Chapter 16 of Messengers of Evil is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Messengers of Evil is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Lying on the floor, apparently half dead, was Monsieur Nanteuil. Calmly lighting a candle was the telephone workman. He alone seemed unmoved. Fandor threw down his revolver and, coolly marching to the door, locked it. Monsieur Barbey followed the journalist with a look.
Chapter 16 of Messengers of Evil is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
in a composed and unconcerned manner
From this reading “Fandor threw down his revolver and, coolly marching to the door, locked it.”
a writer for newspapers and magazines
From this reading “Monsieur Barbey followed the journalist with a look.”
having abundant light or illumination
From this reading “Calmly lighting a candle was the telephone workman.”
the act of marching; walking with regular steps (especially in a procession of some kind)
From this reading “Fandor threw down his revolver and, coolly marching to the door, locked it.”
a pistol with a revolving cylinder (usually having six chambers for bullets)
From this reading “Fandor threw down his revolver and, coolly marching to the door, locked it.”
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “Calmly lighting a candle was the telephone workman.”
emotionally unmoved
From this reading “He alone seemed unmoved.”
an employee who performs manual or industrial labor
From this reading “Calmly lighting a candle was the telephone workman.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Calmly lighting a candle was the telephone workman.
Having no one else present.
From this reading He alone seemed unmoved.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Fandor threw down his revolver and, coolly marching to the door, locked it.
from appearances alone
From this reading Lying on the floor, apparently half dead, was Monsieur Nanteuil.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Monsieur Barbey followed the journalist with a look.
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading Calmly lighting a candle was the telephone workman.
stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading Calmly lighting a candle was the telephone workman.
in a composed and unconcerned manner
From this reading Fandor threw down his revolver and, coolly marching to the door, locked it.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading Lying on the floor, apparently half dead, was Monsieur Nanteuil.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Fandor threw down his revolver and, coolly marching to the door, locked it.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Fandor threw down his revolver and, coolly marching to the door, locked it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fandor threw down his revolver and, coolly marching to the door, locked it.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Lying on the floor, apparently half dead, was Monsieur Nanteuil.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Monsieur Barbey followed the journalist with a look.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Lying on the floor, apparently half dead, was Monsieur Nanteuil.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He alone seemed unmoved.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Fandor threw down his revolver and, coolly marching to the door, locked it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Fandor threw down his revolver and, coolly marching to the door, locked it.
a writer for newspapers and magazines
From this reading Monsieur Barbey followed the journalist with a look.
having abundant light or illumination
From this reading Calmly lighting a candle was the telephone workman.
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading Fandor threw down his revolver and, coolly marching to the door, locked it.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Monsieur Barbey followed the journalist with a look.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading Lying on the floor, apparently half dead, was Monsieur Nanteuil.
the act of marching; walking with regular steps (especially in a procession of some kind)
From this reading Fandor threw down his revolver and, coolly marching to the door, locked it.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading Lying on the floor, apparently half dead, was Monsieur Nanteuil.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lying on the floor, apparently half dead, was Monsieur Nanteuil.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Lying on the floor, apparently half dead, was Monsieur Nanteuil.
a pistol with a revolving cylinder (usually having six chambers for bullets)
From this reading Fandor threw down his revolver and, coolly marching to the door, locked it.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He alone seemed unmoved.
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading Calmly lighting a candle was the telephone workman.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Lying on the floor, apparently half dead, was Monsieur Nanteuil.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading Fandor threw down his revolver and, coolly marching to the door, locked it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Fandor threw down his revolver and, coolly marching to the door, locked it.
emotionally unmoved
From this reading He alone seemed unmoved.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Lying on the floor, apparently half dead, was Monsieur Nanteuil.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Monsieur Barbey followed the journalist with a look.
an employee who performs manual or industrial labor
From this reading Calmly lighting a candle was the telephone workman.
Chapter 16 of Messengers of Evil by Pierre Souvestre holds 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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.
Chapter 16 holds 393 sentences of Messengers of Evil, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Messengers of Evil by Pierre Souvestre exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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.
Work through the 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 16 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.
Common questions about reading Messengers of Evil by Pierre Souvestre on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6460 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28333 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28333, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 538 minutes of reading across 1292 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Messengers of Evil section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Messengers of Evil to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Messengers of Evil, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
