Chapter 21 of The cobbler of Nîmes is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The cobbler of Nîmes is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN THE WOODS OF ST. CYR The next morning found Charlot in his shop. He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working. He sat watching his door with eager eyes, alert and impatient. He was waiting for the return of the blacksmith’s boy whom he had sent in search of d’Aguesseau.
Chapter 21 of The cobbler of Nîmes is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading “He sat watching his door with eager eyes, alert and impatient.”
a long seat for more than one person
From this reading “He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.”
having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
From this reading “He sat watching his door with eager eyes, alert and impatient.”
restless or short-tempered under delay or opposition
From this reading “He sat watching his door with eager eyes, alert and impatient.”
an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning
From this reading “He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.”
do one's shopping
From this reading “CYR The next morning found Charlot in his shop.”
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading “He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.”
plural of “tool” — an implement used in the practice of a vocation
From this reading “He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.”
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 “CYR The next morning found Charlot in his shop.”
In this reading “He sat watching his door with eager eyes, alert and impatient.”
In this reading “He sat watching his door with eager eyes, alert and impatient.”
In this reading “IN THE WOODS OF ST.”
In this reading “He was waiting for the return of the blacksmith’s boy whom he had sent in search of d’Aguesseau.”
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 He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading He sat watching his door with eager eyes, alert and impatient.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.
a long seat for more than one person
From this reading He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was waiting for the return of the blacksmith’s boy whom he had sent in search of d’Aguesseau.
a youthful male person
From this reading He was waiting for the return of the blacksmith’s boy whom he had sent in search of d’Aguesseau.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CYR The next morning found Charlot in his shop.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CYR The next morning found Charlot in his shop.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was waiting for the return of the blacksmith’s boy whom he had sent in search of d’Aguesseau.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He sat watching his door with eager eyes, alert and impatient.
having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
From this reading He sat watching his door with eager eyes, alert and impatient.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He sat watching his door with eager eyes, alert and impatient.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was waiting for the return of the blacksmith’s boy whom he had sent in search of d’Aguesseau.
set up or found
From this reading CYR The next morning found Charlot in his shop.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading CYR The next morning found Charlot in his shop.
restless or short-tempered under delay or opposition
From this reading He sat watching his door with eager eyes, alert and impatient.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE WOODS OF ST.
an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning
From this reading He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading CYR The next morning found Charlot in his shop.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading CYR The next morning found Charlot in his shop.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading IN THE WOODS OF ST.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.
a false or unsupportable quality
From this reading He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading He was waiting for the return of the blacksmith’s boy whom he had sent in search of d’Aguesseau.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He sat watching his door with eager eyes, alert and impatient.
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading He was waiting for the return of the blacksmith’s boy whom he had sent in search of d’Aguesseau.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading He was waiting for the return of the blacksmith’s boy whom he had sent in search of d’Aguesseau.
do one's shopping
From this reading CYR The next morning found Charlot in his shop.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IN THE WOODS OF ST.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE WOODS OF ST.
plural of “tool” — an implement used in the practice of a vocation
From this reading He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading He was waiting for the return of the blacksmith’s boy whom he had sent in search of d’Aguesseau.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading He sat watching his door with eager eyes, alert and impatient.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He was waiting for the return of the blacksmith’s boy whom he had sent in search of d’Aguesseau.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading IN THE WOODS OF ST.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading He had spread his tools and leather on his bench with a pretence of work, but he was not working.
Chapter 21 of The cobbler of Nîmes by Mary Imlay Taylor holds 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 holds 105 sentences of The cobbler of Nîmes, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The cobbler of Nîmes by Mary Imlay Taylor exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 21 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 cobbler of Nîmes by Mary Imlay Taylor on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The cobbler of Nîmes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The cobbler of Nîmes 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 cobbler of Nîmes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
