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Peter Ruff and the Double Four
Peter Ruff and the Double Four

Chapter XVIII · Chapter 18

Chapter 18 of Peter Ruff and the Double Four is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Peter Ruff and the Double Four
Context Illustration Reading 1/88 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.
The gentleman would like to see you, sir,” the man announced.
You can show him in at once,” Peter replied.
The servant withdrew.
Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Peter Ruff and the Double Four

Chapter XVIII · Chapter 18

Chapter 18 of Peter Ruff and the Double Four is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/88 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.
Line 2
The gentleman would like to see you, sir,” the man announced.
/ðə ˈdʒentəlmən wʊd laɪk tuː siː juː sɜːr ðə mæn əˈnaʊnst/
Line 3
You can show him in at once,” Peter replied.
/juː kæn ʃoʊ hɪm ɪn æt wʌns ˈpiːtər rɪˈplaɪd/
Line 4
The servant withdrew.
/ðə ˈsɜːrvənt wɪθˈdruː/
Line 5
Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.
/ˈpiːtər ˈdʊrɪŋ ðoʊz fjuː ˈmɪnəts ʌv ˈweɪtɪŋ stʊd wɪð hɪz bæk tuː ðə ruːm ənd hɪz feɪs tuː ðə ˈwɪndoʊ ˈlʊkɪŋ aʊt əˈkrɔːs ðə skwer ɪn ˌriːˈælətiː ˈsiːɪŋ ˈnʌθɪŋ kəmˈpliːtli ˌɪˈmɜːrst ɪn ðɪs streɪndʒ flʌd ʌv ˈmɛm.ə.riz/

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.

butler noun US /ˈbʌtlər/

a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table

From this reading “Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.”

carelessly adverb US /ˈkerləsli/

without care or concern

From this reading “Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.”

denotes verb US /dɪˈnoʊts/

third-person singular of “denote” — be a sign or indication of

From this reading “Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.”

flood noun US /flʌd/

the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land

From this reading “Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.”

immersed verb US /ˌɪˈmɜːrst/

past form of “immerse” — thrust or throw into

From this reading “Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.”

memories noun US /ˈmɛm.ə.riz/

Recollections of past events.

From this reading “Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.”

rigidity noun US /rɪˈdʒɪdəti/

the physical property of being stiff and resisting bending

From this reading “Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.”

withdrew verb US /wɪθˈdruː/

inflected form of “withdraw” — pull back or move away or backward

From this reading “The servant withdrew.”

All words in this reading · 68

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 Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

afterwardsadverbUS /ˈæftərwərdz/

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

announcedadjectiveUS /əˈnaʊnst/

declared publicly; made widely known

From this reading “The gentleman would like to see you, sir,” the man announced.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

attentionnounUS /əˈtenʃən/

the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

BaronnounUS /ˈbærən/

a nobleman (in various countries) of varying rank

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

butlernounUS /ˈbʌtlər/

a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading “You can show him in at once,” Peter replied.

cardnounUS /kɑːrd/

one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

carelesslyadverbUS /ˈkerləsli/

without care or concern

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

completelyadverbUS /kəmˈpliːtli/

to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

curiousadjectiveUS /ˈkjʊriəs/

beyond or deviating from the usual or expected

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

denounUS /diː/

a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

denotesverbUS /dɪˈnoʊts/

third-person singular of “denote” — be a sign or indication of

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

floodnounUS /flʌd/

the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

freeverbUS /friː/

grant freedom to; free from confinement

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

gentlemannounUS /ˈdʒentəlmən/

a man of refinement

From this reading “The gentleman would like to see you, sir,” the man announced.

glancedverbUS /ɡlænst/

past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

Grost

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

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

immersedverbUS /ˌɪˈmɜːrst/

past form of “immerse” — thrust or throw into

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading “The gentleman would like to see you, sir,” the man announced.

lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

mannounUS /mæn/

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

From this reading “The gentleman would like to see you, sir,” the man announced.

memoriesnounUS /ˈmɛm.ə.riz/

Recollections of past events.

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

minutesnounUS /ˈmɪnəts/

a written account of what transpired at a meeting

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading “You can show him in at once,” Peter replied.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

PeternounUS /ˈpiːtər/

disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

realitynounUS /ˌriːˈælətiː/

all of your experiences that determine how things appear to you

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

repliedverbUS /rɪˈplaɪd/

inflected form of “reply” — react verbally

From this reading “You can show him in at once,” Peter replied.

rigiditynounUS /rɪˈdʒɪdəti/

the physical property of being stiff and resisting bending

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading “The gentleman would like to see you, sir,” the man announced.

seeingnounUS /ˈsiːɪŋ/

perception by means of the eyes

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

servantnounUS /ˈsɜːrvənt/

a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)

From this reading The servant withdrew.

settingnounUS /ˈsetɪŋ/

the context and environment in which something is set

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

showverbUS /ʃoʊ/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading “You can show him in at once,” Peter replied.

sirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading “The gentleman would like to see you, sir,” the man announced.

squareverbUS /skwer/

make square

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

usuallyadverbUS /ˈjuːʒəwəli/

under normal conditions

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

waitingnounUS /ˈweɪtɪŋ/

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

windownounUS /ˈwɪndoʊ/

a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Peter, Baron de Grost, glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

withdrewverbUS /wɪθˈdruː/

inflected form of “withdraw” — pull back or move away or backward

From this reading The servant withdrew.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading “The gentleman would like to see you, sir,” the man announced.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “The gentleman would like to see you, sir,” the man announced.

Chapter 18 of Peter Ruff and the Double Four by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim holds 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 18 of Peter Ruff and the Double Four contain?

Chapter 18 holds 444 sentences of Peter Ruff and the Double Four, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 18 of Peter Ruff and the Double Four by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 18 of Peter Ruff and the Double Four?

Work through the 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 89 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 18 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 18 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 Peter Ruff and the Double Four

Common questions about reading Peter Ruff and the Double Four by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Peter Ruff and the Double Four?

Yes. All 9756 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1976 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Peter Ruff and the Double Four is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1976, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Peter Ruff and the Double Four take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1952 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Peter Ruff and the Double Four section by section

How to work through Peter Ruff and the Double Four section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 21 chapters of Peter Ruff and the Double Four 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 Peter Ruff and the Double Four

Words and structures a reader meets early in Peter Ruff and the Double Four, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Nothing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Peter Ruff and the Double Four; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Supper
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Peter Ruff and the Double Four; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Party
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Peter Ruff and the Double Four; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Particular
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Peter Ruff and the Double Four; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.