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The boy nihilist
The boy nihilist

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The boy nihilist is here in full — 50 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/10 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
SWIFT RETRIBUTION.
Retribution does not always go with justice, however, as in this case, notably.
William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.
The unaccountable absence of that correspondence haunted him day and night.
But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The boy nihilist

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The boy nihilist is here in full — 50 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/10 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
SWIFT RETRIBUTION.
/swɪft ˌret.rəˈbjuː.ʃən/
Line 2
Retribution does not always go with justice, however, as in this case, notably.
/ˌret.rəˈbjuː.ʃən dʌz nɑːt ˈɔːlweɪz ɡoʊ wɪð ˈdʒʌstəs ˌhaʊˈevər æz ɪn ðɪs keɪs ˈnoʊtəbli/
Line 3
William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.
Line 4
The unaccountable absence of that correspondence haunted him day and night.
/ðə ˌʌnəˈkaʊntəbəl ˈæbsəns ʌv ðæt ˌkɔːrəˈspɑːndəns ˈhɔːntɪd hɪm deɪ ənd naɪt/
Line 5
But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.

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.

Czar noun US /zɑːr/

a male monarch or emperor (especially of Russia prior to 1917)

From this reading “But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.”

exile verb US /ˈeɡzaɪl/

expel from a country

From this reading “William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.”

ministers noun US /ˈmɪnəstərz/

plural of “minister” — a person authorized to conduct religious worship

From this reading “But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.”

notably adverb US /ˈnoʊtəbli/

especially; in particular

From this reading “Retribution does not always go with justice, however, as in this case, notably.”

prefect noun US /ˈpriːfekt/

a chief officer or chief magistrate

From this reading “But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.”

retribution noun US /ˌret.rəˈbjuː.ʃən/

Punishment inflicted on someone as vengeance for a wrong act. (Sự trừng phạt, quả báo thích đáng.)

From this reading “SWIFT RETRIBUTION.”

unaccountable adjective US /ˌʌnəˈkaʊntəbəl/

not to be accounted for or explained

From this reading “The unaccountable absence of that correspondence haunted him day and night.”

understands verb US /ˌʌndərˈstændz/

third-person singular of “understand” — know and comprehend the nature or meaning of

From this reading “William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.”

All words in this reading · 62

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.

absencenounUS /ˈæbsəns/

the state of being absent

From this reading The unaccountable absence of that correspondence haunted him day and night.

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 But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading Retribution does not always go with justice, however, as in this case, notably.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The unaccountable absence of that correspondence haunted him day and night.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Retribution does not always go with justice, however, as in this case, notably.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

Barnwell

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

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.

casenounUS /keɪs/

an occurrence of something

From this reading Retribution does not always go with justice, however, as in this case, notably.

correspondencenounUS /ˌkɔːrəˈspɑːndəns/

communication by the exchange of letters

From this reading The unaccountable absence of that correspondence haunted him day and night.

CzarnounUS /zɑːr/

a male monarch or emperor (especially of Russia prior to 1917)

From this reading But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading The unaccountable absence of that correspondence haunted him day and night.

documentnounUS /ˈdɑːkjəment/

writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)

From this reading But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.

doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/

the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Retribution does not always go with justice, however, as in this case, notably.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

exileverbUS /ˈeɡzaɪl/

expel from a country

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

faradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

fullyadverbUS /ˈfʊli/

to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

GeneraladjectiveUS /ˈdʒenərəl/

applying to all or most members of a category or group

From this reading But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Retribution does not always go with justice, however, as in this case, notably.

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.

hauntedadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːntɪd/

having or showing excessive or compulsive concern with something

From this reading The unaccountable absence of that correspondence haunted him day and night.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading The unaccountable absence of that correspondence haunted him day and night.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.

howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading Retribution does not always go with justice, however, as in this case, notably.

hurriedadjectiveUS /ˈhɜːrid/

moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Retribution does not always go with justice, however, as in this case, notably.

justicenounUS /ˈdʒʌstəs/

the quality of being just or fair

From this reading Retribution does not always go with justice, however, as in this case, notably.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.

Mastowix

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

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

ministersnounUS /ˈmɪnəstərz/

plural of “minister” — a person authorized to conduct religious worship

From this reading But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

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

From this reading The unaccountable absence of that correspondence haunted him day and night.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Retribution does not always go with justice, however, as in this case, notably.

notablyadverbUS /ˈnoʊtəbli/

especially; in particular

From this reading Retribution does not always go with justice, however, as in this case, notably.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The unaccountable absence of that correspondence haunted him day and night.

particularsnounUS /pərˈtɪkjələrz/

plural of “particular” — a fact about some part (as opposed to general)

From this reading But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.

policenounUS /pəˈliːs/

the force of policemen and officers

From this reading But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.

prefectnounUS /ˈpriːfekt/

a chief officer or chief magistrate

From this reading But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.

presentedverbUS /priˈzentɪd/

past form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.

PrincenounUS /prɪns/

a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

readernounUS /ˈriːdər/

a person who enjoys reading

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

reasonsnounUS /ˈriːzənz/

plural of “reason” — a rational motive for a belief or action

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

RETRIBUTIONnounUS /ˌret.rəˈbjuː.ʃən/

Punishment inflicted on someone as vengeance for a wrong act. (Sự trừng phạt, quả báo thích đáng.)

From this reading SWIFT RETRIBUTION.

secureverbUS /sɪˈkjʊr/

get by special effort

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

SWIFTadjectiveUS /swɪft/

moving very fast

From this reading SWIFT RETRIBUTION.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The unaccountable absence of that correspondence haunted him day and night.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading Retribution does not always go with justice, however, as in this case, notably.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

togetheradverbUS /təˈɡeðər/

in contact with each other or in proximity

From this reading But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.

treasonableadjective

having the character of, or characteristic of, a traitor

From this reading But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.

unaccountableadjectiveUS /ˌʌnəˈkaʊntəbəl/

not to be accounted for or explained

From this reading The unaccountable absence of that correspondence haunted him day and night.

understandsverbUS /ˌʌndərˈstændz/

third-person singular of “understand” — know and comprehend the nature or meaning of

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

Walisky

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

From this reading But not for long, however, for that treasonable document was in the hands of General Walisky, prefect of police, and by him presented to the Czar and his ministers, together with all the particulars in the case.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

William

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

From this reading William Barnwell was hurried away to exile, for reasons the reader fully understands; but even then Prince Mastowix felt far from secure.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Retribution does not always go with justice, however, as in this case, notably.

Chapter 4 of The boy nihilist by Allan Arnold holds 50 sentences, grouped into 10 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 The boy nihilist contain?

Chapter 4 holds 50 sentences of The boy nihilist, unabridged, divided into 10 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The boy nihilist by Allan Arnold exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 50 sentences, grouped into 10 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 The boy nihilist?

Work through the 10 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 10 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 The boy nihilist

Common questions about reading The boy nihilist by Allan Arnold on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The boy nihilist?

Yes. All 1534 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23094 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The boy nihilist is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #23094, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The boy nihilist take to read?

About 127 minutes of reading across 307 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The boy nihilist section by section

How to work through The boy nihilist section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 16 chapters of The boy nihilist 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 boy nihilist

Words and structures a reader meets early in The boy nihilist, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Unsuspecting
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The boy nihilist; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Traveler
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The boy nihilist; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Steamship
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The boy nihilist; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Baltic
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The boy nihilist; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.