Chapter 8 of The King's Jackal is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The King's Jackal is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked. "Was it discreet of you to come together in this way? But you are most welcome. Place chairs for the ladies, Barrat." Kalonay glanced at the others, and they nodded to him as though to make him their spokesman.
Chapter 8 of The King's Jackal is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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 “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “Place chairs for the ladies, Barrat."”
marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint
From this reading “"Was it discreet of you to come together in this way?”
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading “Kalonay glanced at the others, and they nodded to him as though to make him their spokesman.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “Kalonay glanced at the others, and they nodded to him as though to make him their spokesman.”
be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading “"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked.”
a male spokesperson
From this reading “Kalonay glanced at the others, and they nodded to him as though to make him their spokesman.”
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading “"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked.”
accept gladly
From this reading “But you are most welcome.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Kalonay glanced at the others, and they nodded to him as though to make him their spokesman.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But you are most welcome.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Kalonay glanced at the others, and they nodded to him as though to make him their spokesman.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Kalonay glanced at the others, and they nodded to him as though to make him their spokesman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Place chairs for the ladies, Barrat."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But you are most welcome.
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Place chairs for the ladies, Barrat."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Was it discreet of you to come together in this way?
marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint
From this reading "Was it discreet of you to come together in this way?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Place chairs for the ladies, Barrat."
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading Kalonay glanced at the others, and they nodded to him as though to make him their spokesman.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Kalonay glanced at the others, and they nodded to him as though to make him their spokesman.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Was it discreet of you to come together in this way?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Was it discreet of you to come together in this way?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kalonay glanced at the others, and they nodded to him as though to make him their spokesman.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading Place chairs for the ladies, Barrat."
engage in
From this reading Kalonay glanced at the others, and they nodded to him as though to make him their spokesman.
used to form the superlative
From this reading But you are most welcome.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading Kalonay glanced at the others, and they nodded to him as though to make him their spokesman.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kalonay glanced at the others, and they nodded to him as though to make him their spokesman.
be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Place chairs for the ladies, Barrat."
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked.
a male spokesperson
From this reading Kalonay glanced at the others, and they nodded to him as though to make him their spokesman.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Kalonay glanced at the others, and they nodded to him as though to make him their spokesman.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Kalonay glanced at the others, and they nodded to him as though to make him their spokesman.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Kalonay glanced at the others, and they nodded to him as though to make him their spokesman.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading "Was it discreet of you to come together in this way?
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Was it discreet of you to come together in this way?
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Was it discreet of you to come together in this way?
accept gladly
From this reading But you are most welcome.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Was it discreet of you to come together in this way?
Chapter 8 of The King's Jackal by Richard Harding Davis holds 179 sentences, grouped into 36 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 8 holds 179 sentences of The King's Jackal, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The King's Jackal by Richard Harding Davis exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 179 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 8 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 Jackal by Richard Harding Davis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1591 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #411 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #411, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 132 minutes of reading across 319 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The King's Jackal section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The King's Jackal 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 Jackal, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
