Chapter 1 of The Ink-Stain (Tache d'encre) — Volume 2 is here in full — 267 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Ink-Stain (Tache d'encre) — Volume 2 is here in full — 267 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
May 1st. These four days have seemed as if they never would end--especially the last. But now it wants only two minutes of noon. In two minutes, if Lampron is not late-- Rat-a-tat-tat! "Come in."
Chapter 1 of The Ink-Stain (Tache d'encre) — Volume 2 is here in full — 267 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading “These four days have seemed as if they never would end--especially the last.”
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading “These four days have seemed as if they never would end--especially the last.”
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading “These four days have seemed as if they never would end--especially the last.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading “These four days have seemed as if they never would end--especially the last.”
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading “In two minutes, if Lampron is not late-- Rat-a-tat-tat!”
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading “But now it wants only two minutes of noon.”
the middle of the day
From this reading “But now it wants only two minutes of noon.”
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading “But now it wants only two minutes of noon.”
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 May 1st.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading These four days have seemed as if they never would end--especially the last.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But now it wants only two minutes of noon.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come in."
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading These four days have seemed as if they never would end--especially the last.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading These four days have seemed as if they never would end--especially the last.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading These four days have seemed as if they never would end--especially the last.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading These four days have seemed as if they never would end--especially the last.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading These four days have seemed as if they never would end--especially the last.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading These four days have seemed as if they never would end--especially the last.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In two minutes, if Lampron is not late-- Rat-a-tat-tat!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In two minutes, if Lampron is not late-- Rat-a-tat-tat!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But now it wants only two minutes of noon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In two minutes, if Lampron is not late-- Rat-a-tat-tat!
immediately past
From this reading These four days have seemed as if they never would end--especially the last.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading In two minutes, if Lampron is not late-- Rat-a-tat-tat!
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading May 1st.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading But now it wants only two minutes of noon.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading These four days have seemed as if they never would end--especially the last.
the middle of the day
From this reading But now it wants only two minutes of noon.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading In two minutes, if Lampron is not late-- Rat-a-tat-tat!
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading But now it wants only two minutes of noon.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But now it wants only two minutes of noon.
and nothing more
From this reading But now it wants only two minutes of noon.
a series of short sharp taps (as made by strokes on a drum or knocks on a door)
From this reading In two minutes, if Lampron is not late-- Rat-a-tat-tat!
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading These four days have seemed as if they never would end--especially the last.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading These four days have seemed as if they never would end--especially the last.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These four days have seemed as if they never would end--especially the last.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading These four days have seemed as if they never would end--especially the last.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading But now it wants only two minutes of noon.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading But now it wants only two minutes of noon.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading These four days have seemed as if they never would end--especially the last.
Chapter 1 of The Ink-Stain (Tache d'encre) — Volume 2 by René Bazin holds 267 sentences, grouped into 54 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.
Chapter 1 holds 267 sentences of The Ink-Stain (Tache d'encre) — Volume 2, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Ink-Stain (Tache d'encre) — Volume 2 by René Bazin exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 267 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 1 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 Ink-Stain (Tache d'encre) — Volume 2 by René Bazin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1575 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3973 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3973, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 131 minutes of reading across 315 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ink-Stain (Tache d'encre) — Volume 2 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Ink-Stain (Tache d'encre) — Volume 2 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 Ink-Stain (Tache d'encre) — Volume 2, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
