Fortune's Fool

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of Fortune's Fool is here in full — 249 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Rafael Sabatini • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

And it was in the doorway of Betterton’s house that she first beheld the lean and wolfish face of Bates.

This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn.

Miss Farquharson was in need of certain dress materials which, she had been informed, were to be procured at a certain mercer’s in Cheapside.

On this errand she came forth in the early afternoon of that day, and entered the sedan-chair that awaited her at her door.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XII Reading 1/49

Fortune's Fool Rafael Sabatini

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of Fortune's Fool is here in full — 249 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

BUCKINGHAM’S HEROICS Miss Sylvia Farquharson occupied very pleasant lodgings in Salisbury Court, procured for her upon her accession to fame and some measure of fortune by Betterton, who himself lived in a house opposite. And it was in the doorway of Betterton’s house that she first beheld the lean and wolfish face of Bates. This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn. Miss Farquharson was in need of certain dress materials which, she had been informed, were to be procured at a certain mercer’s in Cheapside. On this errand she came forth in the early afternoon of that day, and entered the sedan-chair that awaited her at her door.

Fortune's Fool

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of Fortune's Fool is here in full — 249 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/49 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Line 2

And it was in the doorway of Betterton’s house that she first beheld the lean and wolfish face of Bates.

Line 3

This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn.

Line 4

Miss Farquharson was in need of certain dress materials which, she had been informed, were to be procured at a certain mercer’s in Cheapside.

Line 5

On this errand she came forth in the early afternoon of that day, and entered the sedan-chair that awaited her at her door.

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.

accession noun US /əkˈseʃən/

a process of increasing by addition (as to a collection or group)

From this reading “BUCKINGHAM’S HEROICS Miss Sylvia Farquharson occupied very pleasant lodgings in Salisbury Court, procured for her upon her accession to fame and some measure of fortune by Betterton, who himself lived in a house opposite.”

Bates verb US /beɪts/

third-person singular of “bate” — moderate or restrain; lessen the force of

From this reading “And it was in the doorway of Betterton’s house that she first beheld the lean and wolfish face of Bates.”

heroics noun US /hɪˈroʊɪks/

ostentatious or vainglorious or extravagant or melodramatic conduct

lodgings noun US /ˈlɑːdʒɪŋz/

temporary living quarters

procured verb US /proʊˈkjʊrd/

past form of “procure” — get by special effort

Salisbury noun US /ˈsælzbəri/

the capital and largest city of Zimbabwe

subsequent adjective US /ˈsʌbsəkwənt/

following in time or order

From this reading “This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn.”

tribulations noun US /ˌtrɪbjəˈleɪʃənz/

plural of “tribulation” — an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event

From this reading “This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn.”

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.

some measure adjective + noun

In this reading “BUCKINGHAM’S HEROICS Miss Sylvia Farquharson occupied very pleasant lodgings in Salisbury Court, procured for her upon her accession to fame and some measure of fortune by Betterton, who himself lived in a house opposite.”

came forth verb + particle counted as “come forth”

come out of

In this reading “On this errand she came forth in the early afternoon of that day, and entered the sedan-chair that awaited her at her door.”

early afternoon adjective + noun

In this reading “On this errand she came forth in the early afternoon of that day, and entered the sedan-chair that awaited her at her door.”

in the doorway preposition + article + noun counted as “in … doorway”

In this reading “And it was in the doorway of Betterton’s house that she first beheld the lean and wolfish face of Bates.”

lived in verb + particle counted as “live in”

live in the house where one works

procured for verb + particle counted as “procure for”

All words in this reading · 82

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 BUCKINGHAM’S HEROICS Miss Sylvia Farquharson occupied very pleasant lodgings in Salisbury Court, procured for her upon her accession to fame and some measure of fortune by Betterton, who himself lived in a house opposite.

accessionnounUS /əkˈseʃən/

a process of increasing by addition (as to a collection or group)

afternoonnounUS /ˌæftərˈnuːn/

the part of the day between noon and evening

From this reading On this errand she came forth in the early afternoon of that day, and entered the sedan-chair that awaited her at her door.

Albemarle

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

From this reading This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn.

awaitedadjectiveUS /əˈweɪtɪd/

expected hopefully

From this reading On this errand she came forth in the early afternoon of that day, and entered the sedan-chair that awaited her at her door.

BatesverbUS /beɪts/

third-person singular of “bate” — moderate or restrain; lessen the force of

From this reading And it was in the doorway of Betterton’s house that she first beheld the lean and wolfish face of Bates.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Miss Farquharson was in need of certain dress materials which, she had been informed, were to be procured at a certain mercer’s in Cheapside.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Miss Farquharson was in need of certain dress materials which, she had been informed, were to be procured at a certain mercer’s in Cheapside.

beheldverbUS /biˈheld/

inflected form of “behold” — see with attention

From this reading And it was in the doorway of Betterton’s house that she first beheld the lean and wolfish face of Bates.

Betterton

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

Betterton's

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

From this reading And it was in the doorway of Betterton’s house that she first beheld the lean and wolfish face of Bates.

BUCKINGHAM'S

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

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading On this errand she came forth in the early afternoon of that day, and entered the sedan-chair that awaited her at her door.

certainadjectiveUS /ˈsɜːrtən/

definite but not specified or identified

From this reading Miss Farquharson was in need of certain dress materials which, she had been informed, were to be procured at a certain mercer’s in Cheapside.

Cheapside

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

From this reading Miss Farquharson was in need of certain dress materials which, she had been informed, were to be procured at a certain mercer’s in Cheapside.

ColonelnounUS /ˈkɜːrnəl/

a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general

From this reading This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn.

CourtnounUS /kɔːrt/

an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading On this errand she came forth in the early afternoon of that day, and entered the sedan-chair that awaited her at her door.

disappointmentnounUS /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntmənt/

a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized

From this reading This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading On this errand she came forth in the early afternoon of that day, and entered the sedan-chair that awaited her at her door.

doorwaynounUS /ˈdɔːrweɪ/

the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close

From this reading And it was in the doorway of Betterton’s house that she first beheld the lean and wolfish face of Bates.

dressverbUS /dres/

put on clothes

From this reading Miss Farquharson was in need of certain dress materials which, she had been informed, were to be procured at a certain mercer’s in Cheapside.

earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

From this reading On this errand she came forth in the early afternoon of that day, and entered the sedan-chair that awaited her at her door.

enteredverbUS /ˈentərd/

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading On this errand she came forth in the early afternoon of that day, and entered the sedan-chair that awaited her at her door.

errandnounUS /ˈerənd/

a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission

From this reading On this errand she came forth in the early afternoon of that day, and entered the sedan-chair that awaited her at her door.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading And it was in the doorway of Betterton’s house that she first beheld the lean and wolfish face of Bates.

famenounUS /feɪm/

the state or quality of being widely honored and acclaimed

Farquharson

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

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading And it was in the doorway of Betterton’s house that she first beheld the lean and wolfish face of Bates.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

forthadverbUS /fɔːrθ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading On this errand she came forth in the early afternoon of that day, and entered the sedan-chair that awaited her at her door.

fortunenounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃən/

an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Miss Farquharson was in need of certain dress materials which, she had been informed, were to be procured at a certain mercer’s in Cheapside.

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn.

happenedverbUS /ˈhæpənd/

past form of “happen” — come to pass

From this reading This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

HEROICSnounUS /hɪˈroʊɪks/

ostentatious or vainglorious or extravagant or melodramatic conduct

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

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

Holles's

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

From this reading This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn.

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

informedadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈfɔːrmd/

having much knowledge or education

From this reading Miss Farquharson was in need of certain dress materials which, she had been informed, were to be procured at a certain mercer’s in Cheapside.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading And it was in the doorway of Betterton’s house that she first beheld the lean and wolfish face of Bates.

leanverbUS /liːn/

to incline or bend from a vertical position

From this reading And it was in the doorway of Betterton’s house that she first beheld the lean and wolfish face of Bates.

livedverbUS /lɪvd/

past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in

lodgingsnounUS /ˈlɑːdʒɪŋz/

temporary living quarters

materialsnounUS /məˈtɪriəlz/

plural of “material” — the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object

From this reading Miss Farquharson was in need of certain dress materials which, she had been informed, were to be procured at a certain mercer’s in Cheapside.

measurenounUS /ˈmeʒər/

any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal

mercer's

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

From this reading Miss Farquharson was in need of certain dress materials which, she had been informed, were to be procured at a certain mercer’s in Cheapside.

MissverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn.

MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn.

neednounUS /niːd/

a condition requiring relief

From this reading Miss Farquharson was in need of certain dress materials which, she had been informed, were to be procured at a certain mercer’s in Cheapside.

occupiedadjectiveUS /ˈɑːkjəpaɪd/

held or filled or in use

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn.

oppositeadjectiveUS /ˈɑːpəzət/

being directly across from each other; facing

pleasantadjectiveUS /ˈplezənt/

affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings

procuredverbUS /proʊˈkjʊrd/

past form of “procure” — get by special effort

Quinn

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

From this reading This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn.

SalisburynounUS /ˈsælzbəri/

the capital and largest city of Zimbabwe

sameadjectiveUS /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

From this reading This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn.

sedan-chair

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

From this reading On this errand she came forth in the early afternoon of that day, and entered the sedan-chair that awaited her at her door.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading And it was in the doorway of Betterton’s house that she first beheld the lean and wolfish face of Bates.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

subsequentadjectiveUS /ˈsʌbsəkwənt/

following in time or order

From this reading This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn.

Sylvia

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

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading And it was in the doorway of Betterton’s house that she first beheld the lean and wolfish face of Bates.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading And it was in the doorway of Betterton’s house that she first beheld the lean and wolfish face of Bates.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

tribulationsnounUS /ˌtrɪbjəˈleɪʃənz/

plural of “tribulation” — an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event

From this reading This happened on that same morning of Colonel Holles’s disappointment at the hands of Albemarle and subsequent tribulations at the hands of Mrs. Quinn.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading And it was in the doorway of Betterton’s house that she first beheld the lean and wolfish face of Bates.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Miss Farquharson was in need of certain dress materials which, she had been informed, were to be procured at a certain mercer’s in Cheapside.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Miss Farquharson was in need of certain dress materials which, she had been informed, were to be procured at a certain mercer’s in Cheapside.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

wolfishadjective

resembling or characteristic (or considered characteristic) of a wolf

From this reading And it was in the doorway of Betterton’s house that she first beheld the lean and wolfish face of Bates.

Chapter 12 of Fortune's Fool by Rafael Sabatini holds 249 sentences, grouped into 50 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 12 of Fortune's Fool contain?

Chapter 12 holds 249 sentences of Fortune's Fool, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of Fortune's Fool by Rafael Sabatini exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 249 sentences, grouped into 50 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 12 of Fortune's Fool?

Work through the 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 50 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 12 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 12 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.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #65939, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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Chapter XII

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