The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon)

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon) is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Margaret Robson Stacpoole • Curated US English Learning Edition

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NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

At eleven o'clock he called at the hotel.

Mr. Mudd was upstairs in Mr. Pettigrew's room, and he would be called down.

Bobby thought that he could trace a lot of things in the porter's tone and manner, a respect and commiseration for Mr. Mudd and perhaps not quite such a high respect for himself and Simon.

He fancied that the hotel was beginning to have its eye upon him and Simon as questionable parties of the _bon vivant_ type--a fancy that may have been baseless, but was still there.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XVII Reading 1/26

The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon) Margaret Robson Stacpoole

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon) is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting. At eleven o'clock he called at the hotel. Mr. Mudd was upstairs in Mr. Pettigrew's room, and he would be called down. Bobby thought that he could trace a lot of things in the porter's tone and manner, a respect and commiseration for Mr. Mudd and perhaps not quite such a high respect for himself and Simon. He fancied that the hotel was beginning to have its eye upon him and Simon as questionable parties of the _bon vivant_ type--a fancy that may have been baseless, but was still there.

The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon)

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon) is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

Line 2

At eleven o'clock he called at the hotel.

/æt ɪˈlevən əˈklɑːk hiː kɔːld æt ðə hoʊˈtel/

Line 3

Mr. Mudd was upstairs in Mr. Pettigrew's room, and he would be called down.

Line 4

Bobby thought that he could trace a lot of things in the porter's tone and manner, a respect and commiseration for Mr. Mudd and perhaps not quite such a high respect for himself and Simon.

Line 5

He fancied that the hotel was beginning to have its eye upon him and Simon as questionable parties of the _bon vivant_ type--a fancy that may have been baseless, but was still there.

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.

amused adjective US /əˈmjuːzd/

pleasantly occupied

From this reading “NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.”

baseless adjective US /ˈbeɪsləs/

without a basis in reason or fact

From this reading “He fancied that the hotel was beginning to have its eye upon him and Simon as questionable parties of the _bon vivant_ type--a fancy that may have been baseless, but was still there.”

Bobby noun US /ˈbɑːbi/

an informal term for a British policeman

From this reading “NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.”

fancied adjective US /ˈfænsid/

formed or conceived by the imagination

porter's noun US /ˈpɔːrtərz/

possessive form of “porter” — a person employed to carry luggage and supplies

From this reading “Bobby thought that he could trace a lot of things in the porter's tone and manner, a respect and commiseration for Mr. Mudd and perhaps not quite such a high respect for himself and Simon.”

questionable adjective US /ˈkwestʃənəbəl/

subject to question

Simon noun US /ˈsaɪmən/

one of the twelve Apostles (first century)

From this reading “NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.”

type noun US /taɪp/

a subdivision of a particular kind of thing

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.

NINE HUNDRED noun + noun

In this reading “NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.”

spend the day verb + article + noun counted as “spend … day”

In this reading “NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.”

high respect adjective + noun

In this reading “Bobby thought that he could trace a lot of things in the porter's tone and manner, a respect and commiseration for Mr. Mudd and perhaps not quite such a high respect for himself and Simon.”

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

In this reading “At eleven o'clock he called at the hotel.”

All words in this reading · 75

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Bobby thought that he could trace a lot of things in the porter's tone and manner, a respect and commiseration for Mr. Mudd and perhaps not quite such a high respect for himself and Simon.

amusedadjectiveUS /əˈmjuːzd/

pleasantly occupied

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Mr. Mudd was upstairs in Mr. Pettigrew's room, and he would be called down.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading He fancied that the hotel was beginning to have its eye upon him and Simon as questionable parties of the _bon vivant_ type--a fancy that may have been baseless, but was still there.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

baselessadjectiveUS /ˈbeɪsləs/

without a basis in reason or fact

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Mr. Mudd was upstairs in Mr. Pettigrew's room, and he would be called down.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

beginningnounUS /bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/

the event consisting of the start of something

BobbynounUS /ˈbɑːbi/

an informal term for a British policeman

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

bon

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

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

calledverbUS /kɔːld/

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading At eleven o'clock he called at the hotel.

Charing

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

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

commiserationnoun

a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

CrossverbUS /krɔːs/

travel across or pass over

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Mr. Mudd was upstairs in Mr. Pettigrew's room, and he would be called down.

elevenadjectiveUS /ɪˈlevən/

being one more than ten

From this reading At eleven o'clock he called at the hotel.

eyenounUS /aɪ/

the organ of sight

fanciedadjectiveUS /ˈfænsid/

formed or conceived by the imagination

fancynounUS /ˈfænsi/

something many people believe that is false

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

highadjectiveUS /haɪ/

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

HotelnounUS /hoʊˈtel/

a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

HUNDREDnounUS /ˈhʌndrəd/

ten 10s

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Mr. Mudd was upstairs in Mr. Pettigrew's room, and he would be called down.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

leavingnounUS /ˈliːvɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

lotnounUS /lɑːt/

(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent

mannernounUS /ˈmænər/

how something is done or how it happens

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading Mr. Mudd was upstairs in Mr. Pettigrew's room, and he would be called down.

Mudd

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

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

NINEnounUS /naɪn/

the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/

according to the clock

From this reading At eleven o'clock he called at the hotel.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

otherwiseadverbUS /ˈʌðərwaɪz/

in other respects or ways

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

partiesnounUS /ˈpɑːrtiz/

plural of “party” — an organization to gain political power

perhapsadverbUS /pərˈhæps/

by chance

Pettigrew's

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

From this reading Mr. Mudd was upstairs in Mr. Pettigrew's room, and he would be called down.

porter'snounUS /ˈpɔːrtərz/

possessive form of “porter” — a person employed to carry luggage and supplies

POUNDSnounUS /paʊndz/

plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

questionableadjectiveUS /ˈkwestʃənəbəl/

subject to question

quiteadverbUS /kwaɪt/

to a degree (not used with a negative)

Ravenshaw

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

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

respectnounUS /rɪˈspekt/

(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading Mr. Mudd was upstairs in Mr. Pettigrew's room, and he would be called down.

SimonnounUS /ˈsaɪmən/

one of the twelve Apostles (first century)

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

spendverbUS /spend/

use up a period of time in a specific way

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

tonenounUS /toʊn/

the quality of a person's voice

tracenounUS /treɪs/

a just detectable amount

typenounUS /taɪp/

a subdivision of a particular kind of thing

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

upstairsadverbUS /əpˈsterz/

on a floor above

From this reading Mr. Mudd was upstairs in Mr. Pettigrew's room, and he would be called down.

vivant

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

waitingnounUS /ˈweɪtɪŋ/

the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)

From this reading NINE HUNDRED POUNDS Bobby Ravenshaw did not spend the day at the Charing Cross Hotel waiting for Simon; he amused himself otherwise, leaving Mudd to do the waiting.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Mr. Mudd was upstairs in Mr. Pettigrew's room, and he would be called down.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading Mr. Mudd was upstairs in Mr. Pettigrew's room, and he would be called down.

Chapter 17 of The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon) by Margaret Robson Stacpoole holds 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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 17 of The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon) contain?

Chapter 17 holds 131 sentences of The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon), unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon) by Margaret Robson Stacpoole exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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 17 of The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon)?

Work through the 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 27 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 17 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon)

Common questions about reading The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon) by Margaret Robson Stacpoole on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon)?

Yes. All 3124 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55039 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #55039, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 260 minutes of reading across 625 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon)

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Found: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Himself: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Uncle: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Simon: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Man Who Found Himself (Uncle Simon); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XVII

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