Chapter 9 of Small Souls is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Small Souls is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Two days later, Addie went to meet his father at the station. "Daddy, Daddy!" he shouted, as Van der Welcke stepped from the train. They embraced; Van der Welcke was much moved, because it was fifteen years since he had been in Holland. Addie helped Papa with his luggage, like a man; and they drove away in a cab. "My boy, it's ten days since I saw you!"
Chapter 9 of Small Souls is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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 compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
From this reading “Addie helped Papa with his luggage, like a man; and they drove away in a cab.”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “"Daddy, Daddy!" he shouted, as Van der Welcke stepped from the train.”
past form of “embrace” — include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory
From this reading “They embraced; Van der Welcke was much moved, because it was fifteen years since he had been in Holland.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading “They embraced; Van der Welcke was much moved, because it was fifteen years since he had been in Holland.”
a constitutional monarchy in western Europe on the North Sea; half the country lies below sea level
From this reading “They embraced; Van der Welcke was much moved, because it was fifteen years since he had been in Holland.”
cases used to carry belongings when traveling
From this reading “Addie helped Papa with his luggage, like a man; and they drove away in a cab.”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “Addie helped Papa with his luggage, like a man; and they drove away in a cab.”
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading “"Daddy, Daddy!" he shouted, as Van der Welcke stepped from the train.”
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.
In this reading “They embraced; Van der Welcke was much moved, because it was fifteen years since he had been in Holland.”
In this reading “"My boy, it's ten days since I saw you!"”
In this reading “Two days later, Addie went to meet his father at the station.”
In this reading “Two days later, Addie went to meet his father at the station.”
In this reading “Addie helped Papa with his luggage, like a man; and they drove away in a cab.”
In this reading “Addie helped Papa with his luggage, like a man; and they drove away in a cab.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Addie helped Papa with his luggage, like a man; and they drove away in a cab.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Two days later, Addie went to meet his father at the station.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Addie helped Papa with his luggage, like a man; and they drove away in a cab.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Daddy, Daddy!" he shouted, as Van der Welcke stepped from the train.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Two days later, Addie went to meet his father at the station.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Addie helped Papa with his luggage, like a man; and they drove away in a cab.
for the reason that
From this reading They embraced; Van der Welcke was much moved, because it was fifteen years since he had been in Holland.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading They embraced; Van der Welcke was much moved, because it was fifteen years since he had been in Holland.
a youthful male person
From this reading "My boy, it's ten days since I saw you!"
a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
From this reading Addie helped Papa with his luggage, like a man; and they drove away in a cab.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading "Daddy, Daddy!" he shouted, as Van der Welcke stepped from the train.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Two days later, Addie went to meet his father at the station.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Daddy, Daddy!" he shouted, as Van der Welcke stepped from the train.
a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together
From this reading Addie helped Papa with his luggage, like a man; and they drove away in a cab.
past form of “embrace” — include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory
From this reading They embraced; Van der Welcke was much moved, because it was fifteen years since he had been in Holland.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Two days later, Addie went to meet his father at the station.
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading They embraced; Van der Welcke was much moved, because it was fifteen years since he had been in Holland.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Daddy, Daddy!" he shouted, as Van der Welcke stepped from the train.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They embraced; Van der Welcke was much moved, because it was fifteen years since he had been in Holland.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Daddy, Daddy!" he shouted, as Van der Welcke stepped from the train.
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading Addie helped Papa with his luggage, like a man; and they drove away in a cab.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Two days later, Addie went to meet his father at the station.
a constitutional monarchy in western Europe on the North Sea; half the country lies below sea level
From this reading They embraced; Van der Welcke was much moved, because it was fifteen years since he had been in Holland.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "My boy, it's ten days since I saw you!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They embraced; Van der Welcke was much moved, because it was fifteen years since he had been in Holland.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They embraced; Van der Welcke was much moved, because it was fifteen years since he had been in Holland.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "My boy, it's ten days since I saw you!"
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Two days later, Addie went to meet his father at the station.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Addie helped Papa with his luggage, like a man; and they drove away in a cab.
cases used to carry belongings when traveling
From this reading Addie helped Papa with his luggage, like a man; and they drove away in a cab.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Addie helped Papa with his luggage, like a man; and they drove away in a cab.
come together
From this reading Two days later, Addie went to meet his father at the station.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading They embraced; Van der Welcke was much moved, because it was fifteen years since he had been in Holland.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading They embraced; Van der Welcke was much moved, because it was fifteen years since he had been in Holland.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My boy, it's ten days since I saw you!"
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading Addie helped Papa with his luggage, like a man; and they drove away in a cab.
cut with a saw
From this reading "My boy, it's ten days since I saw you!"
in a vehement outcry
From this reading "Daddy, Daddy!" he shouted, as Van der Welcke stepped from the train.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading They embraced; Van der Welcke was much moved, because it was fifteen years since he had been in Holland.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading Two days later, Addie went to meet his father at the station.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading "Daddy, Daddy!" he shouted, as Van der Welcke stepped from the train.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading "My boy, it's ten days since I saw you!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Two days later, Addie went to meet his father at the station.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They embraced; Van der Welcke was much moved, because it was fifteen years since he had been in Holland.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Two days later, Addie went to meet his father at the station.
create by training and teaching
From this reading "Daddy, Daddy!" he shouted, as Van der Welcke stepped from the train.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two days later, Addie went to meet his father at the station.
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading "Daddy, Daddy!" he shouted, as Van der Welcke stepped from the train.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They embraced; Van der Welcke was much moved, because it was fifteen years since he had been in Holland.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Daddy, Daddy!" he shouted, as Van der Welcke stepped from the train.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Two days later, Addie went to meet his father at the station.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Addie helped Papa with his luggage, like a man; and they drove away in a cab.
a late time of life
From this reading They embraced; Van der Welcke was much moved, because it was fifteen years since he had been in Holland.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "My boy, it's ten days since I saw you!"
Chapter 9 of Small Souls by Louis Couperus holds 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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 9 holds 127 sentences of Small Souls, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Small Souls by Louis Couperus exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 9 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.
