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The Lock and Key Library — French Novels
The Lock and Key Library — French Novels

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of The Lock and Key Library — French Novels is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/31 · 5 lines
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"God curse the vipers who take the form of doves!
Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"
As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!
THE BLACK ROBE!
TIGHTEN THE IRON BOOTS!"
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Lock and Key Library — French Novels

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of The Lock and Key Library — French Novels is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"God curse the vipers who take the form of doves!
/ɡɑːd kɜːrs ðə ˈvaɪpərz huː teɪk ðə fɔːrm ʌv dʌvz/
Line 2
Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"
/oʊ ˈsɒl.ə.mən hæst ðaʊ nɑːt ˈrɪtən ɪn ðaɪ ˈprɑːvərbz wen hiː ʃæl spiːk ˈɡreɪʃəsli duː nɑːt bɪˈliːv hɪm fɔːr hiː hæz ˈsevən əˌbɑːməˈneɪʃənz ɪn hɪz hɑːrt/
Line 3
As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!
Line 4
THE BLACK ROBE!
/ðə blæk roʊb/
Line 5
TIGHTEN THE IRON BOOTS!"
/ˈtaɪtən ðə ˈaɪərn buːts/

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.

abominations noun US /əˌbɑːməˈneɪʃənz/

plural of “abomination” — a person who is loathsome or disgusting

From this reading “Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"”

doves noun US /dʌvz/

plural of “dove” — any of numerous small pigeons

From this reading “"God curse the vipers who take the form of doves!”

graciously adverb US /ˈɡreɪʃəsli/

in a gracious or graceful manner

From this reading “Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"”

incoherent adjective US /ˌɪnkoʊˈhɪrənt/

without logical or meaningful connection

From this reading “As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!”

Proverbs noun US /ˈprɑːvərbz/

an Old Testament book consisting of proverbs from various Israeli sages (including Solomon)

From this reading “Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"”

recital noun US /rəˈsaɪtəl/

the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events

From this reading “As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!”

tighten verb US /ˈtaɪtən/

make tight or tighter

From this reading “TIGHTEN THE IRON BOOTS!"”

vipers noun US /ˈvaɪpərz/

plural of “viper” — venomous Old World snakes characterized by hollow venom-conducting fangs in the upper jaw

From this reading “"God curse the vipers who take the form of doves!”

All words in this reading · 58

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.

ableadjectiveUS /ˈeɪbəl/

(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

abominationsnounUS /əˌbɑːməˈneɪʃənz/

plural of “abomination” — a person who is loathsome or disgusting

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

believeverbUS /bɪˈliːv/

accept as true; take to be true

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

BLACKadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading THE BLACK ROBE!

BOOTSnounUS /buːts/

plural of “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg

From this reading TIGHTEN THE IRON BOOTS!"

cursenounUS /kɜːrs/

profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger

From this reading "God curse the vipers who take the form of doves!

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

dovesnounUS /dʌvz/

plural of “dove” — any of numerous small pigeons

From this reading "God curse the vipers who take the form of doves!

explainverbUS /ɪkˈspleɪn/

make plain and comprehensible

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

formnounUS /fɔːrm/

the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something

From this reading "God curse the vipers who take the form of doves!

GilbertnounUS /ˈɡɪlbərt/

a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

GodnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading "God curse the vipers who take the form of doves!

graciouslyadverbUS /ˈɡreɪʃəsli/

in a gracious or graceful manner

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

hastauxiliary verbUS /hæst/

an old form of “have”, used with “thou”

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

incoherentadjectiveUS /ˌɪnkoʊˈhɪrənt/

without logical or meaningful connection

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

IRONnounUS /ˈaɪərn/

a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood

From this reading TIGHTEN THE IRON BOOTS!"

listenedverbUS /ˈlɪsənd/

past form of “listen” — hear with intention

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "God curse the vipers who take the form of doves!

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

ONprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

phrasesnounUS /ˈfreɪzəz/

plural of “phrase” — an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

priestnounUS /priːst/

a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

ProverbsnounUS /ˈprɑːvərbz/

an Old Testament book consisting of proverbs from various Israeli sages (including Solomon)

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

recitalnounUS /rəˈsaɪtəl/

the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

remindedverbUS /riˈmaɪndɪd/

past form of “remind” — put in the mind of someone

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

ROBEnounUS /roʊb/

any loose flowing garment

From this reading THE BLACK ROBE!

sevennounUS /ˈsevən/

the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

Solomonproper nounUS /ˈsɒl.ə.mən/

A legendary king renowned for his wisdom and fabulous hidden mines.

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

somnambulistnoun

someone who walks about in their sleep

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

STRETCHverbUS /stretʃ/

occupy a large, elongated area

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

TABLEnounUS /ˈteɪbəl/

a set of data arranged in rows and columns

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading "God curse the vipers who take the form of doves!

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "God curse the vipers who take the form of doves!

THISdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

thydeterminerUS /ðaɪ/

an old word for “your”, speaking to one person

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

TIGHTENverbUS /ˈtaɪtən/

make tight or tighter

From this reading TIGHTEN THE IRON BOOTS!"

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

vipersnounUS /ˈvaɪpərz/

plural of “viper” — venomous Old World snakes characterized by hollow venom-conducting fangs in the upper jaw

From this reading "God curse the vipers who take the form of doves!

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading As he listened to the recital of the priest, Gilbert was reminded of some incoherent phrases of the somnambulist, which he had not been able to explain: "STRETCH HIM ON THIS TABLE!

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading "God curse the vipers who take the form of doves!

writtenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪtən/

set down in writing in any of various ways

From this reading Oh, Solomon, hast thou not written in thy Proverbs: 'When he shall speak graciously, do not believe him, for he has seven abominations in his heart'?"

Chapter 12 of The Lock and Key Library — French Novels by Julian [Editor] Hawthorne holds 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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.

What does chapter 12 of The Lock and Key Library — French Novels contain?

Chapter 12 holds 155 sentences of The Lock and Key Library — French Novels, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of The Lock and Key Library — French Novels by Julian [Editor] Hawthorne exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 Lock and Key Library — French Novels?

Work through the 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 31 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 Lock and Key Library — French Novels

Common questions about reading The Lock and Key Library — French Novels by Julian [Editor] Hawthorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.

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Yes. All 6550 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2047 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Lock and Key Library — French Novels is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2047, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Lock and Key Library — French Novels take to read?

About 545 minutes of reading across 1310 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Lock and Key Library — French Novels section by section

How to work through The Lock and Key Library — French Novels section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in The Lock and Key Library — French Novels

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Lock and Key Library — French Novels, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Bourget
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Lock and Key Library — French Novels; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Andre
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Lock and Key Library — French Novels; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cornelis
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Lock and Key Library — French Novels; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Anonymous
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Lock and Key Library — French Novels; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.