Chapter 2 of The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson is here in full — 360 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson is here in full — 360 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why? _It is the man’s own temerity_!’ Voilà le Bourgeois! le voilà nu! But why should I blame Gladstone, when I too am a Bourgeois? when I have held my peace? Why did I hold my peace?
Chapter 2 of The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson is here in full — 360 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/72 · 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.
acted upon; influenced
From this reading “Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?”
put or pin the blame on
From this reading “But why should I blame Gladstone, when I too am a Bourgeois? when I have held my peace?”
(according to Marxist thought) being of the property-owning class and exploitive of the working class
From this reading “Voilà le Bourgeois! le voilà nu!”
liberal British statesman who served as prime minister four times (1809-1898)
From this reading “Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?”
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
information about recent and important events
From this reading “Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?”
graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface
From this reading “Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?”
fearless daring
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 But why should I blame Gladstone, when I too am a Bourgeois? when I have held my peace?
acted upon; influenced
From this reading Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading But why should I blame Gladstone, when I too am a Bourgeois? when I have held my peace?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?
put or pin the blame on
From this reading But why should I blame Gladstone, when I too am a Bourgeois? when I have held my peace?
(according to Marxist thought) being of the property-owning class and exploitive of the working class
From this reading Voilà le Bourgeois! le voilà nu!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But why should I blame Gladstone, when I too am a Bourgeois? when I have held my peace?
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Why did I hold my peace?
liberal British statesman who served as prime minister four times (1809-1898)
From this reading Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But why should I blame Gladstone, when I too am a Bourgeois? when I have held my peace?
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading But why should I blame Gladstone, when I too am a Bourgeois? when I have held my peace?
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Why did I hold my peace?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _It is the man’s own temerity_!’
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _It is the man’s own temerity_!’
a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)
From this reading Voilà le Bourgeois! le voilà nu!
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading _It is the man’s own temerity_!’
Englishman and Pre-Raphaelite painter (1829-1896)
From this reading Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading But why should I blame Gladstone, when I too am a Bourgeois? when I have held my peace?
information about recent and important events
From this reading Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?
the 13th letter of the Greek alphabet
From this reading Voilà le Bourgeois! le voilà nu!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?
have ownership or possession of
From this reading _It is the man’s own temerity_!’
graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface
From this reading Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?
the state prevailing during the absence of war
From this reading But why should I blame Gladstone, when I too am a Bourgeois? when I have held my peace?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading But why should I blame Gladstone, when I too am a Bourgeois? when I have held my peace?
fearless daring
From this reading _It is the man’s own temerity_!’
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading But why should I blame Gladstone, when I too am a Bourgeois? when I have held my peace?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Voilà le Bourgeois! le voilà nu!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?
at the time that
From this reading Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Millais (I hear) was painting Gladstone when the news came of Gordon’s death; Millais was much affected, and Gladstone said, ‘Why?
Chapter 2 of The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson by Robert Louis Stevenson holds 360 sentences, grouped into 72 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 2 holds 360 sentences of The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson, unabridged, divided into 72 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson by Robert Louis Stevenson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 360 sentences, grouped into 72 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 72 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 72 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 Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson by Robert Louis Stevenson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 680 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #622 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #622, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 56 minutes of reading across 136 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson 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 Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
