Chapter 6 of The Mercenary is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Mercenary is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AT THE CASTLE OF HRADSCHIN. It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far. From Gotha it would go hard if the girls did not get a safe journey to Eisenach. The parting was brief. Some tears sprang to the ready eyes of Elspeth.
Chapter 6 of The Mercenary is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
of short duration or distance
From this reading “The parting was brief.”
someone who escorts and protects a prominent person
From this reading “It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.”
any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers
From this reading “It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.”
plural of “merchant” — a businessperson engaged in retail trade
From this reading “It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.”
the next day
From this reading “It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.”
the act of departing politely
From this reading “The parting was brief.”
without much difficulty
From this reading “It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.”
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading “It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.”
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 “It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.”
In this reading “AT THE CASTLE OF HRADSCHIN.”
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 It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AT THE CASTLE OF HRADSCHIN.
of short duration or distance
From this reading The parting was brief.
a large and stately mansion
From this reading AT THE CASTLE OF HRADSCHIN.
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading From Gotha it would go hard if the girls did not get a safe journey to Eisenach.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From Gotha it would go hard if the girls did not get a safe journey to Eisenach.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some tears sprang to the ready eyes of Elspeth.
someone who escorts and protects a prominent person
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Some tears sprang to the ready eyes of Elspeth.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From Gotha it would go hard if the girls did not get a safe journey to Eisenach.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading From Gotha it would go hard if the girls did not get a safe journey to Eisenach.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading From Gotha it would go hard if the girls did not get a safe journey to Eisenach.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading From Gotha it would go hard if the girls did not get a safe journey to Eisenach.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading From Gotha it would go hard if the girls did not get a safe journey to Eisenach.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AT THE CASTLE OF HRADSCHIN.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading From Gotha it would go hard if the girls did not get a safe journey to Eisenach.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading From Gotha it would go hard if the girls did not get a safe journey to Eisenach.
any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
plural of “merchant” — a businessperson engaged in retail trade
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
the next day
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AT THE CASTLE OF HRADSCHIN.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
the act of departing politely
From this reading The parting was brief.
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
without much difficulty
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading Some tears sprang to the ready eyes of Elspeth.
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading From Gotha it would go hard if the girls did not get a safe journey to Eisenach.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some tears sprang to the ready eyes of Elspeth.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Some tears sprang to the ready eyes of Elspeth.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading Some tears sprang to the ready eyes of Elspeth.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AT THE CASTLE OF HRADSCHIN.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
which person or people
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
Having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in character or magic.
From this reading It was not difficult to find at the sign of the Lily a couple of worthy merchants who were returning on the morrow to Gotha, and they readily promised Nigel to act as escort so far.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading From Gotha it would go hard if the girls did not get a safe journey to Eisenach.
Chapter 6 of The Mercenary by W. J. Eccott holds 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 6 holds 200 sentences of The Mercenary, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Mercenary by W. J. Eccott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 6 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 Mercenary by W. J. Eccott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5752 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40567 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40567, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 479 minutes of reading across 1151 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mercenary section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Mercenary 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 Mercenary, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
