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The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death
The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death

Chapter XXXI

Chapter 31 of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death is here in full — 361 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Hugh Walpole • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death
Context Illustration Reading 1/72 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'
Mais le porte-drapeau repondit: 'Non, pas maintenant ... apres ...'"
_A l'Extreme Limite._ ARTZYBACHEV.
I That afternoon had been a difficult one for Roddy.
He felt, lying so eternally on his back, the vagaries of the English weather.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death

Chapter XXXI

Chapter 31 of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death is here in full — 361 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/72 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'
Line 2
Mais le porte-drapeau repondit: 'Non, pas maintenant ... apres ...'"
Line 3
_A l'Extreme Limite._ ARTZYBACHEV.
Line 4
I That afternoon had been a difficult one for Roddy.
Line 5
He felt, lying so eternally on his back, the vagaries of the English weather.
/hiː felt ˈlaɪɪŋ soʊ ɪˈtɜːrnəli ɑːn hɪz bæk ðə ˈveɪɡəriz ʌv ðə ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ ˈweðər/

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.

denies verb US /dɪˈnaɪz/

third-person singular of “deny” — declare untrue; contradict

From this reading “MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
duchess noun US /ˈdʌtʃəs/

the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right

From this reading “MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eternally adverb US /ɪˈtɜːrnəli/

for a limitless time

From this reading “He felt, lying so eternally on his back, the vagaries of the English weather.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Non adverb US /nɑːn/

negation of a word or group of words

From this reading “Mais le porte-drapeau repondit: 'Non, pas maintenant ... apres ...'"”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pas noun US /pɑːz/

(ballet) a step in dancing (especially in classical ballet)

From this reading “Mais le porte-drapeau repondit: 'Non, pas maintenant ... apres ...'"”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
plus noun US /plʌs/

a useful or valuable quality

From this reading “MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
talks noun US /tɔːks/

a discussion intended to produce an agreement

From this reading “MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
vagaries noun US /ˈveɪɡəriz/

plural of “vagary” — an unexpected and inexplicable change in something (in a situation or a person's behavior, etc.)

From this reading “He felt, lying so eternally on his back, the vagaries of the English weather.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 48

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.

13th

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

From this reading MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'

Pending verification
AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading _A l'Extreme Limite._ ARTZYBACHEV.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
afternoonnounUS /ˌæftərˈnuːn/

the part of the day between noon and evening

From this reading I That afternoon had been a difficult one for Roddy.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
apres

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

From this reading Mais le porte-drapeau repondit: 'Non, pas maintenant ... apres ...'"

Pending verification
ARTZYBACHEV

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

From this reading _A l'Extreme Limite._ ARTZYBACHEV.

Pending verification
backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading He felt, lying so eternally on his back, the vagaries of the English weather.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading I That afternoon had been a difficult one for Roddy.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
DENIESverbUS /dɪˈnaɪz/

third-person singular of “deny” — declare untrue; contradict

From this reading MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
desirez-vous

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

From this reading MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'

Pending verification
DEVILnounUS /ˈdevəl/

(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell

From this reading MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
difficultadjectiveUS /ˈdɪfəkəlt/

not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

From this reading I That afternoon had been a difficult one for Roddy.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DUCHESSnounUS /ˈdʌtʃəs/

the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right

From this reading MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
EnglishnounUS /ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ/

an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries

From this reading He felt, lying so eternally on his back, the vagaries of the English weather.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eternallyadverbUS /ɪˈtɜːrnəli/

for a limitless time

From this reading He felt, lying so eternally on his back, the vagaries of the English weather.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading He felt, lying so eternally on his back, the vagaries of the English weather.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading I That afternoon had been a difficult one for Roddy.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
GODnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading I That afternoon had been a difficult one for Roddy.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He felt, lying so eternally on his back, the vagaries of the English weather.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He felt, lying so eternally on his back, the vagaries of the English weather.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I That afternoon had been a difficult one for Roddy.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
l'Extreme

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

From this reading _A l'Extreme Limite._ ARTZYBACHEV.

Pending verification
lenounUS /lə/

a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)

From this reading Mais le porte-drapeau repondit: 'Non, pas maintenant ... apres ...'"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Limite

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

From this reading _A l'Extreme Limite._ ARTZYBACHEV.

Pending verification
lyingnounUS /ˈlaɪɪŋ/

the deliberate act of deviating from the truth

From this reading He felt, lying so eternally on his back, the vagaries of the English weather.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
maintenant

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

From this reading Mais le porte-drapeau repondit: 'Non, pas maintenant ... apres ...'"

Pending verification
Mais

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

From this reading Mais le porte-drapeau repondit: 'Non, pas maintenant ... apres ...'"

Pending verification
MARCHverbUS /mɑːrtʃ/

march in a procession

From this reading MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
NonadverbUS /nɑːn/

negation of a word or group of words

From this reading Mais le porte-drapeau repondit: 'Non, pas maintenant ... apres ...'"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He felt, lying so eternally on his back, the vagaries of the English weather.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading He felt, lying so eternally on his back, the vagaries of the English weather.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading I That afternoon had been a difficult one for Roddy.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
pasnounUS /pɑːz/

(ballet) a step in dancing (especially in classical ballet)

From this reading Mais le porte-drapeau repondit: 'Non, pas maintenant ... apres ...'"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
plusnounUS /plʌs/

a useful or valuable quality

From this reading MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
porte-drapeau

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

From this reading Mais le porte-drapeau repondit: 'Non, pas maintenant ... apres ...'"

Pending verification
precisement

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

From this reading MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'

Pending verification
Que

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

From this reading MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'

Pending verification
repondit

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

From this reading Mais le porte-drapeau repondit: 'Non, pas maintenant ... apres ...'"

Pending verification
RODDY

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

From this reading MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'

Pending verification
savoir

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

From this reading MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'

Pending verification
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading He felt, lying so eternally on his back, the vagaries of the English weather.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
TALKSnounUS /tɔːks/

a discussion intended to produce an agreement

From this reading MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading I That afternoon had been a difficult one for Roddy.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
TOparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading MARCH 13th: RODDY TALKS TO THE DEVIL AND THE DUCHESS DENIES GOD "Que desirez-vous savoir plus precisement?'

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
vagariesnounUS /ˈveɪɡəriz/

plural of “vagary” — an unexpected and inexplicable change in something (in a situation or a person's behavior, etc.)

From this reading He felt, lying so eternally on his back, the vagaries of the English weather.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
weathernounUS /ˈweðər/

the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation

From this reading He felt, lying so eternally on his back, the vagaries of the English weather.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 31 of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death by Hugh Walpole holds 361 sentences, grouped into 73 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 31 of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death contain?

Chapter 31 holds 361 sentences of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death, unabridged, divided into 73 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 31 of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death by Hugh Walpole exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 361 sentences, grouped into 73 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 31 of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death?

Work through the 73 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 73 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 31 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 31 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 Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death

Common questions about reading The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death by Hugh Walpole on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death?

Yes. All 9059 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33086 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #33086, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1812 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fortitude
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
George
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Doran
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.