Chapter 9 of The King's Esquires is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The King's Esquires is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Have you killed him?" whispered Francis. "No, sir; only plunged him into a deep sleep.--That's right, Saint Simon." And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep. I didn't think to find him here. Now, quick, before we are interrupted again."
Chapter 9 of The King's Esquires is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
in a state of sleep
From this reading “And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.”
steadfast in affection or allegiance
From this reading “And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.”
discontinued temporarily
From this reading “Now, quick, before we are interrupted again."”
abusing vocally; expressing contempt or ridicule
From this reading “And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.”
past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading “"No, sir; only plunged him into a deep sleep.--That's right, Saint Simon."”
a person who has died and has been declared a saint by canonization
From this reading “"No, sir; only plunged him into a deep sleep.--That's right, Saint Simon."”
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading “And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.”
one of the twelve Apostles (first century)
From this reading “"No, sir; only plunged him into a deep sleep.--That's right, Saint Simon."”
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 "No, sir; only plunged him into a deep sleep.--That's right, Saint Simon."
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
anew
From this reading Now, quick, before we are interrupted again."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Now, quick, before we are interrupted again."
in a state of sleep
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Now, quick, before we are interrupted again."
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading "No, sir; only plunged him into a deep sleep.--That's right, Saint Simon."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I didn't think to find him here.
steadfast in affection or allegiance
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Have you killed him?" whispered Francis.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have you killed him?" whispered Francis.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Have you killed him?" whispered Francis.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
discontinued temporarily
From this reading Now, quick, before we are interrupted again."
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "No, sir; only plunged him into a deep sleep.--That's right, Saint Simon."
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading "Have you killed him?" whispered Francis.
abusing vocally; expressing contempt or ridicule
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, sir; only plunged him into a deep sleep.--That's right, Saint Simon."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now, quick, before we are interrupted again."
and nothing more
From this reading "No, sir; only plunged him into a deep sleep.--That's right, Saint Simon."
past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading "No, sir; only plunged him into a deep sleep.--That's right, Saint Simon."
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading Now, quick, before we are interrupted again."
precisely, exactly
From this reading "No, sir; only plunged him into a deep sleep.--That's right, Saint Simon."
a person who has died and has been declared a saint by canonization
From this reading "No, sir; only plunged him into a deep sleep.--That's right, Saint Simon."
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
one of the twelve Apostles (first century)
From this reading "No, sir; only plunged him into a deep sleep.--That's right, Saint Simon."
term of address for a man
From this reading "No, sir; only plunged him into a deep sleep.--That's right, Saint Simon."
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading "No, sir; only plunged him into a deep sleep.--That's right, Saint Simon."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, sir; only plunged him into a deep sleep.--That's right, Saint Simon."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I didn't think to find him here.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I didn't think to find him here.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
a source of difficulty
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Now, quick, before we are interrupted again."
at the time that
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading "Have you killed him?" whispered Francis.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading And then in a mocking tone, "I am afraid that the faithful sentinel will be in trouble when they find him here asleep.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Have you killed him?" whispered Francis.
Chapter 9 of The King's Esquires by George Manville Fenn holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 9 holds 400 sentences of The King's Esquires, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The King's Esquires by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 9 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's Esquires by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4851 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23128 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23128, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 404 minutes of reading across 971 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The King's Esquires section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The King's Esquires 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's Esquires, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
