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The Missioner
The Missioner

Chapter XXIV

Cover illustration for The Missioner
Context Illustration Reading 1/35 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.
He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.
"We are full to-night, monsieur," he said.
"There will be a great crowd.
Yet you see your table waits.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Missioner

Chapter XXIV

Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.
Line 2
He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.
Line 3
"We are full to-night, monsieur," he said.
Line 4
"There will be a great crowd.
Line 5
Yet you see your table waits.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.”

DEAD noun US /dead/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"There will be a great crowd.”

Hands plural noun US /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading “He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading “AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.”

Party noun US /party/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.”

Save preposition US /seɪv/

except for; apart from

From this reading “He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.”

Trifle noun US /ˈtraɪfəl/

something that needs very little effort

From this reading “He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.”

Whose determiner US /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading “He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.”

Yet conjunction US /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.”

All words in this reading · 71

Every word is available to listen to. 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 He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

accent

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

air

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading "We are full to-night, monsieur," he said.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

ATprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading "There will be a great crowd.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

corner

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

From this reading AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.

crowd

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

From this reading "There will be a great crowd.

DEADnounUS /dead/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

Englishman

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

fancy

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.

Francois

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

From this reading AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.

French

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

full

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

From this reading "We are full to-night, monsieur," he said.

gay

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

gayest

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "There will be a great crowd.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.

handsplural nounUS /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.

looker-on

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

merriment

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

money

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

Monsieur

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

From this reading AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.

more

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

much

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

own

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

partynounUS /party/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.

perfect

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

piloted

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

From this reading AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.

promote

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

RAT

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

From this reading AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.

reserved

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

From this reading AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.

said

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

From this reading "We are full to-night, monsieur," he said.

saveprepositionUS /seɪv/

except for; apart from

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

see

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

From this reading Yet you see your table waits.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

spent

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

table

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

From this reading AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.

taken

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

tall

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.

There

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

From this reading "There will be a great crowd.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.

to-night

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

From this reading "We are full to-night, monsieur," he said.

triflenounUS /ˈtraɪfəl/

something that needs very little effort

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

waits

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

From this reading Yet you see your table waits.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading "We are full to-night, monsieur," he said.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading AT THE "DEAD RAT" Monsieur Francois piloted the little party himself to the corner table which he had reserved for them.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "There will be a great crowd.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Yet you see your table waits.

young

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

From this reading He had taken a fancy to this tall young Englishman, whose French, save for a trifle of accent, was as perfect as his own, who spent money with both hands, who was gay as the gayest, and yet who had the air of being little more than a looker-on at the merriment which he did so much to promote.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Yet you see your table waits.