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The Children of the King
The Children of the King

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Children of the King is here in full — 297 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Children of the King
Context Illustration Reading 1/59 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.
Sebastiano listened intently.
He was not tall enough to see over, but his ears were sharp.
"I do not hear him any more," he answered.
"I hurt my hands on his nose," he added, thoughtfully, as he glanced at his bruised knuckles.
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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.

The Children of the King

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Children of the King is here in full — 297 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/59 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.
Line 2
Sebastiano listened intently.
Line 3
He was not tall enough to see over, but his ears were sharp.
/hiː wɑːz nɑːt tɔːl ɪˈnʌf tuː siː ˈoʊvər bʌt hɪz ɪrz wɜːr ʃɑːrp/
Line 4
"I do not hear him any more," he answered.
/aɪ duː nɑːt hiːr hɪm ˈeni mɔːr hiː ˈænsərd/
Line 5
"I hurt my hands on his nose," he added, thoughtfully, as he glanced at his bruised knuckles.
/aɪ hɜːrt maɪ hændz ɑːn hɪz noʊz hiː ˈædəd ˈθɔːtfəli æz hiː ɡlænst æt hɪz bruːzd ˈnʌkəlz/

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.

bruised verb US /bruːzd/

past form of “bruise” — injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of

From this reading “"I hurt my hands on his nose," he added, thoughtfully, as he glanced at his bruised knuckles.”

cleared adjective US /klɪrd/

rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush

From this reading “"We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.”

glanced verb US /ɡlænst/

past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at

From this reading “"I hurt my hands on his nose," he added, thoughtfully, as he glanced at his bruised knuckles.”

intently adverb US /ˌɪnˈtentli/

with strained or eager attention

From this reading “Sebastiano listened intently.”

knuckles noun US /ˈnʌkəlz/

(used in the plural) a small metal weapon; worn over the knuckles on the back of the hand

From this reading “"I hurt my hands on his nose," he added, thoughtfully, as he glanced at his bruised knuckles.”

nose noun US /noʊz/

the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals

From this reading “"I hurt my hands on his nose," he added, thoughtfully, as he glanced at his bruised knuckles.”

stopping noun US /ˈstɑːpɪŋ/

fastener consisting of a narrow strip of welded metal used to join steel members

From this reading “"We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.”

thoughtfully adverb US /ˈθɔːtfəli/

in a thoughtful manner

From this reading “"I hurt my hands on his nose," he added, thoughtfully, as he glanced at his bruised knuckles.”

All words in this reading · 52

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.

addedverbUS /ˈædəd/

past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of

From this reading "I hurt my hands on his nose," he added, thoughtfully, as he glanced at his bruised knuckles.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

answeredverbUS /ˈænsərd/

past form of “answer” — react verbally

From this reading "I do not hear him any more," he answered.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading "I do not hear him any more," he answered.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading "I hurt my hands on his nose," he added, thoughtfully, as he glanced at his bruised knuckles.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

bruisedverbUS /bruːzd/

past form of “bruise” — injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of

From this reading "I hurt my hands on his nose," he added, thoughtfully, as he glanced at his bruised knuckles.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading He was not tall enough to see over, but his ears were sharp.

clearedadjectiveUS /klɪrd/

rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading "I do not hear him any more," he answered.

earsnounUS /ɪrz/

plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium

From this reading He was not tall enough to see over, but his ears were sharp.

enoughnounUS /ɪˈnʌf/

an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose

From this reading He was not tall enough to see over, but his ears were sharp.

glancedverbUS /ɡlænst/

past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at

From this reading "I hurt my hands on his nose," he added, thoughtfully, as he glanced at his bruised knuckles.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

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 "I hurt my hands on his nose," he added, thoughtfully, as he glanced at his bruised knuckles.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

hearverbUS /hiːr/

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading "I do not hear him any more," he answered.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He was not tall enough to see over, but his ears were sharp.

hurtverbUS /hɜːrt/

be the source of pain

From this reading "I hurt my hands on his nose," he added, thoughtfully, as he glanced at his bruised knuckles.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "I do not hear him any more," he answered.

intentlyadverbUS /ˌɪnˈtentli/

with strained or eager attention

From this reading Sebastiano listened intently.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

knucklesnounUS /ˈnʌkəlz/

(used in the plural) a small metal weapon; worn over the knuckles on the back of the hand

From this reading "I hurt my hands on his nose," he added, thoughtfully, as he glanced at his bruised knuckles.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

listenedverbUS /ˈlɪsənd/

past form of “listen” — hear with intention

From this reading Sebastiano listened intently.

lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

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

From this reading "I do not hear him any more," he answered.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "I hurt my hands on his nose," he added, thoughtfully, as he glanced at his bruised knuckles.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

nosenounUS /noʊz/

the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals

From this reading "I hurt my hands on his nose," he added, thoughtfully, as he glanced at his bruised knuckles.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He was not tall enough to see over, but his ears were sharp.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading "I hurt my hands on his nose," he added, thoughtfully, as he glanced at his bruised knuckles.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

Ruggiero

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

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

Sebastiano

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

From this reading Sebastiano listened intently.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

sharpadjectiveUS /ʃɑːrp/

(of something seen or heard) clearly defined

From this reading He was not tall enough to see over, but his ears were sharp.

stonenounUS /stoʊn/

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

stoppingnounUS /ˈstɑːpɪŋ/

fastener consisting of a narrow strip of welded metal used to join steel members

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

talladjectiveUS /tɔːl/

great in vertical dimension; high in stature

From this reading He was not tall enough to see over, but his ears were sharp.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

thoughtfullyadverbUS /ˈθɔːtfəli/

in a thoughtful manner

From this reading "I hurt my hands on his nose," he added, thoughtfully, as he glanced at his bruised knuckles.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He was not tall enough to see over, but his ears were sharp.

wallnounUS /wɔːl/

an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He was not tall enough to see over, but his ears were sharp.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading "We shall never see him again," said Ruggiero, stopping at last and looking back over the stone wall he had just cleared.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading He was not tall enough to see over, but his ears were sharp.

Chapter 2 of The Children of the King by F. Marion (Francis Marion) Crawford holds 297 sentences, grouped into 60 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 2 of The Children of the King contain?

Chapter 2 holds 297 sentences of The Children of the King, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Children of the King by F. Marion (Francis Marion) Crawford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 297 sentences, grouped into 60 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 2 of The Children of the King?

Work through the 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 60 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 2 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 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 Children of the King

Common questions about reading The Children of the King by F. Marion (Francis Marion) Crawford on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Children of the King?

Yes. All 3517 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15187 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Children of the King is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #15187, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Children of the King take to read?

About 293 minutes of reading across 704 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Children of the King section by section

How to work through The Children of the King section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Children of the King 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 Children of the King

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Children of the King, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Course
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Children of the King; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
South-east
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Children of the King; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Campanella
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Children of the King; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Weather
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Children of the King; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.