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Tekla: A Romance of Love and War
Tekla: A Romance of Love and War

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Tekla: A Romance of Love and War is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Tekla: A Romance of Love and War
Context Illustration Reading 1/39 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE EMPEROR DISAPPEARS.
For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.
Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.
Soldiers swarmed everywhere, insolent and overbearing.
One would imagine that no such person as the Emperor existed, for all authority seemed vested in the Archbishop.
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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.

Tekla: A Romance of Love and War

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Tekla: A Romance of Love and War is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE EMPEROR DISAPPEARS.
/ðə ˈempərər ˌdɪsəˈpɪrz/
Line 2
For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.
Line 3
Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.
/əˈmʌŋ ˈʌðər θɪŋz ðeɪ ˈnoʊtəd ðæt ðə ˈsɪti wɑːz mɔːr ɪˈfɪʃəntli ˈɡærəsənd ðæn wɑːz ˈfræŋkfərt ðə ˈkæpətəl/
Line 4
Soldiers swarmed everywhere, insolent and overbearing.
/ˈsoʊldʒərz swɔːrmd ˈevriwer ˈɪnsələnt ənd ˈoʊvərˈberɪŋ/
Line 5
One would imagine that no such person as the Emperor existed, for all authority seemed vested in the Archbishop.
/wʌn wʊd ˌɪˈmædʒən ðæt noʊ sʌtʃ ˈpɜːrsən æz ðə ˈempərər ɪɡˈzɪstəd fɔːr ɔːl əˈθɔːrəti siːmd ˈvestɪd ɪn ðə ˈɑːrtʃˈbɪʃəp/

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.

disappears verb US /ˌdɪsəˈpɪrz/

third-person singular of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation

From this reading “THE EMPEROR DISAPPEARS.”

efficiently adverb US /ɪˈfɪʃəntli/

with efficiency; in an efficient manner

From this reading “Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.”

Frankfort noun US /ˈfræŋkfərt/

the capital of Kentucky; located in northern Kentucky

From this reading “Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.”

garrisoned verb US /ˈɡærəsənd/

past form of “garrison” — station (troops) in a fort or garrison

From this reading “Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.”

instruct verb US /ˌɪnˈstrʌkt/

impart skills or knowledge to

From this reading “For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.”

overbearing adjective US /ˈoʊvərˈberɪŋ/

expecting unquestioning obedience

From this reading “Soldiers swarmed everywhere, insolent and overbearing.”

Siegfried noun US /ˈsiːɡfriːd/

(German mythology) mythical German warrior hero of the Nibelungenlied who takes possession of the accursed treasure of the Nibelungs by slaying the dragon that guards it and awakens Brynhild and is eventually killed

From this reading “For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.”

vested adjective US /ˈvestɪd/

fixed and absolute and without contingency

From this reading “One would imagine that no such person as the Emperor existed, for all authority seemed vested in the Archbishop.”

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.

three days noun + noun

In this reading “For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.”

wandered about verb + particle counted as “wander about”

In this reading “For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.”

other things adjective + noun

In this reading “Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.”

For three preposition + noun

In this reading “For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.”

All words in this reading · 50

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.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

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

From this reading One would imagine that no such person as the Emperor existed, for all authority seemed vested in the Archbishop.

AmongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.

ArchbishopnounUS /ˈɑːrtʃˈbɪʃəp/

a bishop of highest rank

From this reading One would imagine that no such person as the Emperor existed, for all authority seemed vested in the Archbishop.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading One would imagine that no such person as the Emperor existed, for all authority seemed vested in the Archbishop.

authoritynounUS /əˈθɔːrəti/

the power or right to give orders or make decisions

From this reading One would imagine that no such person as the Emperor existed, for all authority seemed vested in the Archbishop.

capitalnounUS /ˈkæpətəl/

assets available for use in the production of further assets

From this reading Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.

citynounUS /ˈsɪti/

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.

DISAPPEARSverbUS /ˌdɪsəˈpɪrz/

third-person singular of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation

From this reading THE EMPEROR DISAPPEARS.

efficientlyadverbUS /ɪˈfɪʃəntli/

with efficiency; in an efficient manner

From this reading Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.

EMPERORnounUS /ˈempərər/

the male ruler of an empire

From this reading THE EMPEROR DISAPPEARS.

everywhereadverbUS /ˈevriwer/

to or in any or all places

From this reading Soldiers swarmed everywhere, insolent and overbearing.

existedverbUS /ɪɡˈzɪstəd/

past form of “exist” — have an existence, be extant

From this reading One would imagine that no such person as the Emperor existed, for all authority seemed vested in the Archbishop.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.

FrankfortnounUS /ˈfræŋkfərt/

the capital of Kentucky; located in northern Kentucky

From this reading Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.

garrisonedverbUS /ˈɡærəsənd/

past form of “garrison” — station (troops) in a fort or garrison

From this reading Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.

imagineverbUS /ˌɪˈmædʒən/

form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case

From this reading One would imagine that no such person as the Emperor existed, for all authority seemed vested in the Archbishop.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading One would imagine that no such person as the Emperor existed, for all authority seemed vested in the Archbishop.

insolentadjectiveUS /ˈɪnsələnt/

marked by casual disrespect

From this reading Soldiers swarmed everywhere, insolent and overbearing.

instructverbUS /ˌɪnˈstrʌkt/

impart skills or knowledge to

From this reading For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.

interestnounUS /ˈɪntrəst/

a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something

From this reading For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading One would imagine that no such person as the Emperor existed, for all authority seemed vested in the Archbishop.

notedadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊtəd/

widely known and esteemed

From this reading Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One would imagine that no such person as the Emperor existed, for all authority seemed vested in the Archbishop.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.

overbearingadjectiveUS /ˈoʊvərˈberɪŋ/

expecting unquestioning obedience

From this reading Soldiers swarmed everywhere, insolent and overbearing.

personnounUS /ˈpɜːrsən/

a human being

From this reading One would imagine that no such person as the Emperor existed, for all authority seemed vested in the Archbishop.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading One would imagine that no such person as the Emperor existed, for all authority seemed vested in the Archbishop.

SiegfriednounUS /ˈsiːɡfriːd/

(German mythology) mythical German warrior hero of the Nibelungenlied who takes possession of the accursed treasure of the Nibelungs by slaying the dragon that guards it and awakens Brynhild and is eventually killed

From this reading For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.

SoldiersnounUS /ˈsoʊldʒərz/

plural of “soldier” — an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army

From this reading Soldiers swarmed everywhere, insolent and overbearing.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading One would imagine that no such person as the Emperor existed, for all authority seemed vested in the Archbishop.

swarmedverbUS /swɔːrmd/

past form of “swarm” — be teeming, be abuzz

From this reading Soldiers swarmed everywhere, insolent and overbearing.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE EMPEROR DISAPPEARS.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.

Treves

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

From this reading For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.

vestedadjectiveUS /ˈvestɪd/

fixed and absolute and without contingency

From this reading One would imagine that no such person as the Emperor existed, for all authority seemed vested in the Archbishop.

wanderedverbUS /ˈwɑːndərd/

past form of “wander” — move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment

From this reading For three days the Emperor and Siegfried wandered about Treves and saw much to interest and instruct them.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Among other things they noted that the city was more efficiently garrisoned than was Frankfort, the capital.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading One would imagine that no such person as the Emperor existed, for all authority seemed vested in the Archbishop.

Chapter 4 of Tekla: A Romance of Love and War by Robert Barr holds 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 Tekla: A Romance of Love and War contain?

Chapter 4 holds 197 sentences of Tekla: A Romance of Love and War, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Tekla: A Romance of Love and War by Robert Barr exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 Tekla: A Romance of Love and War?

Work through the 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 40 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 Tekla: A Romance of Love and War

Common questions about reading Tekla: A Romance of Love and War by Robert Barr on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Tekla: A Romance of Love and War?

Yes. All 6436 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51717 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Tekla: A Romance of Love and War is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #51717, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Tekla: A Romance of Love and War take to read?

About 536 minutes of reading across 1288 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Tekla: A Romance of Love and War section by section

How to work through Tekla: A Romance of Love and War section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  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 Tekla: A Romance of Love and War

Words and structures a reader meets early in Tekla: A Romance of Love and War, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tekla: A Romance of Love and War; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Chicago
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tekla: A Romance of Love and War; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Princess
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tekla: A Romance of Love and War; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mutable
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tekla: A Romance of Love and War; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.