Chapter 24 of The King Behind the King is here in full — 107 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of The King Behind the King is here in full — 107 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A flare of light leapt into Fulk’s eyes. His figure seemed to dilate, to tower higher on his white horse. He was lifted up, the god of a great moment. The peasants were bending their bows. Bills, pikes, scythes, and clubs waved in the air.
Chapter 24 of The King Behind the King is here in full — 107 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
plural of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “Bills, pikes, scythes, and clubs waved in the air.”
plural of “bow” — a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading “The peasants were bending their bows.”
plural of “club” — a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together
From this reading “Bills, pikes, scythes, and clubs waved in the air.”
become wider
From this reading “His figure seemed to dilate, to tower higher on his white horse.”
a shape that spreads outward
From this reading “A flare of light leapt into Fulk’s eyes.”
inflected form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “A flare of light leapt into Fulk’s eyes.”
plural of “peasant” — a country person
From this reading “The peasants were bending their bows.”
plural of “pike” — a broad highway designed for high-speed traffic
From this reading “Bills, pikes, scythes, and clubs waved in the air.”
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.
a wave that is blown by the wind so its crest is broken and appears white
In this reading “His figure seemed to dilate, to tower higher on his white horse.”
on everybody's mind
In this reading “Bills, pikes, scythes, and clubs waved in the air.”
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 A flare of light leapt into Fulk’s eyes.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Bills, pikes, scythes, and clubs waved in the air.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Bills, pikes, scythes, and clubs waved in the air.
movement that causes the formation of a curve
From this reading The peasants were bending their bows.
plural of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading Bills, pikes, scythes, and clubs waved in the air.
plural of “bow” — a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading The peasants were bending their bows.
plural of “club” — a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together
From this reading Bills, pikes, scythes, and clubs waved in the air.
become wider
From this reading His figure seemed to dilate, to tower higher on his white horse.
opinion or judgment
From this reading A flare of light leapt into Fulk’s eyes.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading His figure seemed to dilate, to tower higher on his white horse.
a shape that spreads outward
From this reading A flare of light leapt into Fulk’s eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A flare of light leapt into Fulk’s eyes.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading He was lifted up, the god of a great moment.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading He was lifted up, the god of a great moment.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was lifted up, the god of a great moment.
advanced in complexity or elaboration
From this reading His figure seemed to dilate, to tower higher on his white horse.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His figure seemed to dilate, to tower higher on his white horse.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading His figure seemed to dilate, to tower higher on his white horse.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Bills, pikes, scythes, and clubs waved in the air.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading A flare of light leapt into Fulk’s eyes.
inflected form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading A flare of light leapt into Fulk’s eyes.
held up in the air
From this reading He was lifted up, the god of a great moment.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading A flare of light leapt into Fulk’s eyes.
a particular point in time
From this reading He was lifted up, the god of a great moment.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A flare of light leapt into Fulk’s eyes.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading His figure seemed to dilate, to tower higher on his white horse.
plural of “peasant” — a country person
From this reading The peasants were bending their bows.
plural of “pike” — a broad highway designed for high-speed traffic
From this reading Bills, pikes, scythes, and clubs waved in the air.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bills, pikes, scythes, and clubs waved in the air.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading His figure seemed to dilate, to tower higher on his white horse.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He was lifted up, the god of a great moment.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The peasants were bending their bows.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His figure seemed to dilate, to tower higher on his white horse.
a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
From this reading His figure seemed to dilate, to tower higher on his white horse.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He was lifted up, the god of a great moment.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was lifted up, the god of a great moment.
past form of “wave” — signal with the hands or nod
From this reading Bills, pikes, scythes, and clubs waved in the air.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The peasants were bending their bows.
a Caucasian
From this reading His figure seemed to dilate, to tower higher on his white horse.
Chapter 24 of The King Behind the King by Warwick Deeping holds 107 sentences, grouped into 22 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 24 holds 107 sentences of The King Behind the King, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of The King Behind the King by Warwick Deeping exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 107 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 24 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.
