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The Figure in the Carpet

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The Figure in the Carpet is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Henry James • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Figure in the Carpet

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

This gave me a maddening month, in the course of which several things took place.

One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

I could really make nothing of the business; it proved a dead loss.

After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

Narrator

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 Figure in the Carpet Henry James

Cover illustration for The Figure in the Carpet

Chapter IV

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The Figure in the Carpet is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light. This gave me a maddening month, in the course of which several things took place. One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt. I could really make nothing of the business; it proved a dead loss. After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

The Figure in the Carpet

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The Figure in the Carpet is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/15 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

Line 2

This gave me a maddening month, in the course of which several things took place.

Line 3

One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

Line 4

I could really make nothing of the business; it proved a dead loss.

Line 5

After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

All words in this reading · 77

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.

a

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

From this reading This gave me a maddening month, in the course of which several things took place.

acted

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

From this reading One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

advice

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

From this reading One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

After

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

From this reading After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

all

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

From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

always

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

From this reading After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

and

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

From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

as

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

From this reading One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

attempt

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

From this reading One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

business

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

From this reading I could really make nothing of the business; it proved a dead loss.

collected

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From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

could

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

From this reading I could really make nothing of the business; it proved a dead loss.

course

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

From this reading This gave me a maddening month, in the course of which several things took place.

damaged

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

From this reading After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

dead

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

From this reading I could really make nothing of the business; it proved a dead loss.

each

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

From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

feverishly

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

From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

gave

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

From this reading This gave me a maddening month, in the course of which several things took place.

had

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

From this reading After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

he

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

From this reading After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

held

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

From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

him

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

From this reading After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

himself

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

From this reading After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

I

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

From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

immediately

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

From this reading One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

in

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

From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

intelligence

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

From this reading After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

it

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

From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

its

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

From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

last

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

From this reading One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

light

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

From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

liked

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

From this reading After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

liking

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

From this reading After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

loss

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

From this reading I could really make nothing of the business; it proved a dead loss.

maddening

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

From this reading This gave me a maddening month, in the course of which several things took place.

make

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

From this reading I could really make nothing of the business; it proved a dead loss.

may

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

From this reading One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

me

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

From this reading This gave me a maddening month, in the course of which several things took place.

mention

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

From this reading One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

month

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

From this reading This gave me a maddening month, in the course of which several things took place.

my

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

From this reading One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

new

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

From this reading After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

noted

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

From this reading After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

nothing

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

From this reading I could really make nothing of the business; it proved a dead loss.

now

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

From this reading After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

occurred

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

From this reading After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

of

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

From this reading This gave me a maddening month, in the course of which several things took place.

on

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

From this reading One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

One

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

From this reading One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

order

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

From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

out

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

From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

picked

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

From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

place

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

From this reading This gave me a maddening month, in the course of which several things took place.

preoccupation

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

From this reading After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

proved

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

From this reading I could really make nothing of the business; it proved a dead loss.

really

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

From this reading I could really make nothing of the business; it proved a dead loss.

renounced

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

From this reading One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

RETURNING

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

From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

ridiculous

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

From this reading One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

several

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

From this reading This gave me a maddening month, in the course of which several things took place.

simply

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

From this reading After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

that

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

From this reading One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

the

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

From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

them

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

From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

these

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

From this reading One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

things

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

From this reading This gave me a maddening month, in the course of which several things took place.

This

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

From this reading This gave me a maddening month, in the course of which several things took place.

to

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

From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

took

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

From this reading This gave me a maddening month, in the course of which several things took place.

town

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

From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

up

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

From this reading RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light.

vain

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

From this reading After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

Vereker's

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

From this reading One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

was

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

From this reading One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

well

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

From this reading One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker’s advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt.

what

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

From this reading After all I had always, as he had himself noted, liked him; and what now occurred was simply that my new intelligence and vain preoccupation damaged my liking.

which

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

From this reading This gave me a maddening month, in the course of which several things took place.

Chapter 4 of The Figure in the Carpet by Henry James holds 78 sentences, grouped into 16 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 4 of The Figure in the Carpet contain?

Chapter 4 holds 78 sentences of The Figure in the Carpet, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The Figure in the Carpet by Henry James exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 78 sentences, grouped into 16 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 4 of The Figure in the Carpet?

Work through the 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 16 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 4 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 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 Figure in the Carpet

Common questions about reading The Figure in the Carpet by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Figure in the Carpet?

Yes. All 766 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #645 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Figure in the Carpet is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #645, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Figure in the Carpet take to read?

About 63 minutes of reading across 154 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Figure in the Carpet section by section

How to work through The Figure in the Carpet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Figure in the Carpet to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Figure in the Carpet

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Figure in the Carpet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Things: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Figure in the Carpet; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Earned: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Figure in the Carpet; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pence: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Figure in the Carpet; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Perhaps: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Figure in the Carpet; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.