Chapter 4 of Small Souls is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Small Souls is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Dorine," asked Constance, "where is Papa's portrait?" "In the boudoir." "Oh, so Mamma has moved it! I want to see it." She went with Dorine through the drawing-room, past the card-tables....
Chapter 4 of Small Souls is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
a lady's bedroom or private sitting room
From this reading “"In the boudoir."”
a lake in southeastern Germany on the northern side of the Swiss Alps; forms part of the Rhine River
From this reading “"Dorine," asked Constance, "where is Papa's portrait?"”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “"Oh, so Mamma has moved it!”
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading “"Oh, so Mamma has moved it!”
possessive form of “papa” — an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “"Dorine," asked Constance, "where is Papa's portrait?"”
the time that has elapsed
From this reading “She went with Dorine through the drawing-room, past the card-tables....”
a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading “"Dorine," asked Constance, "where is Papa's portrait?"”
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “I want to see it."”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
be present or associated with an event or entity
In this reading “She went with Dorine through the drawing-room, past the card-tables....”
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.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Dorine," asked Constance, "where is Papa's portrait?"
a lady's bedroom or private sitting room
From this reading "In the boudoir."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She went with Dorine through the drawing-room, past the card-tables....
a lake in southeastern Germany on the northern side of the Swiss Alps; forms part of the Rhine River
From this reading "Dorine," asked Constance, "where is Papa's portrait?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Dorine," asked Constance, "where is Papa's portrait?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She went with Dorine through the drawing-room, past the card-tables....
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Oh, so Mamma has moved it!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I want to see it."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "In the boudoir."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Dorine," asked Constance, "where is Papa's portrait?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Oh, so Mamma has moved it!
informal terms for a mother
From this reading "Oh, so Mamma has moved it!
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading "Oh, so Mamma has moved it!
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, so Mamma has moved it!
possessive form of “papa” — an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading "Dorine," asked Constance, "where is Papa's portrait?"
the time that has elapsed
From this reading She went with Dorine through the drawing-room, past the card-tables....
a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading "Dorine," asked Constance, "where is Papa's portrait?"
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I want to see it."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She went with Dorine through the drawing-room, past the card-tables....
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Oh, so Mamma has moved it!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "In the boudoir."
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading She went with Dorine through the drawing-room, past the card-tables....
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I want to see it."
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading I want to see it."
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading She went with Dorine through the drawing-room, past the card-tables....
in or at the place that
From this reading "Dorine," asked Constance, "where is Papa's portrait?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading She went with Dorine through the drawing-room, past the card-tables....
Chapter 4 of Small Souls by Louis Couperus holds 141 sentences, grouped into 29 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 4 holds 141 sentences of Small Souls, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Small Souls by Louis Couperus exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 141 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 Small Souls by Louis Couperus on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5866 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34021 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34021, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 488 minutes of reading across 1174 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Small Souls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Small Souls 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 Small Souls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
