Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
St. Martin's Summer
St. Martin's Summer

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of St. Martin's Summer is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for St. Martin's Summer
Context Illustration Reading 1/28 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Straight across to the Palais Seneschal went Garnache.
And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.
May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”
To what end?” returned the Seneschal, between sorrow and indignation.
Why, to the end that it might succour you if still in time.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

St. Martin's Summer

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of St. Martin's Summer 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

Line 1
Straight across to the Palais Seneschal went Garnache.
Line 2
And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.
Line 3
May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”
Line 4
To what end?” returned the Seneschal, between sorrow and indignation.
Line 5
Why, to the end that it might succour you if still in time.

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.

arrogantly adverb US /ˈerəɡəntli/

in an arrogant manner

From this reading ““May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?””

escort noun US /eˈskɔːrt/

someone who escorts and protects a prominent person

From this reading ““May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?””

indignation noun US /ˌɪndɪɡˈneɪʃən/

a feeling of righteous anger

From this reading ““To what end?” returned the Seneschal, between sorrow and indignation.”

permitted verb US /pərˈmɪtɪd/

inflected form of “permit” — consent to, give permission

From this reading ““May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?””

sorely adverb US /ˈsɔːrli/

to a great degree

From this reading “And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.”

storms noun US /stɔːrmz/

plural of “storm” — a violent weather condition with winds 64-72 knots (11 on the Beaufort scale) and precipitation and thunder and lightning

From this reading “And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.”

trials noun US /ˈtraɪəlz/

plural of “trial” — the act of testing something

From this reading “And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.”

vented adjective US /ˈventɪd/

supplied with a vent or vents for intake of air or discharge of gases

From this reading “And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.”

All words in this reading · 66

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.

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading Straight across to the Palais Seneschal went Garnache.

alreadyadverbUS /ɔːlˈredi/

prior to a specified or implied time

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

arrogantlyadverbUS /ˈerəɡəntli/

in an arrogant manner

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

askverbUS /æsk/

make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading “To what end?” returned the Seneschal, between sorrow and indignation.

commandnounUS /kəˈmænd/

an authoritative direction or instruction to do something

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

demandedverbUS /dɪˈmændəd/

past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

escortnounUS /eˈskɔːrt/

someone who escorts and protects a prominent person

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

freshadjectiveUS /freʃ/

recently made, produced, or harvested

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

Garnache

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

From this reading Straight across to the Palais Seneschal went Garnache.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading “Why, to the end that it might succour you if still in time.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

indignationnounUS /ˌɪndɪɡˈneɪʃən/

a feeling of righteous anger

From this reading “To what end?” returned the Seneschal, between sorrow and indignation.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

lenounUS /lə/

a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

Maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

MonsieurnounUS /məˈsjɜːr/

used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

ordernounUS /ˈɔːrdər/

(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

Palais

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

From this reading Straight across to the Palais Seneschal went Garnache.

permittedverbUS /pərˈmɪtɪd/

inflected form of “permit” — consent to, give permission

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

placedadjectiveUS /pleɪst/

situated in a particular spot or position

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

postverbUS /poʊst/

affix in a public place or for public notice

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

returnedverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrnd/

past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading “To what end?” returned the Seneschal, between sorrow and indignation.

Seneschalnoun

the chief steward or butler of a great household

From this reading Straight across to the Palais Seneschal went Garnache.

sorelyadverbUS /ˈsɔːrli/

to a great degree

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

sorrownounUS /ˈsɑːroʊ/

an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement

From this reading “To what end?” returned the Seneschal, between sorrow and indignation.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading “Why, to the end that it might succour you if still in time.

storenounUS /stɔːr/

a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

stormsnounUS /stɔːrmz/

plural of “storm” — a violent weather condition with winds 64-72 knots (11 on the Beaufort scale) and precipitation and thunder and lightning

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

StraightadjectiveUS /streɪt/

successive (without a break)

From this reading Straight across to the Palais Seneschal went Garnache.

succournoun

assistance in time of difficulty

From this reading “Why, to the end that it might succour you if still in time.

tempernounUS /ˈtempər/

a sudden outburst of anger

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

tempestuously

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

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Straight across to the Palais Seneschal went Garnache.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading “Why, to the end that it might succour you if still in time.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Straight across to the Palais Seneschal went Garnache.

Tressan

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

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

trialsnounUS /ˈtraɪəlz/

plural of “trial” — the act of testing something

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

triedadjectiveUS /traɪd/

tested and proved useful or correct

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

ventedadjectiveUS /ˈventɪd/

supplied with a vent or vents for intake of air or discharge of gases

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Straight across to the Palais Seneschal went Garnache.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading And sorely though his temper might already have been tried that day, tempestuously though it had been vented, there were fresh trials in store for him, fresh storms for Tressan.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading “Why, to the end that it might succour you if still in time.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

yourselfpronounUS /jərˈself/

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

From this reading “May I ask, Monsieur le Seneschal,” he demanded arrogantly, “to what end it was that you permitted yourself to order from its post the escort you had placed under my command?”

Chapter 9 of St. Martin's Summer by Rafael Sabatini holds 141 sentences, grouped into 29 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 9 of St. Martin's Summer contain?

Chapter 9 holds 141 sentences of St. Martin's Summer, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of St. Martin's Summer by Rafael Sabatini exactly as it stands in the public-domain 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.

How do I study chapter 9 of St. Martin's Summer?

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.

Can chapter 9 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading St. Martin's Summer

Common questions about reading St. Martin's Summer by Rafael Sabatini on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of St. Martin's Summer?

Yes. All 5206 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2640 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of St. Martin's Summer is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2640, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does St. Martin's Summer take to read?

About 433 minutes of reading across 1042 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read St. Martin's Summer section by section

How to work through St. Martin's Summer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 24 chapters of St. Martin's Summer 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 St. Martin's Summer

Words and structures a reader meets early in St. Martin's Summer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Tressan
A word that appears in the opening chapter of St. Martin's Summer; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Majesty
A word that appears in the opening chapter of St. Martin's Summer; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Seneschal
A word that appears in the opening chapter of St. Martin's Summer; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dauphiny
A word that appears in the opening chapter of St. Martin's Summer; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.