Chapter 4 of Monsieur Beaucaire is here in full — 241 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Monsieur Beaucaire is here in full — 241 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table. They looked up as she entered. They were M. Beaucaire and Mr. Molyneux. She uttered a quick cry and leaned against the wall, her hand to her breast. Beaucaire, though white and weak, had brought her a chair before Molyneux could stir.
Chapter 4 of Monsieur Beaucaire is here in full — 241 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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.
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading “She uttered a quick cry and leaned against the wall, her hand to her breast.”
a game played with playing cards
From this reading “The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table.”
make void or empty of contents
From this reading “The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table.”
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading “She uttered a quick cry and leaned against the wall, her hand to her breast.”
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading “The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table.”
move an implement through
From this reading “Beaucaire, though white and weak, had brought her a chair before Molyneux could stir.”
communicated in words
From this reading “She uttered a quick cry and leaned against the wall, her hand to her breast.”
wanting in physical strength
From this reading “Beaucaire, though white and weak, had brought her a chair before Molyneux could stir.”
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 The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading She uttered a quick cry and leaned against the wall, her hand to her breast.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They were M. Beaucaire and Mr. Molyneux.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They looked up as she entered.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were M. Beaucaire and Mr. Molyneux.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Beaucaire, though white and weak, had brought her a chair before Molyneux could stir.
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading She uttered a quick cry and leaned against the wall, her hand to her breast.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Beaucaire, though white and weak, had brought her a chair before Molyneux could stir.
a game played with playing cards
From this reading The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Beaucaire, though white and weak, had brought her a chair before Molyneux could stir.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Beaucaire, though white and weak, had brought her a chair before Molyneux could stir.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading She uttered a quick cry and leaned against the wall, her hand to her breast.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading They looked up as she entered.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Beaucaire, though white and weak, had brought her a chair before Molyneux could stir.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading She uttered a quick cry and leaned against the wall, her hand to her breast.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She uttered a quick cry and leaned against the wall, her hand to her breast.
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading She uttered a quick cry and leaned against the wall, her hand to her breast.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading They looked up as she entered.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading They were M. Beaucaire and Mr. Molyneux.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were M. Beaucaire and Mr. Molyneux.
a form of address for a man
From this reading They were M. Beaucaire and Mr. Molyneux.
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading She uttered a quick cry and leaned against the wall, her hand to her breast.
with low volume
From this reading The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table.
except for; apart from
From this reading The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They looked up as she entered.
move an implement through
From this reading Beaucaire, though white and weak, had brought her a chair before Molyneux could stir.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They looked up as she entered.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Beaucaire, though white and weak, had brought her a chair before Molyneux could stir.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She uttered a quick cry and leaned against the wall, her hand to her breast.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They looked up as she entered.
communicated in words
From this reading She uttered a quick cry and leaned against the wall, her hand to her breast.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading She uttered a quick cry and leaned against the wall, her hand to her breast.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table.
wanting in physical strength
From this reading Beaucaire, though white and weak, had brought her a chair before Molyneux could stir.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table.
a Caucasian
From this reading Beaucaire, though white and weak, had brought her a chair before Molyneux could stir.
which person or people
From this reading The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table.
Chapter 4 of Monsieur Beaucaire by Booth Tarkington holds 241 sentences, grouped into 49 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 4 holds 241 sentences of Monsieur Beaucaire, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Monsieur Beaucaire by Booth Tarkington exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 241 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 4 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 Monsieur Beaucaire by Booth Tarkington on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 977 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1983 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1983, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 81 minutes of reading across 196 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Monsieur Beaucaire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Monsieur Beaucaire 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 Monsieur Beaucaire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
