Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Lucinda
Lucinda

Chapter XVIII

Cover illustration for Lucinda
Context Illustration Reading 1/44 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.
It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.
We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.
With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.
I did not find that—perhaps it was too soon to expect it—but I did find something which interested me a great deal more.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Lucinda

Chapter XVIII

Reading 1/44 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.
Line 2
It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.
Line 3
We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.
Line 4
With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.
Line 5
I did not find that—perhaps it was too soon to expect it—but I did find something which interested me a great deal more.

Learner Dictionary

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

Brought noun US /ˈbrought/

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

From this reading “With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.”

Exchanged noun US /ˈexchanged/

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

From this reading “We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.”

Expect verb US /ɪkˈspekt/

to think that something will happen

From this reading “I did not find that—perhaps it was too soon to expect it—but I did find something which interested me a great deal more.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “I did not find that—perhaps it was too soon to expect it—but I did find something which interested me a great deal more.”

Last noun US /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.”

Ours pronoun US /ˈaʊərz/

the one or ones belonging to us

From this reading “It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.”

Perhaps noun US /perhaps/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “I did not find that—perhaps it was too soon to expect it—but I did find something which interested me a great deal more.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.”

Something pronoun US /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “I did not find that—perhaps it was too soon to expect it—but I did find something which interested me a great deal more.”

Soon noun US /soon/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “I did not find that—perhaps it was too soon to expect it—but I did find something which interested me a great deal more.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.”

Wind noun US /wind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.”

All words in this reading · 105

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 It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.

achievements

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

almost

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

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

astonishing

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

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

broughtnounUS /ˈbrought/

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

business

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

café

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

came

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

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

candid

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

cigar

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

complimentary

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

compliments

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

conclusion

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

From this reading It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.

Conference

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

copy

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

day

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

From this reading It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.

deal

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

From this reading I did not find that—perhaps it was too soon to expect it—but I did find something which interested me a great deal more.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading I did not find that—perhaps it was too soon to expect it—but I did find something which interested me a great deal more.

evening

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

exchangednounUS /ˈexchanged/

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

exhausted

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

expectverbUS /ɪkˈspekt/

to think that something will happen

From this reading I did not find that—perhaps it was too soon to expect it—but I did find something which interested me a great deal more.

fact

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

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

final

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

find

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

fortune's

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

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

glanced

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading I did not find that—perhaps it was too soon to expect it—but I did find something which interested me a great deal more.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

half-past

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

hoping

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

interested

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

From this reading I did not find that—perhaps it was too soon to expect it—but I did find something which interested me a great deal more.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.

knowledge

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

From this reading It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.

known

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

labors

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

From this reading It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.

lastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.

Le

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

metaphor

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

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

more

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

From this reading I did not find that—perhaps it was too soon to expect it—but I did find something which interested me a great deal more.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.

nearest

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

notice

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.

only

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

ourspronounUS /ˈaʊərz/

the one or ones belonging to us

From this reading It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.

out

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

perhaps

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

From this reading I did not find that—perhaps it was too soon to expect it—but I did find something which interested me a great deal more.

procured

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

protracted

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

From this reading It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.

reached

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

From this reading It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.

refresher

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

scarcely

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

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

session

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

sipped

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

situation

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

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

six

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

smoked

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

Soir

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

some

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading I did not find that—perhaps it was too soon to expect it—but I did find something which interested me a great deal more.

soon

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

From this reading I did not find that—perhaps it was too soon to expect it—but I did find something which interested me a great deal more.

tedious

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

THEN

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

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

there

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

TICKET

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

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

too

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

transform

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

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

turn

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

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

turned

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

up

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

very

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

From this reading It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.

waiter

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

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

wheel

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

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

whisky-and-soda

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

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

whole

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

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

windnounUS /wind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We had had a long and tedious final session—for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too—and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda.

WINNING

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

From this reading THE WINNING TICKET THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune’s wheel—that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor—which seemed to transform the whole situation.

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my “refresher” and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference.