Chapter 2 of The Jewel of Bas is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Jewel of Bas is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes. "It was a warning," he said. "A portent of judgment, when only the pure shall be saved." He pointed a bony finger at Ciaran. "I told you that evil could not prevail against devils!"
Chapter 2 of The Jewel of Bas is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
being very thin
From this reading “He pointed a bony finger at Ciaran.”
stopped up; clogged up
From this reading “She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes.”
plural of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading “"I told you that evil could not prevail against devils!"”
one retired from society for religious reasons
From this reading “She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes.”
a sign of something about to happen
From this reading “"A portent of judgment, when only the pure shall be saved."”
be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance
From this reading “"I told you that evil could not prevail against devils!"”
past form of “shiver” — tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
From this reading “She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes.”
a message informing of danger
From this reading “"It was a warning," he said.”
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 “"I told you that evil could not prevail against devils!"”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "It was a warning," he said.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading "I told you that evil could not prevail against devils!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He pointed a bony finger at Ciaran.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "A portent of judgment, when only the pure shall be saved."
being very thin
From this reading He pointed a bony finger at Ciaran.
the two together, not just one
From this reading She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes.
stopped up; clogged up
From this reading She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He pointed a bony finger at Ciaran.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "I told you that evil could not prevail against devils!"
plural of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading "I told you that evil could not prevail against devils!"
morally objectionable behavior
From this reading "I told you that evil could not prevail against devils!"
opinion or judgment
From this reading She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading He pointed a bony finger at Ciaran.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It was a warning," he said.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes.
one retired from society for religious reasons
From this reading She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I told you that evil could not prevail against devils!"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It was a warning," he said.
an opinion formed by judging something
From this reading "A portent of judgment, when only the pure shall be saved."
roused to anger
From this reading She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I told you that evil could not prevail against devils!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "A portent of judgment, when only the pure shall be saved."
and nothing more
From this reading "A portent of judgment, when only the pure shall be saved."
above and across; more than
From this reading She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes.
having a point
From this reading He pointed a bony finger at Ciaran.
a sign of something about to happen
From this reading "A portent of judgment, when only the pure shall be saved."
be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance
From this reading "I told you that evil could not prevail against devils!"
free of extraneous elements of any kind
From this reading "A portent of judgment, when only the pure shall be saved."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It was a warning," he said.
rescued; especially from the power and consequences of sin
From this reading "A portent of judgment, when only the pure shall be saved."
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "A portent of judgment, when only the pure shall be saved."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes.
past form of “shiver” — tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
From this reading She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I told you that evil could not prevail against devils!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "I told you that evil could not prevail against devils!"
a message informing of danger
From this reading "It was a warning," he said.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It was a warning," he said.
at the time that
From this reading "A portent of judgment, when only the pure shall be saved."
in the company of; together with
From this reading She shivered and choked over her breath, and the hermit fixed them both with pale, mad eyes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I told you that evil could not prevail against devils!"
Chapter 2 of The Jewel of Bas by Leigh Brackett holds 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 2 holds 431 sentences of The Jewel of Bas, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Jewel of Bas by Leigh Brackett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 2 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 Jewel of Bas by Leigh Brackett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1728 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62996 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62996, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 144 minutes of reading across 346 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Jewel of Bas section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Jewel of Bas 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 Jewel of Bas, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
