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Letters from My Windmill
Letters from My Windmill

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of Letters from My Windmill is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Letters from My Windmill
Context Illustration Reading 1/87 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
--At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.
It was then, at last, that the wolf fell on the little goat and devoured her.
* * * * * Goodbye, Gringoire!
The story you have heard is not of my making.
If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Letters from My Windmill

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of Letters from My Windmill is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/87 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
--At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.
/æt læst sed ðə puːr ˈænəməl huː wɑːz ˈoʊnli ˈweɪtɪŋ fɔːr ðə ˈmɔːrnɪŋ tuː kʌm soʊ ðæt ʃiː kʊd daɪ ˈbreɪvli ənd ʃiː leɪd hərˈself daʊn ɑːn ðə ɡraʊnd hɜːr ˈbjuːtəfəl waɪt fɜːr steɪnd wɪð blʌd/
Line 2
It was then, at last, that the wolf fell on the little goat and devoured her.
/ɪt wɑːz ðen æt læst ðæt ðə wʊlf fel ɑːn ðə ˈlɪtəl ɡoʊt ənd dɪˈvaʊərd hɜːr/
Line 3
* * * * * Goodbye, Gringoire!
Line 4
The story you have heard is not of my making.
/ðə ˈstɔːri juː hæv hɜːrd ɪz nɑːt ʌv maɪ ˈmeɪkɪŋ/
Line 5
If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

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.

bravely adverb US /ˈbreɪvli/

in a courageous manner

From this reading “--At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.”

devoured verb US /dɪˈvaʊərd/

past form of “devour” — destroy completely

From this reading “It was then, at last, that the wolf fell on the little goat and devoured her.”

farmers noun US /ˈfɑːrmərz/

plural of “farmer” — a person who operates a farm

From this reading “If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.”

goat noun US /ɡoʊt/

any of numerous agile ruminants related to sheep but having a beard and straight horns

From this reading “It was then, at last, that the wolf fell on the little goat and devoured her.”

Goodbye noun US /ˌɡʊdˈbaɪ/

a farewell remark

From this reading “* * * * * Goodbye, Gringoire!”

Provence noun US /ˈproʊvəns/

a former province of southeastern France; now administered with Cote d'Azur

From this reading “If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.”

stained adjective US /steɪnd/

marked or dyed or discolored with foreign matter

From this reading “--At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.”

tenant noun US /ˈtenənt/

someone who pays rent to use land or a building or a car that is owned by someone else

From this reading “If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.”

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.

white fur noun + noun

In this reading “--At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.”

on the ground preposition + article + noun counted as “on … ground”

In this reading “--At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.”

poor animal adjective + noun

In this reading “--At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.”

fell on verb + particle

In this reading “It was then, at last, that the wolf fell on the little goat and devoured her.”

beautiful white adjective + noun

In this reading “--At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.”

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

In this reading “If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.”

all night adjective + noun

In this reading “If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.”

little goat adjective + noun

In this reading “It was then, at last, that the wolf fell on the little goat and devoured her.”

All words in this reading · 71

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

animalnounUS /ˈænəməl/

a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

atenounUS /eɪt/

goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

badadjectiveUS /bæd/

having undesirable or negative qualities

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

bigadjectiveUS /bɪɡ/

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

bloodnounUS /blʌd/

The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

bravelyadverbUS /ˈbreɪvli/

in a courageous manner

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

devouredverbUS /dɪˈvaʊərd/

past form of “devour” — destroy completely

From this reading It was then, at last, that the wolf fell on the little goat and devoured her.

dieverbUS /daɪ/

pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

farmersnounUS /ˈfɑːrmərz/

plural of “farmer” — a person who operates a farm

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

fellverbUS /fel/

cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow

From this reading It was then, at last, that the wolf fell on the little goat and devoured her.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

foughtverbUS /fɔːt/

inflected form of “fight” — be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

furnounUS /fɜːr/

the dressed hairy coat of a mammal

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

goatnounUS /ɡoʊt/

any of numerous agile ruminants related to sheep but having a beard and straight horns

From this reading It was then, at last, that the wolf fell on the little goat and devoured her.

GoodbyenounUS /ˌɡʊdˈbaɪ/

a farewell remark

From this reading * * * * * Goodbye, Gringoire!

Gringoire

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

From this reading * * * * * Goodbye, Gringoire!

groundnounUS /ɡraʊnd/

the solid part of the earth's surface

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The story you have heard is not of my making.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading The story you have heard is not of my making.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading The story you have heard is not of my making.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was then, at last, that the wolf fell on the little goat and devoured her.

kidverbUS /kɪd/

tell false information to for fun

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

laidadjectiveUS /leɪd/

set down according to a plan

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading It was then, at last, that the wolf fell on the little goat and devoured her.

MnounUS /em/

the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

makingnounUS /ˈmeɪkɪŋ/

the act that results in something coming to be

From this reading The story you have heard is not of my making.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading The story you have heard is not of my making.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The story you have heard is not of my making.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The story you have heard is not of my making.

oftenadverbUS /ˈɔːfən/

many times at short intervals

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

pooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

ProvencenounUS /ˈproʊvəns/

a former province of southeastern France; now administered with Cote d'Azur

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

Seguin's

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

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

stainedadjectiveUS /steɪnd/

marked or dyed or discolored with foreign matter

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

storynounUS /ˈstɔːri/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading The story you have heard is not of my making.

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

tenantnounUS /ˈtenənt/

someone who pays rent to use land or a building or a car that is owned by someone else

From this reading If you ever come to Provence, our tenant farmers often tell you, of _M. Seguin's kid goat_, who fought the big bad wolf all night before he ate her in the morning.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading It was then, at last, that the wolf fell on the little goat and devoured her.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

waitingnounUS /ˈweɪtɪŋ/

the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

whitenounUS /waɪt/

a Caucasian

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading --At last! said the poor animal, who was only waiting for the morning to come so that she could die bravely, and she laid herself down on the ground, her beautiful white fur stained with blood.

wolfnounUS /wʊlf/

any of various predatory carnivorous canine mammals of North America and Eurasia that usually hunt in packs

From this reading It was then, at last, that the wolf fell on the little goat and devoured her.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading The story you have heard is not of my making.

Chapter 2 of Letters from My Windmill by Alphonse Daudet holds 435 sentences, grouped into 87 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 2 of Letters from My Windmill contain?

Chapter 2 holds 435 sentences of Letters from My Windmill, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of Letters from My Windmill by Alphonse Daudet exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 435 sentences, grouped into 87 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 2 of Letters from My Windmill?

Work through the 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 87 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 2 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading Letters from My Windmill

Common questions about reading Letters from My Windmill by Alphonse Daudet on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Letters from My Windmill?

Yes. All 2978 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30442 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Letters from My Windmill is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #30442, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Letters from My Windmill take to read?

About 248 minutes of reading across 596 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Letters from My Windmill section by section

How to work through Letters from My Windmill section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 7 chapters of Letters from My Windmill to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in Letters from My Windmill

Words and structures a reader meets early in Letters from My Windmill, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Lighthouse
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters from My Windmill; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sanguinaires
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters from My Windmill; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Wreck
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters from My Windmill; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Millante
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters from My Windmill; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.