came, what succor could she bring to him?

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

women

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

From this reading He had not once cherished the idea that Mr. Clifford would forbear to prosecute him; yet he knew well that if he could be propitiated, the other men and women who had claims upon him would be easily satisfied and appeased.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading If she did not come he would be a hopeless outcast indeed; yet if she came, what succor could she bring to him?

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading As the time drew near for Felicita to act upon his message to her, he grew more desponding of her response to it; yet he could not give up the feeble hope still flickering in his heart.