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The Confession of a Child of the Century
The Confession of a Child of the Century

Chapter XXXII · Chapter 32

Chapter 32 of The Confession of a Child of the Century is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/19 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
BRIGITTE was better.
She had informed me that she wished to go away as soon as she was well enough to travel.
But I insisted that she ought to rest at least fifteen days before undertaking a long journey.
Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.
Then I tried in vain to guess what was passing in her heart.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Confession of a Child of the Century

Chapter XXXII · Chapter 32

Chapter 32 of The Confession of a Child of the Century is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/19 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
BRIGITTE was better.
Line 2
She had informed me that she wished to go away as soon as she was well enough to travel.
/ʃiː hæd ˌɪnˈfɔːrmd miː ðæt ʃiː wɪʃt tuː ɡoʊ əˈweɪ æz suːn æz ʃiː wɑːz wel ɪˈnʌf tuː ˈtrævəl/
Line 3
But I insisted that she ought to rest at least fifteen days before undertaking a long journey.
/bʌt aɪ ˌɪnˈsɪstəd ðæt ʃiː ɔːt tuː rest æt liːst fɪfˈtiːn deɪz bɪˈfɔːr ˈʌndərteɪkɪŋ ə lɔːŋ ˈdʒɜːrni/
Line 4
Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.
/weˈnevər aɪ əˈtemptɪd tuː pərˈsweɪd hɜːr tuː spiːk ˈfræŋkli ʃiː əˈʃʊrd miː ðæt ðə ˈletər wɑːz ðə ˈoʊnli kɑːz ʌv hɜːr ˈmelənkɑːli ənd beɡd miː tuː seɪ ˈnʌθɪŋ mɔːr əˈbaʊt ɪt/
Line 5
Then I tried in vain to guess what was passing in her heart.
/ðen aɪ traɪd ɪn veɪn tuː ɡes wʌt wɑːz ˈpæsɪŋ ɪn hɜːr hɑːrt/

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.

attempted adjective US /əˈtemptɪd/

tried unsuccessfully

From this reading “Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.”

frankly adverb US /ˈfræŋkli/

(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that

From this reading “Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.”

informed adjective US /ˌɪnˈfɔːrmd/

having much knowledge or education

From this reading “She had informed me that she wished to go away as soon as she was well enough to travel.”

insisted verb US /ˌɪnˈsɪstəd/

past form of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge

From this reading “But I insisted that she ought to rest at least fifteen days before undertaking a long journey.”

melancholy noun US /ˈmelənkɑːli/

a feeling of thoughtful sadness

From this reading “Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.”

persuade verb US /pərˈsweɪd/

win approval or support for

From this reading “Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.”

travel verb US /ˈtrævəl/

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

From this reading “She had informed me that she wished to go away as soon as she was well enough to travel.”

undertaking noun US /ˈʌndərteɪkɪŋ/

any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted

From this reading “But I insisted that she ought to rest at least fifteen days before undertaking a long journey.”

All words in this reading · 59

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 I insisted that she ought to rest at least fifteen days before undertaking a long journey.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading She had informed me that she wished to go away as soon as she was well enough to travel.

assuredadjectiveUS /əˈʃʊrd/

marked by assurance; exhibiting confidence

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading But I insisted that she ought to rest at least fifteen days before undertaking a long journey.

attemptedadjectiveUS /əˈtemptɪd/

tried unsuccessfully

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

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

From this reading She had informed me that she wished to go away as soon as she was well enough to travel.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading But I insisted that she ought to rest at least fifteen days before undertaking a long journey.

beggedverbUS /beɡd/

inflected form of “beg” — call upon in supplication; entreat

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

betteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading BRIGITTE was better.

BRIGITTE

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

From this reading BRIGITTE was better.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But I insisted that she ought to rest at least fifteen days before undertaking a long journey.

causenounUS /kɑːz/

events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading But I insisted that she ought to rest at least fifteen days before undertaking a long journey.

enoughnounUS /ɪˈnʌf/

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

From this reading She had informed me that she wished to go away as soon as she was well enough to travel.

fifteennounUS /fɪfˈtiːn/

the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one

From this reading But I insisted that she ought to rest at least fifteen days before undertaking a long journey.

franklyadverbUS /ˈfræŋkli/

(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

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

From this reading She had informed me that she wished to go away as soon as she was well enough to travel.

guessverbUS /ɡes/

expect, believe, or suppose

From this reading Then I tried in vain to guess what was passing in her heart.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading She had informed me that she wished to go away as soon as she was well enough to travel.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading Then I tried in vain to guess what was passing in her heart.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading But I insisted that she ought to rest at least fifteen days before undertaking a long journey.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Then I tried in vain to guess what was passing in her heart.

informedadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈfɔːrmd/

having much knowledge or education

From this reading She had informed me that she wished to go away as soon as she was well enough to travel.

insistedverbUS /ˌɪnˈsɪstəd/

past form of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge

From this reading But I insisted that she ought to rest at least fifteen days before undertaking a long journey.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

journeyverbUS /ˈdʒɜːrni/

undertake a journey or trip

From this reading But I insisted that she ought to rest at least fifteen days before undertaking a long journey.

leastadjectiveUS /liːst/

the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree

From this reading But I insisted that she ought to rest at least fifteen days before undertaking a long journey.

letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

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 I insisted that she ought to rest at least fifteen days before undertaking a long journey.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading She had informed me that she wished to go away as soon as she was well enough to travel.

melancholynounUS /ˈmelənkɑːli/

a feeling of thoughtful sadness

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

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

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

oughtmodal verbUS /ɔːt/

used with “to” to say what is right or advisable

From this reading But I insisted that she ought to rest at least fifteen days before undertaking a long journey.

passingnounUS /ˈpæsɪŋ/

(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate

From this reading Then I tried in vain to guess what was passing in her heart.

persuadeverbUS /pərˈsweɪd/

win approval or support for

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

restverbUS /rest/

not move; be in a resting position

From this reading But I insisted that she ought to rest at least fifteen days before undertaking a long journey.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She had informed me that she wished to go away as soon as she was well enough to travel.

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading She had informed me that she wished to go away as soon as she was well enough to travel.

speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading She had informed me that she wished to go away as soon as she was well enough to travel.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then I tried in vain to guess what was passing in her heart.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading She had informed me that she wished to go away as soon as she was well enough to travel.

travelverbUS /ˈtrævəl/

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

From this reading She had informed me that she wished to go away as soon as she was well enough to travel.

triedadjectiveUS /traɪd/

tested and proved useful or correct

From this reading Then I tried in vain to guess what was passing in her heart.

undertakingnounUS /ˈʌndərteɪkɪŋ/

any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted

From this reading But I insisted that she ought to rest at least fifteen days before undertaking a long journey.

vainadjectiveUS /veɪn/

characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance

From this reading Then I tried in vain to guess what was passing in her heart.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading BRIGITTE was better.

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading She had informed me that she wished to go away as soon as she was well enough to travel.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Then I tried in vain to guess what was passing in her heart.

WheneverconjunctionUS /weˈnevər/

at any time that; every time that

From this reading Whenever I attempted to persuade her to speak frankly, she assured me that the letter was the only cause of her melancholy and begged me to say nothing more about it.

wishedverbUS /wɪʃt/

past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish

From this reading She had informed me that she wished to go away as soon as she was well enough to travel.

Chapter 32 of The Confession of a Child of the Century by Alfred de Musset holds 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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 32 of The Confession of a Child of the Century contain?

Chapter 32 holds 99 sentences of The Confession of a Child of the Century, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 32 of The Confession of a Child of the Century by Alfred de Musset exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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 32 of The Confession of a Child of the Century?

Work through the 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 20 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 32 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 32 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 Confession of a Child of the Century

Common questions about reading The Confession of a Child of the Century by Alfred de Musset on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Confession of a Child of the Century?

Yes. All 4019 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9869 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Confession of a Child of the Century is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #9869, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Confession of a Child of the Century take to read?

About 334 minutes of reading across 804 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Confession of a Child of the Century section by section

How to work through The Confession of a Child of the Century section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 36 chapters of The Confession of a Child of the Century 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 Confession of a Child of the Century

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Confession of a Child of the Century, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Explain
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Confession of a Child of the Century; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
First
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Confession of a Child of the Century; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Taken
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Confession of a Child of the Century; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Malady
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Confession of a Child of the Century; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.