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Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1 is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1
Context Illustration Reading 1/23 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.
But he was not let alone.
Tremouille and the holy fox of Rheims knew their man.
All they needed to say was thisand they said it:
Your Highness says her Voices have revealed to you, by her mouth, a secret known only to yourself and God.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1 is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/23 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.
Line 2
But he was not let alone.
/bʌt hiː wɑːz nɑːt let əˈloʊn/
Line 3
Tremouille and the holy fox of Rheims knew their man.
Line 4
All they needed to say was thisand they said it:
Line 5
Your Highness says her Voices have revealed to you, by her mouth, a secret known only to yourself and God.
/jɔːr ˈhaɪnəs sez hɜːr ˈvɔɪsəz hæv rɪˈviːld tuː juː baɪ hɜːr maʊθ ə ˈsiː.krət noʊn ˈoʊnli tuː jərˈself ənd ɡɑːd/

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.

cleared adjective US /klɪrd/

rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush

From this reading “WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.”

doubts noun US /daʊts/

plural of “doubt” — the state of being unsure of something

From this reading “WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.”

fox noun US /fɑːks/

alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs

From this reading “Tremouille and the holy fox of Rheims knew their man.”

Highness noun US /ˈhaɪnəs/

(Your Highness or His Highness or Her Highness) title used to address a royal person

From this reading ““Your Highness says her Voices have revealed to you, by her mouth, a secret known only to yourself and God.”

mission noun US /ˈmɪʃən/

an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work

From this reading “WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.”

needed adjective US /ˈniːdəd/

necessary for relief or supply

From this reading “All they needed to say was this—and they said it:”

revealed verb US /rɪˈviːld/

past form of “reveal” — make visible

From this reading ““Your Highness says her Voices have revealed to you, by her mouth, a secret known only to yourself and God.”

torturing adjective US /ˈtɔːrtʃərɪŋ/

extremely painful

From this reading “WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.”

All words in this reading · 67

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 “Your Highness says her Voices have revealed to you, by her mouth, a secret known only to yourself and God.

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 All they needed to say was this—and they said it:

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

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

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

believedverbUS /bɪˈliːvd/

past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But he was not let alone.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading “Your Highness says her Voices have revealed to you, by her mouth, a secret known only to yourself and God.

clearedadjectiveUS /klɪrd/

rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

deepadjectiveUS /diːp/

relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

doubtsnounUS /daʊts/

plural of “doubt” — the state of being unsure of something

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

foxnounUS /fɑːks/

alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs

From this reading Tremouille and the holy fox of Rheims knew their man.

GodnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

HighnessnounUS /ˈhaɪnəs/

(Your Highness or His Highness or Her Highness) title used to address a royal person

From this reading “Your Highness says her Voices have revealed to you, by her mouth, a secret known only to yourself and God.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

holynounUS /ˈhoʊli/

a sacred place of pilgrimage

From this reading Tremouille and the holy fox of Rheims knew their man.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading All they needed to say was this—and they said it:

JOAN

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

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

KingnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading Tremouille and the holy fox of Rheims knew their man.

knownadjectiveUS /noʊn/

apprehended with certainty

From this reading “Your Highness says her Voices have revealed to you, by her mouth, a secret known only to yourself and God.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Tremouille and the holy fox of Rheims knew their man.

missionnounUS /ˈmɪʃən/

an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

mouthnounUS /maʊθ/

the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge

From this reading “Your Highness says her Voices have revealed to you, by her mouth, a secret known only to yourself and God.

neededadjectiveUS /ˈniːdəd/

necessary for relief or supply

From this reading All they needed to say was this—and they said it:

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading But he was not let alone.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading “Your Highness says her Voices have revealed to you, by her mouth, a secret known only to yourself and God.

revealedverbUS /rɪˈviːld/

past form of “reveal” — make visible

From this reading “Your Highness says her Voices have revealed to you, by her mouth, a secret known only to yourself and God.

Rheimsnoun

a city in northeastern France to the east of Paris; scene of the coronation of most French kings; site of the unconditional German surrender in 1945 at the end of World War II

From this reading Tremouille and the holy fox of Rheims knew their man.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading All they needed to say was this—and they said it:

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading All they needed to say was this—and they said it:

saysnounUS /sez/

plural of “say” — the chance to speak

From this reading “Your Highness says her Voices have revealed to you, by her mouth, a secret known only to yourself and God.

secretnounUS /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

sentnounUS /sent/

100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

setverbUS /set/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Tremouille and the holy fox of Rheims knew their man.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading All they needed to say was this—and they said it:

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading All they needed to say was this—and they said it:

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading All they needed to say was this—and they said it:

toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

torturingadjectiveUS /ˈtɔːrtʃərɪŋ/

extremely painful

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

Tremouille

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

From this reading Tremouille and the holy fox of Rheims knew their man.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

VoicesnounUS /ˈvɔɪsəz/

plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading “Your Highness says her Voices have revealed to you, by her mouth, a secret known only to yourself and God.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

WHENconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading WHEN JOAN told the King what that deep secret was that was torturing his heart, his doubts were cleared away; he believed she was sent of God, and if he had been let alone he would have set her upon her great mission at once.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “Your Highness says her Voices have revealed to you, by her mouth, a secret known only to yourself and God.

YourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “Your Highness says her Voices have revealed to you, by her mouth, a secret known only to yourself and God.

yourselfpronounUS /jərˈself/

used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action

From this reading “Your Highness says her Voices have revealed to you, by her mouth, a secret known only to yourself and God.

Chapter 17 of Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1 by Mark Twain holds 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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.

What does chapter 17 of Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1 contain?

Chapter 17 holds 116 sentences of Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1 by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 17 of Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1?

Work through the 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 24 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 17 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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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Common questions about reading Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1 by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.

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Yes. All 3831 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2874 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #2874, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 319 minutes of reading across 767 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1

Words and structures a reader meets early in Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Sieur
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Louis
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Conte
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Volume
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.