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The Queen's Necklace
The Queen's Necklace

Chapter LXVI

Chapter 66, section 1: THE QUEEN’S HAND. When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be
Context Illustration Reading 1/4 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE QUEEN’S HAND.
When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.
This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.
The passionate kiss which he had seen imprinted on it forbade this supposition.
These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.
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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.

The Queen's Necklace

Chapter LXVI

Reading 1/4 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE QUEEN’S HAND.
Line 2
When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.
Line 3
This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.
Line 4
The passionate kiss which he had seen imprinted on it forbade this supposition.
Line 5
These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.

Learner Dictionary

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

Against preposition US /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading “When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.”

Duty noun US /ˈduːti/

a responsibility that must be carried out

From this reading “When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.”

HAND noun US /hand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “THE QUEEN’S HAND.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.”

Must modal verb US /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.”

Next noun US /next/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.”

Precious adjective US /ˈpreʃəs/

rare and worth a great deal

From this reading “When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.”

These determiner US /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading “These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.”

All words in this reading · 87

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 When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

all

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

From this reading These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

bring

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

From this reading These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

Charny

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

committed

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

compact

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

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

compromising

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

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

conjugal

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

crime

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

day

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

From this reading These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

dignity

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

discovered

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

dutynounUS /ˈduːti/

a responsibility that must be carried out

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

fearing

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

From this reading These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.

felt

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

feverish

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

From this reading These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.

forbade

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

From this reading The passionate kiss which he had seen imprinted on it forbade this supposition.

forth

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

From this reading These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.

given

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

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

HAND

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

From this reading THE QUEEN’S HAND.

haunted

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

From this reading These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

house

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

impatience

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

From this reading These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.

imprinted

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

From this reading The passionate kiss which he had seen imprinted on it forbade this supposition.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

instead

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

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The passionate kiss which he had seen imprinted on it forbade this supposition.

kiss

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

From this reading The passionate kiss which he had seen imprinted on it forbade this supposition.

letter

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

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

lover

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

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

man

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

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

new

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

From this reading These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.

nextnounUS /next/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.

night

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

From this reading These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The passionate kiss which he had seen imprinted on it forbade this supposition.

only

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

overwhelmed

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

passionate

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

From this reading The passionate kiss which he had seen imprinted on it forbade this supposition.

persuade

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

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

pledge

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

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

political

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

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

preciousadjectiveUS /ˈpreʃəs/

rare and worth a great deal

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

queen

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

QUEEN'S

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

From this reading THE QUEEN’S HAND.

reentered

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

retreat

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

revelations

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

From this reading These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.

rose

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

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

royal

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

seen

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

some

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

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

supposition

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

From this reading The passionate kiss which he had seen imprinted on it forbade this supposition.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE QUEEN’S HAND.

ThesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

thoughts

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

From this reading These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

too

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

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

try

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

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

vain

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

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

waited

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

From this reading These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading This man must be a lover; in vain did he try to persuade himself that the rose was the pledge of some political compact, given instead of a letter, which might have been too compromising.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading These thoughts haunted him all night and all the next day, through which he waited with a feverish impatience, fearing the new revelations which the night might bring forth.

witness

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

From this reading When Charny reentered the house, he felt overwhelmed by what he had seen—that he should have discovered this retreat, which he had thought so precious, only to be the witness of a crime, committed by the queen against her conjugal duty and royal dignity.