Chapter 26 of The City of the Discreet is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The City of the Discreet is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco. The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours. “Hey!” called Quentin. “What is it? Is it you?”
Chapter 26 of The City of the Discreet is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
the criminal act of capturing and carrying away by force a family member; if a man's wife is abducted it is a crime against the family relationship and against the wife
From this reading “AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.”
an armed thief who is (usually) a member of a band
From this reading “The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours.”
any large and important church
From this reading “The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours.”
plural of “four” — the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading “The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours.”
floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage
From this reading “The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours.”
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading “AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.”
a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading “AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.”
the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord
From this reading “AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.”
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 “AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.”
In this reading “AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.”
In this reading “AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.”
move out of or depart from
In this reading “AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.”
In this reading “AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.”
In this reading “The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours.”
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.
the criminal act of capturing and carrying away by force a family member; if a man's wife is abducted it is a crime against the family relationship and against the wife
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
(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 The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
an armed thief who is (usually) a member of a band
From this reading The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “Hey!” called Quentin.
any large and important church
From this reading The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours.
being one more than seven
From this reading The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
plural of “four” — the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours.
floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage
From this reading The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Hey!” called Quentin.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “What is it?
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours.
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
made ready or fit or suitable beforehand
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect
From this reading The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
in the direction of
From this reading The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading AN ABDUCTION IS PREPARED At nightfall Quentin went out on the roof, stretched his spine along the ridge, and waited for Pacheco.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What is it?
at the time that
From this reading The Cathedral clock was striking eight, when the bandit appeared, making his way toward the garret on all fours.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Is it you?”
Chapter 26 of The City of the Discreet by Pío Baroja holds 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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 26 holds 221 sentences of The City of the Discreet, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The City of the Discreet by Pío Baroja exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 26 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 City of the Discreet by Pío Baroja on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6657 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56324 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56324, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 554 minutes of reading across 1332 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The City of the Discreet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The City of the Discreet 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 City of the Discreet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
