Chapter 12 of The black spaniel, and other stories is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The black spaniel, and other stories is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Thou hast called me the son of a scorpion, Halima,” he said, in a loud voice. “Is it not true?” “It is true,” she answered, with a venomous smile of hatred. “And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl. Is it not true?”
Chapter 12 of The black spaniel, and other stories is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
use to one's advantage
From this reading ““And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.”
highly favored or fortunate (as e.g. by divine grace)
From this reading ““And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.”
causing or capable of causing death
From this reading ““And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.”
the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action
From this reading ““It is true,” she answered, with a venomous smile of hatred.”
a quantity of no importance
From this reading ““And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.”
(astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Scorpio
From this reading ““Thou hast called me the son of a scorpion, Halima,” he said, in a loud voice.”
impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism
From this reading ““And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.”
extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom
From this reading ““It is true,” she answered, with a venomous smile of hatred.”
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 ““Thou hast called me the son of a scorpion, Halima,” he said, in a loud voice.”
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 “Thou hast called me the son of a scorpion, Halima,” he said, in a loud voice.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading “And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “It is true,” she answered, with a venomous smile of hatred.
use to one's advantage
From this reading “And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.
highly favored or fortunate (as e.g. by divine grace)
From this reading “And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “Thou hast called me the son of a scorpion, Halima,” he said, in a loud voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.
causing or capable of causing death
From this reading “And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading “And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading “And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Thou hast called me the son of a scorpion, Halima,” he said, in a loud voice.
an old form of “have”, used with “thou”
From this reading “Thou hast called me the son of a scorpion, Halima,” he said, in a loud voice.
the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action
From this reading “It is true,” she answered, with a venomous smile of hatred.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Thou hast called me the son of a scorpion, Halima,” he said, in a loud voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Thou hast called me the son of a scorpion, Halima,” he said, in a loud voice.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Is it not true?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Is it not true?”
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading “Thou hast called me the son of a scorpion, Halima,” he said, in a loud voice.
large African black-and-white carrion-eating stork; its downy underwing feathers are used to trim garments
From this reading “And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Thou hast called me the son of a scorpion, Halima,” he said, in a loud voice.
a quantity of no importance
From this reading “And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Is it not true?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Thou hast called me the son of a scorpion, Halima,” he said, in a loud voice.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Thou hast called me the son of a scorpion, Halima,” he said, in a loud voice.
(astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Scorpio
From this reading “Thou hast called me the son of a scorpion, Halima,” he said, in a loud voice.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “It is true,” she answered, with a venomous smile of hatred.
impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism
From this reading “And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “It is true,” she answered, with a venomous smile of hatred.
a male human offspring
From this reading “Thou hast called me the son of a scorpion, Halima,” he said, in a loud voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Thou hast called me the son of a scorpion, Halima,” he said, in a loud voice.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading “Thou hast called me the son of a scorpion, Halima,” he said, in a loud voice.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading “Is it not true?”
extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom
From this reading “It is true,” she answered, with a venomous smile of hatred.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “Thou hast called me the son of a scorpion, Halima,” he said, in a loud voice.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “It is true,” she answered, with a venomous smile of hatred.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “And thou hast said that the hedgehog’s foot, blessed by the great marabout of Tamacine, would avail naught against the deadly sickness of a dancing-girl.
Chapter 12 of The black spaniel, and other stories by Robert Hichens holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 12 holds 420 sentences of The black spaniel, and other stories, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The black spaniel, and other stories by Robert Hichens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 12 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 The black spaniel, and other stories by Robert Hichens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6333 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76971 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76971, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 527 minutes of reading across 1267 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The black spaniel, and other stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The black spaniel, and other stories 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 The black spaniel, and other stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
