Chapter 21 of The emperor's candlesticks is here in full — 25 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The emperor's candlesticks is here in full — 25 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Monsieur,--I feel sure that the receipt of this letter will cause you no surprise. “We are in each other’s power. Obviously it would not answer either of our purposes to fight out this duel. Shall we exchange our _pièces de conviction_, monsieur, to-night at my hotel--after the walnuts and wine. I dine at 7.30.
Chapter 21 of The emperor's candlesticks is here in full — 25 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/5 · 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.
an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence
have supper; eat dinner
From this reading “I dine at 7.30.”
a prearranged fight with deadly weapons by two people (accompanied by seconds) in order to settle a quarrel over a point of honor
From this reading “Obviously it would not answer either of our purposes to fight out this duel.”
chemical process in which one atom or ion or group changes places with another
From this reading “Shall we exchange our _pièces de conviction_, monsieur, to-night at my hotel--after the walnuts and wine.”
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “Obviously it would not answer either of our purposes to fight out this duel.”
plural of “purpose” — an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading “Obviously it would not answer either of our purposes to fight out this duel.”
the act of receiving
From this reading ““Monsieur,--I feel sure that the receipt of this letter will cause you no surprise.”
plural of “walnut” — nut of any of various walnut trees having a wrinkled two-lobed seed with a hard shell
From this reading “Shall we exchange our _pièces de conviction_, monsieur, to-night at my hotel--after the walnuts and wine.”
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 ““Monsieur,--I feel sure that the receipt of this letter will cause you no surprise.”
In this reading “I dine at 7.30.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I dine at 7.30.
later than; following
From this reading Shall we exchange our _pièces de conviction_, monsieur, to-night at my hotel--after the walnuts and wine.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Shall we exchange our _pièces de conviction_, monsieur, to-night at my hotel--after the walnuts and wine.
react verbally
From this reading Obviously it would not answer either of our purposes to fight out this duel.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “We are in each other’s power.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Shall we exchange our _pièces de conviction_, monsieur, to-night at my hotel--after the walnuts and wine.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading “Monsieur,--I feel sure that the receipt of this letter will cause you no surprise.
an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence
From this reading Shall we exchange our _pièces de conviction_, monsieur, to-night at my hotel--after the walnuts and wine.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading Shall we exchange our _pièces de conviction_, monsieur, to-night at my hotel--after the walnuts and wine.
have supper; eat dinner
From this reading I dine at 7.30.
a prearranged fight with deadly weapons by two people (accompanied by seconds) in order to settle a quarrel over a point of honor
From this reading Obviously it would not answer either of our purposes to fight out this duel.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading “We are in each other’s power.
one or the other of two
From this reading Obviously it would not answer either of our purposes to fight out this duel.
chemical process in which one atom or ion or group changes places with another
From this reading Shall we exchange our _pièces de conviction_, monsieur, to-night at my hotel--after the walnuts and wine.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading “Monsieur,--I feel sure that the receipt of this letter will cause you no surprise.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading Obviously it would not answer either of our purposes to fight out this duel.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading Shall we exchange our _pièces de conviction_, monsieur, to-night at my hotel--after the walnuts and wine.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Monsieur,--I feel sure that the receipt of this letter will cause you no surprise.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “We are in each other’s power.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Obviously it would not answer either of our purposes to fight out this duel.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading “Monsieur,--I feel sure that the receipt of this letter will cause you no surprise.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “Monsieur,--I feel sure that the receipt of this letter will cause you no surprise.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Shall we exchange our _pièces de conviction_, monsieur, to-night at my hotel--after the walnuts and wine.
not any; not one
From this reading “Monsieur,--I feel sure that the receipt of this letter will cause you no surprise.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Obviously it would not answer either of our purposes to fight out this duel.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Obviously it would not answer either of our purposes to fight out this duel.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Monsieur,--I feel sure that the receipt of this letter will cause you no surprise.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We are in each other’s power.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Obviously it would not answer either of our purposes to fight out this duel.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Obviously it would not answer either of our purposes to fight out this duel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Shall we exchange our _pièces de conviction_, monsieur, to-night at my hotel--after the walnuts and wine.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading “We are in each other’s power.
plural of “purpose” — an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading Obviously it would not answer either of our purposes to fight out this duel.
the act of receiving
From this reading “Monsieur,--I feel sure that the receipt of this letter will cause you no surprise.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Shall we exchange our _pièces de conviction_, monsieur, to-night at my hotel--after the walnuts and wine.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “Monsieur,--I feel sure that the receipt of this letter will cause you no surprise.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “Monsieur,--I feel sure that the receipt of this letter will cause you no surprise.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Monsieur,--I feel sure that the receipt of this letter will cause you no surprise.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Monsieur,--I feel sure that the receipt of this letter will cause you no surprise.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Monsieur,--I feel sure that the receipt of this letter will cause you no surprise.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Obviously it would not answer either of our purposes to fight out this duel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Shall we exchange our _pièces de conviction_, monsieur, to-night at my hotel--after the walnuts and wine.
plural of “walnut” — nut of any of various walnut trees having a wrinkled two-lobed seed with a hard shell
From this reading Shall we exchange our _pièces de conviction_, monsieur, to-night at my hotel--after the walnuts and wine.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We are in each other’s power.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Monsieur,--I feel sure that the receipt of this letter will cause you no surprise.
fermented juice (of grapes especially)
From this reading Shall we exchange our _pièces de conviction_, monsieur, to-night at my hotel--after the walnuts and wine.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Obviously it would not answer either of our purposes to fight out this duel.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Monsieur,--I feel sure that the receipt of this letter will cause you no surprise.
Chapter 21 of The emperor's candlesticks by Emmuska Orczy, Baroness Orczy holds 25 sentences, grouped into 5 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 25 sentences of The emperor's candlesticks, unabridged, divided into 5 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The emperor's candlesticks by Emmuska Orczy, Baroness Orczy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 25 sentences, grouped into 5 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 5 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 5 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 emperor's candlesticks by Emmuska Orczy, Baroness Orczy 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 emperor's candlesticks section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The emperor's candlesticks 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 emperor's candlesticks, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
