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The Pilgrim's Shell
The Pilgrim's Shell

Chapter XXIII

Chapter 23 of The Pilgrim's Shell is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Pilgrim's Shell
Context Illustration Reading 1/33 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE GATHERING STORM.
Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.
On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.
Dawn was about breaking.
Fergan's son, Martine and Joan the Hunchback had watched all night.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Pilgrim's Shell

Chapter XXIII

Chapter 23 of The Pilgrim's Shell is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/33 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE GATHERING STORM.
/ðə ˈɡæðərɪŋ stɔːrm/
Line 2
Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.
Line 3
On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.
Line 4
Dawn was about breaking.
/dɔːn wɑːz əˈbaʊt ˈbreɪkɪŋ/
Line 5
Fergan's son, Martine and Joan the Hunchback had watched all night.

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.

basement noun US /ˈbeɪsmənt/

the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage

From this reading “On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.”

entry noun US /ˈentri/

an item inserted in a written record

From this reading “Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.”

eve noun US /iːv/

(Old Testament) Adam's wife in Judeo-Christian mythology: the first woman and mother of the human race; God created Eve from Adam's rib and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden

From this reading “Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.”

gathering noun US /ˈɡæðərɪŋ/

a group of persons together in one place

From this reading “THE GATHERING STORM.”

Hunchback noun US /ˈhʌntʃbæk/

an abnormal backward curve to the vertebral column

From this reading “Fergan's son, Martine and Joan the Hunchback had watched all night.”

Louis noun US /ˈluːɪs/

United States prizefighter who was world heavyweight champion for 12 years (1914-1981)

From this reading “Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.”

Lusty adjective US /ˈlʌsti/

vigorously passionate

From this reading “Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.”

Thursday noun US /ˈθɜːrzdeɪ/

the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day

From this reading “Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.”

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.

on the eve preposition + article + noun counted as “on … eve”

In this reading “Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.”

in the basement preposition + article + noun counted as “in … basement”

In this reading “On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.”

all night adjective + noun

In this reading “Fergan's son, Martine and Joan the Hunchback had watched all night.”

into the city preposition + article + noun counted as “into … city”

In this reading “Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.”

All words in this reading · 47

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.

1112

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

From this reading Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Dawn was about breaking.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Fergan's son, Martine and Joan the Hunchback had watched all night.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.

arrivalnounUS /ərˈaɪvəl/

accomplishment of an objective

From this reading On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.

basementnounUS /ˈbeɪsmənt/

the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage

From this reading On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.

breakingnounUS /ˈbreɪkɪŋ/

the act of breaking something

From this reading Dawn was about breaking.

chambernounUS /ˈtʃeɪmbər/

a natural or artificial enclosed space

From this reading On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.

citynounUS /ˈsɪti/

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.

Colombaik

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

From this reading On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.

DawnnounUS /dɔːn/

the first light of day

From this reading Dawn was about breaking.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.

entrynounUS /ˈentri/

an item inserted in a written record

From this reading Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.

evenounUS /iːv/

(Old Testament) Adam's wife in Judeo-Christian mythology: the first woman and mother of the human race; God created Eve from Adam's rib and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden

From this reading Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.

Fergan's

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

From this reading Fergan's son, Martine and Joan the Hunchback had watched all night.

followingadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːloʊɪŋ/

about to be mentioned or specified

From this reading On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.

GATHERINGnounUS /ˈɡæðərɪŋ/

a group of persons together in one place

From this reading THE GATHERING STORM.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.

HolynounUS /ˈhoʊli/

a sacred place of pilgrimage

From this reading Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.

HunchbacknounUS /ˈhʌntʃbæk/

an abnormal backward curve to the vertebral column

From this reading Fergan's son, Martine and Joan the Hunchback had watched all night.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.

Joan

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

From this reading Fergan's son, Martine and Joan the Hunchback had watched all night.

Laon

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

From this reading Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.

LouisnounUS /ˈluːɪs/

United States prizefighter who was world heavyweight champion for 12 years (1914-1981)

From this reading Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.

LustyadjectiveUS /ˈlʌsti/

vigorously passionate

From this reading Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.

Martine

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

From this reading Fergan's son, Martine and Joan the Hunchback had watched all night.

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading Fergan's son, Martine and Joan the Hunchback had watched all night.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.

PrincenounUS /prɪns/

a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)

From this reading On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.

seatedadjectiveUS /ˈsiːtɪd/

(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks

From this reading On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.

sonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading Fergan's son, Martine and Joan the Hunchback had watched all night.

STORMverbUS /stɔːrm/

behave violently, as if in state of a great anger

From this reading THE GATHERING STORM.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE GATHERING STORM.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.

ThursdaynounUS /ˈθɜːrzdeɪ/

the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day

From this reading Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.

togetheradverbUS /təˈɡeðər/

in contact with each other or in proximity

From this reading On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Dawn was about breaking.

watchedverbUS /wɑːtʃt/

past form of “watch” — look attentively

From this reading Fergan's son, Martine and Joan the Hunchback had watched all night.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.

wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading On the day following the arrival of the Prince, Colombaik, his mother and his wife were seated together in the basement chamber of their house.

yearnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading Louis the Lusty had made his entry into the city of Laon on the eve of Holy Thursday of the year 1112.

Chapter 23 of The Pilgrim's Shell by Eugène Sue holds 168 sentences, grouped into 34 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 23 of The Pilgrim's Shell contain?

Chapter 23 holds 168 sentences of The Pilgrim's Shell, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 23 of The Pilgrim's Shell by Eugène Sue exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 168 sentences, grouped into 34 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 23 of The Pilgrim's Shell?

Work through the 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 34 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 23 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 23 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 Pilgrim's Shell

Common questions about reading The Pilgrim's Shell by Eugène Sue on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Pilgrim's Shell?

Yes. All 4781 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34531 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Pilgrim's Shell is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #34531, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Pilgrim's Shell take to read?

About 398 minutes of reading across 957 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Pilgrim's Shell section by section

How to work through The Pilgrim's Shell section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Pilgrim's Shell to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Pilgrim's Shell

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Pilgrim's Shell, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Feudal
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pilgrim's Shell; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Times
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pilgrim's Shell; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Translator's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pilgrim's Shell; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Preface
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pilgrim's Shell; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.