Chapter 31 of The Mystery of Orcival is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of The Mystery of Orcival is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
M. Plantat gave a sigh of relief. The conversation at last took the turn he wished. "You are thinking of him, then?" asked he. "Am I?" shouted M. Lecoq, who started from his seat at the question. "Now just look at my black ball there.
Chapter 31 of The Mystery of Orcival is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading “"Now just look at my black ball there.”
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading “The conversation at last took the turn he wished.”
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading “M. Plantat gave a sigh of relief.”
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading “"Am I?" shouted M. Lecoq, who started from his seat at the question.”
in a vehement outcry
From this reading “"Am I?" shouted M. Lecoq, who started from his seat at the question.”
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “M. Plantat gave a sigh of relief.”
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “"Am I?" shouted M. Lecoq, who started from his seat at the question.”
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading “The conversation at last took the turn he wished.”
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 M. Plantat gave a sigh of relief.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Am I?" shouted M. Lecoq, who started from his seat at the question.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You are thinking of him, then?" asked he.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "You are thinking of him, then?" asked he.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The conversation at last took the turn he wished.
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading "Now just look at my black ball there.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading "Now just look at my black ball there.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading The conversation at last took the turn he wished.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Am I?" shouted M. Lecoq, who started from his seat at the question.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading M. Plantat gave a sigh of relief.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The conversation at last took the turn he wished.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You are thinking of him, then?" asked he.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Am I?" shouted M. Lecoq, who started from his seat at the question.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Am I?" shouted M. Lecoq, who started from his seat at the question.
and nothing more
From this reading "Now just look at my black ball there.
immediately past
From this reading The conversation at last took the turn he wished.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Am I?" shouted M. Lecoq, who started from his seat at the question.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Now just look at my black ball there.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading M. Plantat gave a sigh of relief.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Now just look at my black ball there.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now just look at my black ball there.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading M. Plantat gave a sigh of relief.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading M. Plantat gave a sigh of relief.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading "Am I?" shouted M. Lecoq, who started from his seat at the question.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading M. Plantat gave a sigh of relief.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading "Am I?" shouted M. Lecoq, who started from his seat at the question.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading "Am I?" shouted M. Lecoq, who started from his seat at the question.
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading M. Plantat gave a sigh of relief.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Am I?" shouted M. Lecoq, who started from his seat at the question.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The conversation at last took the turn he wished.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "You are thinking of him, then?" asked he.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Now just look at my black ball there.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading "You are thinking of him, then?" asked he.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading The conversation at last took the turn he wished.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading The conversation at last took the turn he wished.
which person or people
From this reading "Am I?" shouted M. Lecoq, who started from his seat at the question.
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading The conversation at last took the turn he wished.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You are thinking of him, then?" asked he.
Chapter 31 of The Mystery of Orcival by Emile Gaboriau holds 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 31 holds 194 sentences of The Mystery of Orcival, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of The Mystery of Orcival by Emile Gaboriau exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 31 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 Mystery of Orcival by Emile Gaboriau on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7074 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1651 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1651, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 589 minutes of reading across 1415 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mystery of Orcival section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of The Mystery of Orcival 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 Mystery of Orcival, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
