Chapter 23 of The King Behind the King is here in full — 75 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The King Behind the King is here in full — 75 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Fulk’s eyes were two blue stones set in a face of granite. He sat his horse, alert yet motionless, watching Isoult and the man behind her. It was Merlin. Fulk knew him in spite of his peasant’s clothes. Merlin, with his chin thrust forward and his yellow teeth gleaming.
Chapter 23 of The King Behind the King is here in full — 75 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading “He sat his horse, alert yet motionless, watching Isoult and the man behind her.”
the protruding part of the lower jaw
From this reading “Merlin, with his chin thrust forward and his yellow teeth gleaming.”
a flash of light (especially reflected light)
From this reading “Merlin, with his chin thrust forward and his yellow teeth gleaming.”
plutonic igneous rock having visibly crystalline texture; generally composed of feldspar and mica and quartz
From this reading “Fulk’s eyes were two blue stones set in a face of granite.”
(Arthurian legend) the magician who acted as King Arthur's advisor
From this reading “It was Merlin.”
not in physical motion
From this reading “He sat his horse, alert yet motionless, watching Isoult and the man behind her.”
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading “Fulk’s eyes were two blue stones set in a face of granite.”
push forcefully
From this reading “Merlin, with his chin thrust forward and his yellow teeth gleaming.”
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 “Merlin, with his chin thrust forward and his yellow teeth gleaming.”
In this reading “Merlin, with his chin thrust forward and his yellow teeth gleaming.”
In this reading “Merlin, with his chin thrust forward and his yellow teeth gleaming.”
In this reading “Fulk knew him in spite of his peasant’s clothes.”
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 Fulk’s eyes were two blue stones set in a face of granite.
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading He sat his horse, alert yet motionless, watching Isoult and the man behind her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He sat his horse, alert yet motionless, watching Isoult and the man behind her.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading He sat his horse, alert yet motionless, watching Isoult and the man behind her.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading Fulk’s eyes were two blue stones set in a face of granite.
the protruding part of the lower jaw
From this reading Merlin, with his chin thrust forward and his yellow teeth gleaming.
clothing in general
From this reading Fulk knew him in spite of his peasant’s clothes.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Fulk’s eyes were two blue stones set in a face of granite.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Fulk’s eyes were two blue stones set in a face of granite.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Merlin, with his chin thrust forward and his yellow teeth gleaming.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fulk knew him in spite of his peasant’s clothes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fulk’s eyes were two blue stones set in a face of granite.
a flash of light (especially reflected light)
From this reading Merlin, with his chin thrust forward and his yellow teeth gleaming.
plutonic igneous rock having visibly crystalline texture; generally composed of feldspar and mica and quartz
From this reading Fulk’s eyes were two blue stones set in a face of granite.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He sat his horse, alert yet motionless, watching Isoult and the man behind her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He sat his horse, alert yet motionless, watching Isoult and the man behind her.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Fulk knew him in spite of his peasant’s clothes.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He sat his horse, alert yet motionless, watching Isoult and the man behind her.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading He sat his horse, alert yet motionless, watching Isoult and the man behind her.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Fulk’s eyes were two blue stones set in a face of granite.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He sat his horse, alert yet motionless, watching Isoult and the man behind her.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was Merlin.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Fulk knew him in spite of his peasant’s clothes.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He sat his horse, alert yet motionless, watching Isoult and the man behind her.
(Arthurian legend) the magician who acted as King Arthur's advisor
From this reading It was Merlin.
not in physical motion
From this reading He sat his horse, alert yet motionless, watching Isoult and the man behind her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Fulk’s eyes were two blue stones set in a face of granite.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fulk knew him in spite of his peasant’s clothes.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He sat his horse, alert yet motionless, watching Isoult and the man behind her.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Fulk’s eyes were two blue stones set in a face of granite.
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading Fulk knew him in spite of his peasant’s clothes.
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading Fulk’s eyes were two blue stones set in a face of granite.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading Merlin, with his chin thrust forward and his yellow teeth gleaming.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He sat his horse, alert yet motionless, watching Isoult and the man behind her.
push forcefully
From this reading Merlin, with his chin thrust forward and his yellow teeth gleaming.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Fulk’s eyes were two blue stones set in a face of granite.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was Merlin.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading He sat his horse, alert yet motionless, watching Isoult and the man behind her.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Fulk’s eyes were two blue stones set in a face of granite.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Merlin, with his chin thrust forward and his yellow teeth gleaming.
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading Merlin, with his chin thrust forward and his yellow teeth gleaming.
but in spite of that
From this reading He sat his horse, alert yet motionless, watching Isoult and the man behind her.
Chapter 23 of The King Behind the King by Warwick Deeping holds 75 sentences, grouped into 15 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 23 holds 75 sentences of The King Behind the King, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The King Behind the King by Warwick Deeping exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 75 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 23 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 King Behind the King by Warwick Deeping on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5451 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48115 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48115, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 454 minutes of reading across 1091 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The King Behind the King section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The King Behind the King 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 King Behind the King, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
