Chapter XVII of The Leopard's Spots, “The Voice of the Tempter,” is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter XVII of The Leopard's Spots, “The Voice of the Tempter,” is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
McLEOD was waiting with some impatience in his room at the hotel. “Walk in Gaston, you’re a little late. However, better late than never.” McLeod plunged directly into the purpose of his visit. “Gaston you’re a man of brains, and oratorical genius.
Chapter XVII of The Leopard's Spots, “The Voice of the Tempter,” is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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 “brain” — that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading ““Gaston you’re a man of brains, and oratorical genius.”
without deviation
From this reading “McLeod plunged directly into the purpose of his visit.”
someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality
From this reading ““Gaston you’re a man of brains, and oratorical genius.”
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading “McLEOD was waiting with some impatience in his room at the hotel.”
a lack of patience; irritation with anything that causes delay
From this reading “McLEOD was waiting with some impatience in his room at the hotel.”
characteristic of an orator or oratory
From this reading ““Gaston you’re a man of brains, and oratorical genius.”
past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading “McLeod plunged directly into the purpose of his visit.”
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading “McLeod plunged directly into the purpose of his visit.”
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 “McLEOD was waiting with some impatience in his room at the hotel.”
In this reading “McLEOD was waiting with some impatience in his room at the hotel.”
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 “Walk in Gaston, you’re a little late.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Gaston you’re a man of brains, and oratorical genius.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading McLEOD was waiting with some impatience in his room at the hotel.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading However, better late than never.”
plural of “brain” — that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading “Gaston you’re a man of brains, and oratorical genius.
without deviation
From this reading McLeod plunged directly into the purpose of his visit.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Walk in Gaston, you’re a little late.
someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality
From this reading “Gaston you’re a man of brains, and oratorical genius.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading McLEOD was waiting with some impatience in his room at the hotel.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading McLEOD was waiting with some impatience in his room at the hotel.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading However, better late than never.”
a lack of patience; irritation with anything that causes delay
From this reading McLEOD was waiting with some impatience in his room at the hotel.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading McLEOD was waiting with some impatience in his room at the hotel.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading McLeod plunged directly into the purpose of his visit.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading “Walk in Gaston, you’re a little late.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Walk in Gaston, you’re a little late.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Gaston you’re a man of brains, and oratorical genius.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading McLEOD was waiting with some impatience in his room at the hotel.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading However, better late than never.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading McLeod plunged directly into the purpose of his visit.
characteristic of an orator or oratory
From this reading “Gaston you’re a man of brains, and oratorical genius.
past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading McLeod plunged directly into the purpose of his visit.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading McLeod plunged directly into the purpose of his visit.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading McLEOD was waiting with some impatience in his room at the hotel.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading McLEOD was waiting with some impatience in his room at the hotel.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading However, better late than never.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading McLEOD was waiting with some impatience in his room at the hotel.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading McLeod plunged directly into the purpose of his visit.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading McLEOD was waiting with some impatience in his room at the hotel.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading “Walk in Gaston, you’re a little late.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading McLEOD was waiting with some impatience in his room at the hotel.
in the company of; together with
From this reading McLEOD was waiting with some impatience in his room at the hotel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Walk in Gaston, you’re a little late.
Chapter 17 of The Leopard's Spots by Thomas, Jr. Dixon holds 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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 17 holds 136 sentences of The Leopard's Spots, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Leopard's Spots by Thomas, Jr. Dixon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 17 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 Leopard's Spots by Thomas, Jr. Dixon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8950 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54765 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54765, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1790 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Leopard's Spots section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Leopard's Spots 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 Leopard's Spots, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
