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The black spaniel, and other stories
The black spaniel, and other stories

Chapter XIII

Chapter 13 of The black spaniel, and other stories is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Robert Hichens • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The black spaniel, and other stories
Context Illustration Reading 1/84 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.
* * * * * But six months later he was taken at night outside a café by the lake at Tunis.
He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.
The light from the café fell upon his face, the dancer uttered a cry.
“M’hammed Bouaziz!”
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.

The black spaniel, and other stories

Chapter XIII

Chapter 13 of The black spaniel, and other stories is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.
Line 2
* * * * * But six months later he was taken at night outside a café by the lake at Tunis.
Line 3
He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.
/hiː wɑːz ˈɡeɪzɪŋ θruː ðə ˈdɔːrweɪ æt ə ɡɜːrl huː wɑːz ˈpɑːstʃərɪŋ tuː ðə saʊnd ʌv paɪps bɪˈtwiːn tuː roʊz ʌv ˈærəbz/
Line 4
The light from the café fell upon his face, the dancer uttered a cry.
Line 5
“M’hammed Bouaziz!”

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.

Arabs noun US /ˈærəbz/

plural of “arab” — a member of a Semitic people originally from the Arabian peninsula and surrounding territories who speaks Arabic and who inhabits much of the Middle East and northern Africa

From this reading “He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dancer noun US /ˈdænsər/

a performer who dances professionally

From this reading “The light from the café fell upon his face, the dancer uttered a cry.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
galloping verb US /ˈɡæləpɪŋ/

-ing form of “gallop” — ride at a galloping pace

From this reading “M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
musket noun US /ˈmʌskət/

a muzzle-loading shoulder gun with a long barrel; formerly used by infantrymen

From this reading “M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pipes noun US /paɪps/

plural of “pipe” — a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco

From this reading “He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
posturing noun US /ˈpɑːstʃərɪŋ/

adopting a vain conceited posture

From this reading “He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
slung verb US /slʌŋ/

inflected form of “sling” — hurl as if with a sling

From this reading “M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Tunis noun US /ˈtuːnɪs/

the capital and principal port of Tunisia

From this reading “* * * * * But six months later he was taken at night outside a café by the lake at Tunis.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

six months noun + noun counted as “six month”

In this reading “* * * * * But six months later he was taken at night outside a café by the lake at Tunis.”

16,839 times in 426,211 chapters
red cloak noun + noun

In this reading “M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.”

563 times in 426,211 chapters
through the doorway preposition + article + noun counted as “through … doorway”

In this reading “He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.”

2,085 times in 426,211 chapters
fell upon verb + particle

In this reading “The light from the café fell upon his face, the dancer uttered a cry.”

22,769 times in 426,211 chapters
slung over verb + particle counted as “sling over”

In this reading “M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.”

763 times in 426,211 chapters
between two preposition + noun

In this reading “He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.”

13,765 times in 426,211 chapters
two rows noun + noun counted as “two row”

In this reading “He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.”

1,502 times in 426,211 chapters
galloping over verb + particle counted as “gallop over”

In this reading “M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.”

695 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 56

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 six months later he was taken at night outside a café by the lake at Tunis.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ArabsnounUS /ˈærəbz/

plural of “arab” — a member of a Semitic people originally from the Arabian peninsula and surrounding territories who speaks Arabic and who inhabits much of the Middle East and northern Africa

From this reading He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
bootsnounUS /buːts/

plural of “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Bouaziz

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

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

Pending verification
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading * * * * * But six months later he was taken at night outside a café by the lake at Tunis.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading * * * * * But six months later he was taken at night outside a café by the lake at Tunis.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
café

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

From this reading * * * * * But six months later he was taken at night outside a café by the lake at Tunis.

Pending verification
cloaknounUS /kloʊk/

anything that covers or conceals

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cryverbUS /kraɪ/

utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading The light from the café fell upon his face, the dancer uttered a cry.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dancernounUS /ˈdænsər/

a performer who dances professionally

From this reading The light from the café fell upon his face, the dancer uttered a cry.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
desertverbUS /ˈdezərt/

leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
doorwaynounUS /ˈdɔːrweɪ/

the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close

From this reading He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
facenounUS /feɪs/

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

From this reading The light from the café fell upon his face, the dancer uttered a cry.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fellverbUS /fel/

cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow

From this reading The light from the café fell upon his face, the dancer uttered a cry.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
freedomnounUS /ˈfriːdəm/

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

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The light from the café fell upon his face, the dancer uttered a cry.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
gallopingverbUS /ˈɡæləpɪŋ/

-ing form of “gallop” — ride at a galloping pace

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gazingverbUS /ˈɡeɪzɪŋ/

-ing form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes

From this reading He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading * * * * * But six months later he was taken at night outside a café by the lake at Tunis.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
lakenounUS /leɪk/

a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land

From this reading * * * * * But six months later he was taken at night outside a café by the lake at Tunis.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lateradverbUS /ˈleɪtər/

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading * * * * * But six months later he was taken at night outside a café by the lake at Tunis.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lightadjectiveUS /laɪt/

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading The light from the café fell upon his face, the dancer uttered a cry.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
M'hammed

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

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

Pending verification
monthsnounUS /mʌnθs/

plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading * * * * * But six months later he was taken at night outside a café by the lake at Tunis.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
musketnounUS /ˈmʌskət/

a muzzle-loading shoulder gun with a long barrel; formerly used by infantrymen

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading * * * * * But six months later he was taken at night outside a café by the lake at Tunis.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
outsideadjectiveUS /ˈaʊtˈsaɪd/

relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit

From this reading * * * * * But six months later he was taken at night outside a café by the lake at Tunis.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
pipesnounUS /paɪps/

plural of “pipe” — a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco

From this reading He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
posturingnounUS /ˈpɑːstʃərɪŋ/

adopting a vain conceited posture

From this reading He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rednounUS /red/

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rowsnounUS /roʊz/

plural of “row” — an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line

From this reading He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shoulderverbUS /ˈʃoʊldər/

lift onto one's shoulders

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sidenounUS /saɪd/

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sixnounUS /sɪks/

the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one

From this reading * * * * * But six months later he was taken at night outside a café by the lake at Tunis.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
slungverbUS /slʌŋ/

inflected form of “sling” — hurl as if with a sling

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
soundnounUS /saʊnd/

the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

From this reading He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
swordnounUS /sɔːrd/

a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading * * * * * But six months later he was taken at night outside a café by the lake at Tunis.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
TunisnounUS /ˈtuːnɪs/

the capital and principal port of Tunisia

From this reading * * * * * But six months later he was taken at night outside a café by the lake at Tunis.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The light from the café fell upon his face, the dancer uttered a cry.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
utteredadjectiveUS /ˈʌtərd/

communicated in words

From this reading The light from the café fell upon his face, the dancer uttered a cry.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading M’hammed Bouaziz, in the red cloak, the red boots, sword at his side, musket slung over his shoulder, was galloping over the desert on his way to freedom.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading He was gazing through the doorway at a girl who was posturing to the sound of pipes between two rows of Arabs.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 13 of The black spaniel, and other stories by Robert Hichens holds 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 13 of The black spaniel, and other stories contain?

Chapter 13 holds 422 sentences of The black spaniel, and other stories, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 13 of The black spaniel, and other stories by Robert Hichens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 13 of The black spaniel, and other stories?

Work through the 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 85 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 13 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 13 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 The black spaniel, and other stories

Common questions about reading The black spaniel, and other stories by Robert Hichens on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The black spaniel, and other stories?

Yes. All 6333 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76971 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The black spaniel, and other stories is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #76971, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The black spaniel, and other stories take to read?

About 527 minutes of reading across 1267 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The black spaniel, and other stories section by section

How to work through The black spaniel, and other stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 15 chapters of The black spaniel, and other stories 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 The black spaniel, and other stories

Words and structures a reader meets early in The black spaniel, and other stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The black spaniel, and other stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Garden
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The black spaniel, and other stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Allah
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The black spaniel, and other stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Woman
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The black spaniel, and other stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.