Chapter 2 of The Last Call: A Romance (Vol. 3 of 3) is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Last Call: A Romance (Vol. 3 of 3) is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
For a while neither James O'Donnell nor Dominique Lavirotte moved. At last the old man said: "Whether I shoot you or not is a matter of perfect indifference to me. There would be no pity, no shame in doing so. I look on myself as a dead man, and I am not only dead in my own eyes, but also dishonoured.
Chapter 2 of The Last Call: A Romance (Vol. 3 of 3) is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
American breed of chicken having barred grey plumage raised for meat and brown eggs
From this reading “For a while neither James O'Donnell nor Dominique Lavirotte moved.”
unbiased impartial unconcern
From this reading “"Whether I shoot you or not is a matter of perfect indifference to me.”
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading “For a while neither James O'Donnell nor Dominique Lavirotte moved.”
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading “For a while neither James O'Donnell nor Dominique Lavirotte moved.”
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading “"Whether I shoot you or not is a matter of perfect indifference to me.”
a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others
From this reading “There would be no pity, no shame in doing so.”
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading “There would be no pity, no shame in doing so.”
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading “"Whether I shoot you or not is a matter of perfect indifference to me.”
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 “"Whether I shoot you or not is a matter of perfect indifference to me.”
a man who is very old
In this reading “At last the old man said:”
In this reading “I look on myself as a dead man, and I am not only dead in my own eyes, but also dishonoured.”
In this reading “I look on myself as a dead man, and I am not only dead in my own eyes, but also dishonoured.”
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 For a while neither James O'Donnell nor Dominique Lavirotte moved.
in addition
From this reading I look on myself as a dead man, and I am not only dead in my own eyes, but also dishonoured.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I look on myself as a dead man, and I am not only dead in my own eyes, but also dishonoured.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I look on myself as a dead man, and I am not only dead in my own eyes, but also dishonoured.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I look on myself as a dead man, and I am not only dead in my own eyes, but also dishonoured.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At last the old man said:
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There would be no pity, no shame in doing so.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I look on myself as a dead man, and I am not only dead in my own eyes, but also dishonoured.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading I look on myself as a dead man, and I am not only dead in my own eyes, but also dishonoured.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I look on myself as a dead man, and I am not only dead in my own eyes, but also dishonoured.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading There would be no pity, no shame in doing so.
American breed of chicken having barred grey plumage raised for meat and brown eggs
From this reading For a while neither James O'Donnell nor Dominique Lavirotte moved.
opinion or judgment
From this reading I look on myself as a dead man, and I am not only dead in my own eyes, but also dishonoured.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a while neither James O'Donnell nor Dominique Lavirotte moved.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Whether I shoot you or not is a matter of perfect indifference to me.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There would be no pity, no shame in doing so.
unbiased impartial unconcern
From this reading "Whether I shoot you or not is a matter of perfect indifference to me.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Whether I shoot you or not is a matter of perfect indifference to me.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading For a while neither James O'Donnell nor Dominique Lavirotte moved.
immediately past
From this reading At last the old man said:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a while neither James O'Donnell nor Dominique Lavirotte moved.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading I look on myself as a dead man, and I am not only dead in my own eyes, but also dishonoured.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading At last the old man said:
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "Whether I shoot you or not is a matter of perfect indifference to me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Whether I shoot you or not is a matter of perfect indifference to me.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading For a while neither James O'Donnell nor Dominique Lavirotte moved.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I look on myself as a dead man, and I am not only dead in my own eyes, but also dishonoured.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I look on myself as a dead man, and I am not only dead in my own eyes, but also dishonoured.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading For a while neither James O'Donnell nor Dominique Lavirotte moved.
not any; not one
From this reading There would be no pity, no shame in doing so.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading For a while neither James O'Donnell nor Dominique Lavirotte moved.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Whether I shoot you or not is a matter of perfect indifference to me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a while neither James O'Donnell nor Dominique Lavirotte moved.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Whether I shoot you or not is a matter of perfect indifference to me.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading At last the old man said:
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I look on myself as a dead man, and I am not only dead in my own eyes, but also dishonoured.
and nothing more
From this reading I look on myself as a dead man, and I am not only dead in my own eyes, but also dishonoured.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Whether I shoot you or not is a matter of perfect indifference to me.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading I look on myself as a dead man, and I am not only dead in my own eyes, but also dishonoured.
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading "Whether I shoot you or not is a matter of perfect indifference to me.
a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others
From this reading There would be no pity, no shame in doing so.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading At last the old man said:
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading There would be no pity, no shame in doing so.
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading "Whether I shoot you or not is a matter of perfect indifference to me.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading There would be no pity, no shame in doing so.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At last the old man said:
in or at that place or location
From this reading There would be no pity, no shame in doing so.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Whether I shoot you or not is a matter of perfect indifference to me.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading "Whether I shoot you or not is a matter of perfect indifference to me.
during the time that
From this reading For a while neither James O'Donnell nor Dominique Lavirotte moved.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading There would be no pity, no shame in doing so.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Whether I shoot you or not is a matter of perfect indifference to me.
Chapter 2 of The Last Call: A Romance (Vol. 3 of 3) by Richard Dowling holds 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 102 sentences of The Last Call: A Romance (Vol. 3 of 3), unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Last Call: A Romance (Vol. 3 of 3) by Richard Dowling exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Last Call: A Romance (Vol. 3 of 3) by Richard Dowling on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2380 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42597 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42597, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 198 minutes of reading across 476 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Last Call: A Romance (Vol. 3 of 3) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Last Call: A Romance (Vol. 3 of 3) 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 Last Call: A Romance (Vol. 3 of 3), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
