Stolen Souls

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Stolen Souls is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By William Le Queux • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Lazily I opened the letter, and prepared to feast upon its contents.

But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

She who had written to me was the original of this statue, which was considered my masterpiece.

The note was cold and formal, unlike her usual graceful letters.

Narrator

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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.

Chapter IV Reading 1/83

Stolen Souls William Le Queux

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Stolen Souls is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

The face was absolutely beautiful, not only because of its perfect harmony, not only winsome in the gentleness of its contour, but it was also masterful by virtue of the freedom and force expressed in all its firmness. Lazily I opened the letter, and prepared to feast upon its contents. But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot. She who had written to me was the original of this statue, which was considered my masterpiece. The note was cold and formal, unlike her usual graceful letters.

Stolen Souls

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Stolen Souls is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

/ðə feɪs wɑːz ˌæbsəˈluːtli ˈbjuːtəfəl nɑːt ˈoʊnli bɪˈkɔːz ʌv ɪts pərˈfekt ˈhɑːrməni nɑːt ˈoʊnli ˈwɪnsəm ɪn ðə ˈdʒentəlnəs ʌv ɪts ˈkɑːntʊr bʌt ɪt wɑːz ˈɔːlsoʊ ˈmæstərfəl baɪ ˈvɝː.tʃuː ʌv ðə ˈfriːdəm ənd fɔːrs ɪkˈsprest ɪn ɔːl ɪts ˈfɜːrmnəs/

Line 2

Lazily I opened the letter, and prepared to feast upon its contents.

/ˈlæzəli aɪ ˈoʊpənd ðə ˈletər ənd priˈperd tuː fiːst əˈpɑːn ɪts ˈkɑːntents/

Line 3

But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

/bʌt ðə fjuː briːf wɜːrdz pend ɪn ə ˈwʊmənz hænd kɑːzd miː tuː stɑːrt tuː maɪ fiːt ɪn ˈæŋɡər ənd dɪˈsmeɪ ənd ˈhoʊldɪŋ maɪ breθ aɪ krʌʃt ðə ˈmɪsɪv ənd kæst ɪt ˈʌndər maɪ fʊt/

Line 4

She who had written to me was the original of this statue, which was considered my masterpiece.

/ʃiː huː hæd ˈrɪtən tuː miː wɑːz ðə ərˈɪdʒənəl ʌv ðɪs ˈstætʃuː wɪtʃ wɑːz kənˈsɪdərd maɪ ˈmæstərpiːs/

Line 5

The note was cold and formal, unlike her usual graceful letters.

/ðə noʊt wɑːz koʊld ənd ˈfɔːrməl ənˈlaɪk hɜːr ˈjuːʒəwəl ˈɡreɪsfəl ˈletərz/

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.

contour noun US /ˈkɑːntʊr/

a line drawn on a map connecting points of equal height

From this reading “The face was absolutely beautiful, not only because of its perfect harmony, not only winsome in the gentleness of its contour, but it was also masterful by virtue of the freedom and force expressed in all its firmness.”

firmness noun US /ˈfɜːrmnəs/

the muscle tone of healthy tissue

Lazily adverb US /ˈlæzəli/

in a slow and lazy manner

From this reading “Lazily I opened the letter, and prepared to feast upon its contents.”

masterful adjective US /ˈmæstərfəl/

having or revealing supreme mastery or skill

masterpiece noun US /ˈmæstərpiːs/

the most outstanding work of a creative artist or craftsman

From this reading “She who had written to me was the original of this statue, which was considered my masterpiece.”

missive noun US /ˈmɪsɪv/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading “But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.”

penned verb US /pend/

inflected form of “pen” — produce a literary work

From this reading “But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.”

winsome adjective US /ˈwɪnsəm/

charming in a childlike or naive way

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

perfect harmony adjective + noun

In this reading “The face was absolutely beautiful, not only because of its perfect harmony, not only winsome in the gentleness of its contour, but it was also masterful by virtue of the freedom and force expressed in all its firmness.”

brief words adjective + noun

In this reading “But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.”

by virtue preposition + noun

in anger preposition + noun

In this reading “But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.”

All words in this reading · 76

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 But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

absolutelyadverbUS /ˌæbsəˈluːtli/

completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers

From this reading The face was absolutely beautiful, not only because of its perfect harmony, not only winsome in the gentleness of its contour, but it was also masterful by virtue of the freedom and force expressed in all its firmness.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

alsoadverbUS /ˈɔːlsoʊ/

in addition

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

angernounUS /ˈæŋɡər/

a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance

From this reading But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

breathnounUS /breθ/

the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing

From this reading But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

briefadjectiveUS /briːf/

of short duration or distance

From this reading But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

castverbUS /kæst/

put or send forth

From this reading But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

causedverbUS /kɑːzd/

past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally

From this reading But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

coldadjectiveUS /koʊld/

having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration

From this reading The note was cold and formal, unlike her usual graceful letters.

consideredadjectiveUS /kənˈsɪdərd/

carefully weighed

From this reading She who had written to me was the original of this statue, which was considered my masterpiece.

contentsnounUS /ˈkɑːntents/

(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something

From this reading Lazily I opened the letter, and prepared to feast upon its contents.

contournounUS /ˈkɑːntʊr/

a line drawn on a map connecting points of equal height

crushedadjectiveUS /krʌʃt/

treated so as to have a permanently wrinkled appearance

From this reading But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

dismaynounUS /dɪˈsmeɪ/

the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles

From this reading But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

expressedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈsprest/

communicated in words

facenounUS /feɪs/

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

feastnounUS /fiːst/

a ceremonial dinner party for many people

From this reading Lazily I opened the letter, and prepared to feast upon its contents.

feetnounUS /fiːt/

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

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 But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

firmnessnounUS /ˈfɜːrmnəs/

the muscle tone of healthy tissue

footnounUS /fʊt/

the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

forcenounUS /fɔːrs/

a powerful effect or influence

formaladjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrməl/

being in accord with established forms and conventions and requirements (as e.g. of formal dress)

From this reading The note was cold and formal, unlike her usual graceful letters.

freedomnounUS /ˈfriːdəm/

the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints

gentlenessnounUS /ˈdʒentəlnəs/

the property possessed by a slope that is very gradual

gracefuladjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪsfəl/

characterized by beauty of movement, style, form, or execution

From this reading The note was cold and formal, unlike her usual graceful letters.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading She who had written to me was the original of this statue, which was considered my masterpiece.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

harmonynounUS /ˈhɑːrməni/

compatibility in opinion and action

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading The note was cold and formal, unlike her usual graceful letters.

holdingnounUS /ˈhoʊldɪŋ/

the act of retaining something

From this reading But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading Lazily I opened the letter, and prepared to feast upon its contents.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

LazilyadverbUS /ˈlæzəli/

in a slow and lazy manner

From this reading Lazily I opened the letter, and prepared to feast upon its contents.

letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading Lazily I opened the letter, and prepared to feast upon its contents.

lettersnounUS /ˈletərz/

the literary culture

From this reading The note was cold and formal, unlike her usual graceful letters.

masterfuladjectiveUS /ˈmæstərfəl/

having or revealing supreme mastery or skill

masterpiecenounUS /ˈmæstərpiːs/

the most outstanding work of a creative artist or craftsman

From this reading She who had written to me was the original of this statue, which was considered my masterpiece.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

missivenounUS /ˈmɪsɪv/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

notenounUS /noʊt/

a brief written record

From this reading The note was cold and formal, unlike her usual graceful letters.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

openedadjectiveUS /ˈoʊpənd/

used of mouth or eyes

From this reading Lazily I opened the letter, and prepared to feast upon its contents.

originaladjectiveUS /ərˈɪdʒənəl/

preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed

From this reading She who had written to me was the original of this statue, which was considered my masterpiece.

pennedverbUS /pend/

inflected form of “pen” — produce a literary work

From this reading But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

perfectadjectiveUS /pərˈfekt/

being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish

preparedadjectiveUS /priˈperd/

made ready or fit or suitable beforehand

From this reading Lazily I opened the letter, and prepared to feast upon its contents.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She who had written to me was the original of this statue, which was considered my masterpiece.

startverbUS /stɑːrt/

take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

statuenounUS /ˈstætʃuː/

a sculpture representing a human or animal

From this reading She who had written to me was the original of this statue, which was considered my masterpiece.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading She who had written to me was the original of this statue, which was considered my masterpiece.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Lazily I opened the letter, and prepared to feast upon its contents.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

unlikeadjectiveUS /ənˈlaɪk/

marked by dissimilarity

From this reading The note was cold and formal, unlike her usual graceful letters.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Lazily I opened the letter, and prepared to feast upon its contents.

usualadjectiveUS /ˈjuːʒəwəl/

occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure

From this reading The note was cold and formal, unlike her usual graceful letters.

virtuenounUS /ˈvɝː.tʃuː/

Moral excellence and goodness of character; the highest human attainment in Stoic philosophy.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading She who had written to me was the original of this statue, which was considered my masterpiece.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading She who had written to me was the original of this statue, which was considered my masterpiece.

winsomeadjectiveUS /ˈwɪnsəm/

charming in a childlike or naive way

woman'snounUS /ˈwʊmənz/

possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

wordsnounUS /wɜːrdz/

the words that are spoken

From this reading But the few brief words penned in a woman's hand caused me to start to my feet in anger and dismay; and, holding my breath, I crushed the missive and cast it under my foot.

writtenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪtən/

set down in writing in any of various ways

From this reading She who had written to me was the original of this statue, which was considered my masterpiece.

Chapter 4 of Stolen Souls by William Le Queux holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 4 of Stolen Souls contain?

Chapter 4 holds 415 sentences of Stolen Souls, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Stolen Souls by William Le Queux exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 4 of Stolen Souls?

Work through the 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 83 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 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Stolen Souls

Common questions about reading Stolen Souls by William Le Queux on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Stolen Souls?

Yes. All 3705 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40999 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Stolen Souls is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #40999, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Stolen Souls take to read?

About 308 minutes of reading across 741 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Stolen Souls

Words and structures a reader meets early in Stolen Souls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Stolen: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stolen Souls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Souls: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stolen Souls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
William: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stolen Souls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Queux: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stolen Souls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter IV

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