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The Laughing Cavalier
The Laughing Cavalier

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of The Laughing Cavalier is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/35 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.
The explanation had begun with the words filled with portentous charm:
"There will be 500 guilders for each of you at the end of our journey."
And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.
For the rest they did not greatly trouble themselves.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Laughing Cavalier

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of The Laughing Cavalier is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.
Line 2
The explanation had begun with the words filled with portentous charm:
/ðə ˌekspləˈneɪʃən hæd bɪˈɡʌn wɪð ðə wɜːrdz fɪld wɪð pɔːrˈtentəs tʃɑːrm/
Line 3
"There will be 500 guilders for each of you at the end of our journey."
Line 4
And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.
Line 5
For the rest they did not greatly trouble themselves.
/fɔːr ðə rest ðeɪ dɪd nɑːt ˈɡreɪtli ˈtrʌbəl ðemˈselvz/

Learner Dictionary

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.

amicable adjective US /ˈæmɪkəbəl/

characterized by friendship and good will

From this reading “And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.”

explaining verb US /ɪkˈspleɪnɪŋ/

-ing form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible

From this reading “THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.”

guilders noun US /ˈɡɪldərz/

plural of “guilder” — the basic unit of money in Suriname; equal to 100 cents

From this reading “"There will be 500 guilders for each of you at the end of our journey."”

philosophers noun US /fəˈlɑːsəfərz/

plural of “philosopher” — a specialist in philosophy

From this reading “THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.”

portentous adjective US /pɔːrˈtentəs/

of momentous or ominous significance

From this reading “The explanation had begun with the words filled with portentous charm:”

trilogy noun US /ˈtrɪlədʒi/

a set of three literary or dramatic works related in subject or theme

From this reading “And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.”

undertaken verb US /ˈʌndərteɪkən/

inflected form of “undertake” — enter upon an activity or enterprise

From this reading “And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.”

wench noun US /wentʃ/

informal terms for a (young) woman

From this reading “THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

at the end preposition + article + noun counted as “at … end”

In this reading “"There will be 500 guilders for each of you at the end of our journey."”

experiences of verb + particle counted as “experience of”

In this reading “And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.”

begun with verb + particle counted as “begin with”

In this reading “The explanation had begun with the words filled with portentous charm:”

All words in this reading · 67

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.

500

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There will be 500 guilders for each of you at the end of our journey."

adventuresnounUS /ædˈventʃərz/

plural of “adventure” — a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful)

From this reading And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.

amicableadjectiveUS /ˈæmɪkəbəl/

characterized by friendship and good will

From this reading And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.

AndeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "There will be 500 guilders for each of you at the end of our journey."

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "There will be 500 guilders for each of you at the end of our journey."

begunverbUS /bɪˈɡʌn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading The explanation had begun with the words filled with portentous charm:

brothernounUS /ˈbrʌðər/

a male with the same parents as someone else

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

charmnounUS /tʃɑːrm/

attractiveness that interests or pleases or stimulates

From this reading The explanation had begun with the words filled with portentous charm:

CownounUS /kaʊ/

female of domestic cattle: "“moo-cow” is a child's term"

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading For the rest they did not greatly trouble themselves.

Diogenesnoun

an ancient Greek philosopher and Cynic who rejected social conventions (circa 400-325 BC)

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading "There will be 500 guilders for each of you at the end of our journey."

endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading "There will be 500 guilders for each of you at the end of our journey."

experiencesnounUS /ɪkˈspɪriənsɪz/

plural of “experience” — the accumulation of knowledge or skill that results from direct participation in events or activities

From this reading And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.

explainingverbUS /ɪkˈspleɪnɪŋ/

-ing form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

explanationnounUS /ˌekspləˈneɪʃən/

a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.

From this reading The explanation had begun with the words filled with portentous charm:

filledadjectiveUS /fɪld/

(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with

From this reading The explanation had begun with the words filled with portentous charm:

finishedadjectiveUS /ˈfɪnɪʃt/

(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.

greatlyadverbUS /ˈɡreɪtli/

to an extraordinary extent or degree

From this reading For the rest they did not greatly trouble themselves.

guildersnounUS /ˈɡɪldərz/

plural of “guilder” — the basic unit of money in Suriname; equal to 100 cents

From this reading "There will be 500 guilders for each of you at the end of our journey."

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

helpverbUS /help/

give help or assistance; be of service

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

hournounUS /ˈaʊər/

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

journeyverbUS /ˈdʒɜːrni/

undertake a journey or trip

From this reading "There will be 500 guilders for each of you at the end of our journey."

knewverbUS /nuː/

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 And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.

LamenounUS /leɪm/

someone who doesn't understand what is going on

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

lateradverbUS /ˈleɪtər/

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading For the rest they did not greatly trouble themselves.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading "There will be 500 guilders for each of you at the end of our journey."

philosophersnounUS /fəˈlɑːsəfərz/

plural of “philosopher” — a specialist in philosophy

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

portentousadjectiveUS /pɔːrˈtentəs/

of momentous or ominous significance

From this reading The explanation had begun with the words filled with portentous charm:

requiredadjectiveUS /riˈkwaɪərd/

necessary for relief or supply

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

restverbUS /rest/

not move; be in a resting position

From this reading For the rest they did not greatly trouble themselves.

SPANISHnounUS /ˈspænɪʃ/

the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

tap-room

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading For the rest they did not greatly trouble themselves.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading "There will be 500 guilders for each of you at the end of our journey."

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

trilogynounUS /ˈtrɪlədʒi/

a set of three literary or dramatic works related in subject or theme

From this reading And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.

troublenounUS /ˈtrʌbəl/

a source of difficulty

From this reading For the rest they did not greatly trouble themselves.

undertakenverbUS /ˈʌndərteɪkən/

inflected form of “undertake” — enter upon an activity or enterprise

From this reading And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.

variedadjectiveUS /ˈverid/

characterized by variety

From this reading And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.

WENCHnounUS /wentʃ/

informal terms for a (young) woman

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "There will be 500 guilders for each of you at the end of our journey."

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The explanation had begun with the words filled with portentous charm:

wordsnounUS /wɜːrdz/

the words that are spoken

From this reading The explanation had begun with the words filled with portentous charm:

workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading THE SPANISH WENCH An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and for which he required their help.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "There will be 500 guilders for each of you at the end of our journey."

Chapter 12 of The Laughing Cavalier by Emmuska Orczy, Baroness Orczy holds 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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.

What does chapter 12 of The Laughing Cavalier contain?

Chapter 12 holds 175 sentences of The Laughing Cavalier, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of The Laughing Cavalier by Emmuska Orczy, Baroness Orczy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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.

How do I study chapter 12 of The Laughing Cavalier?

Work through the 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 35 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.

Can chapter 12 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 12 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.

Questions about reading The Laughing Cavalier

Common questions about reading The Laughing Cavalier by Emmuska Orczy, Baroness Orczy on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Laughing Cavalier?

Yes. All 5878 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33208 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Laughing Cavalier is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #33208, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Laughing Cavalier take to read?

About 489 minutes of reading across 1176 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Laughing Cavalier section by section

How to work through The Laughing Cavalier section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Laughing Cavalier to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Laughing Cavalier

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Laughing Cavalier, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Laughing Cavalier; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Scarlet
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Laughing Cavalier; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pimpernel
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Laughing Cavalier; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dorado
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Laughing Cavalier; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.