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Poor Relations
Poor Relations

Chapter XXVI

Cover illustration for Poor Relations
Context Illustration Reading 1/80 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"No heart in them, that is just it," repeated Pons.
And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.
She fairly wept at last.
To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.
Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Poor Relations

Chapter XXVI

Reading 1/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"No heart in them, that is just it," repeated Pons.
Line 2
And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.
Line 3
She fairly wept at last.
Line 4
To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.
Line 5
Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.”

Alone noun US /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.”

Because conjunction US /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading “Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.”

Began noun US /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.”

Between preposition US /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading “To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.”

Imagine noun US /ˈimagine/

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

From this reading “To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.”

Last noun US /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She fairly wept at last.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.”

Repeated noun US /repeated/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"No heart in them, that is just it," repeated Pons.”

Sudden noun US /sudden/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.”

Tell noun US /tell/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.”

Understand noun US /understand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.”

While conjunction US /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.”

All words in this reading · 86

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 Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

abuse

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

all

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

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

alonenounUS /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading She fairly wept at last.

bachelor

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

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

bed

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

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

begannounUS /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

blackens

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

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

brightest

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

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

Cibot

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

complaint

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

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

days

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

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

exceeding

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

fairly

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

From this reading She fairly wept at last.

felt

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

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

fresh

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

heart

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

From this reading "No heart in them, that is just it," repeated Pons.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

history

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

ill

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

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

imaginenounUS /ˈimagine/

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

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading "No heart in them, that is just it," repeated Pons.

indefinable

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

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

intimacy

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

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading "No heart in them, that is just it," repeated Pons.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "No heart in them, that is just it," repeated Pons.

just

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

From this reading "No heart in them, that is just it," repeated Pons.

lastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She fairly wept at last.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

liver

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

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

longer

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

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

lying

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

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

Mme

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

mortifications

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

musician

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

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

nausea

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

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "No heart in them, that is just it," repeated Pons.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

old

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

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

only

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

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

out

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

pain

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

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

Pons

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

From this reading "No heart in them, that is just it," repeated Pons.

position

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

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

pouring

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

relations

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

repeatednounUS /repeated/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "No heart in them, that is just it," repeated Pons.

sad

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

sentence

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

seriously

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

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

showing

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

spent

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

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

struggling

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

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

suddennounUS /sudden/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

tellnounUS /tell/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

tenderness

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "No heart in them, that is just it," repeated Pons.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading "No heart in them, that is just it," repeated Pons.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

troubles

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

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

understandnounUS /understand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

wept

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

From this reading She fairly wept at last.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading And with that he began to tell Mme. Cibot about his troubles and mortifications, she pouring out abuse of the relations the while and showing exceeding tenderness on every fresh sentence in the sad history.

world

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

From this reading Pons felt that he was alone in the world; the days that he spent by himself were all the longer because he was struggling with the indefinable nausea of a liver complaint which blackens the brightest life.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading To understand the sudden intimacy between the old musician and Mme. Cibot, you have only to imagine the position of an old bachelor lying on his bed of pain, seriously ill for the first time in his life.