Chapter 31 of The Later Life is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of The Later Life is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Had it all been an illusion then? Was it all for nothing? The days passed slowly, one after the other. She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children. She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.
Chapter 31 of The Later Life is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/10 · 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.
a Chadic language spoken in northern Nigeria
From this reading “She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.”
the act of departing
From this reading “She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.”
a farewell remark
From this reading “She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.”
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)
From this reading “She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.”
an erroneous mental representation
From this reading “Had it all been an illusion then?”
a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others
From this reading “She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.”
marked by absence of sound
From this reading “She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.”
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading “She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.”
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 “She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.”
anew
In this reading “She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.”
In this reading “The days passed slowly, one after the other.”
In this reading “She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading The days passed slowly, one after the other.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Had it all been an illusion then?
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Had it all been an illusion then?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.
a Chadic language spoken in northern Nigeria
From this reading She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Had it all been an illusion then?
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.
the two together, not just one
From this reading She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading The days passed slowly, one after the other.
the act of departing
From this reading She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Was it all for nothing?
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.
a farewell remark
From this reading She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)
From this reading She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had it all been an illusion then?
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.
an erroneous mental representation
From this reading Had it all been an illusion then?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Had it all been an illusion then?
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 She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Was it all for nothing?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.
on one occasion
From this reading She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The days passed slowly, one after the other.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The days passed slowly, one after the other.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading The days passed slowly, one after the other.
a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others
From this reading She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.
cut with a saw
From this reading She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading The days passed slowly, one after the other.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The days passed slowly, one after the other.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Had it all been an illusion then?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She saw Van Vreeswijck and felt for him, their friend, in his silent grief; she bade good-bye to Bertha and her children.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Was it all for nothing?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She knew that Van der Welcke had seen Marianne once more before her departure; and her heart was full of pity for them both.
Chapter 31 of The Later Life by Louis Couperus holds 51 sentences, grouped into 11 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 31 holds 51 sentences of The Later Life, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of The Later Life by Louis Couperus exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 51 sentences, grouped into 11 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 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 11 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 31 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 Later Life by Louis Couperus on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5253 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37578 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37578, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 437 minutes of reading across 1051 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Later Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Later Life 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 Later Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
