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The Plunderers: A Novel
The Plunderers: A Novel

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of The Plunderers: A Novel is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Plunderers: A Novel
Context Illustration Reading 1/85 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.
Then the man said, with an earnestness that in spite of himself impressed the heir of the Merriwether railroads:
“Mr. Thomas Thorne Merriwether, classified in our books as 7-7-77, you are the man I need for this job!”
“Indeed?” said Tom, politely.
“Yes, you are.”
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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 Plunderers: A Novel

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of The Plunderers: A Novel is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/85 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.
Line 2
Then the man said, with an earnestness that in spite of himself impressed the heir of the Merriwether railroads:
Line 3
“Mr. Thomas Thorne Merriwether, classified in our books as 7-7-77, you are the man I need for this job!”
Line 4
“Indeed?” said Tom, politely.
/ˌɪnˈdiːd sed tɑːm pəˈlaɪtli/
Line 5
“Yes, you are.”
/jes juː ɑːr/

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.

classified adjective US /ˈklæsəfaɪd/

arranged into classes

From this reading ““Mr. Thomas Thorne Merriwether, classified in our books as 7-7-77, you are the man I need for this job!””

earnestness noun US /ˈɜːrnəstnəs/

an earnest and sincere feeling

From this reading “Then the man said, with an earnestness that in spite of himself impressed the heir of the Merriwether railroads:”

excite verb US /ɪkˈsaɪt/

arouse or elicit a feeling

From this reading “He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.”

heir noun US /er/

A person legally or magically entitled to the property or rank of another on that person's death.

From this reading “Then the man said, with an earnestness that in spite of himself impressed the heir of the Merriwether railroads:”

indifference noun US /ˌɪnˈdɪfərəns/

unbiased impartial unconcern

From this reading “He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.”

obvious adjective US /ˈɑːbviəs/

easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind

From this reading “He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.”

politely adverb US /pəˈlaɪtli/

in a polite manner

From this reading ““Indeed?” said Tom, politely.”

railroads noun US /ˈreɪlroʊdz/

plural of “railroad” — line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight

From this reading “Then the man said, with an earnestness that in spite of himself impressed the heir of the Merriwether railroads:”

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.

in spite preposition + noun

In this reading “Then the man said, with an earnestness that in spite of himself impressed the heir of the Merriwether railroads:”

cold indifference adjective + noun

In this reading “He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.”

All words in this reading · 51

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.

7

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

From this reading “Mr. Thomas Thorne Merriwether, classified in our books as 7-7-77, you are the man I need for this job!”

77

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

From this reading “Mr. Thomas Thorne Merriwether, classified in our books as 7-7-77, you are the man I need for this job!”

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Then the man said, with an earnestness that in spite of himself impressed the heir of the Merriwether railroads:

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading “Mr. Thomas Thorne Merriwether, classified in our books as 7-7-77, you are the man I need for this job!”

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading “Mr. Thomas Thorne Merriwether, classified in our books as 7-7-77, you are the man I need for this job!”

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

booksnounUS /bʊks/

Bound written or printed works.

From this reading “Mr. Thomas Thorne Merriwether, classified in our books as 7-7-77, you are the man I need for this job!”

classifiedadjectiveUS /ˈklæsəfaɪd/

arranged into classes

From this reading “Mr. Thomas Thorne Merriwether, classified in our books as 7-7-77, you are the man I need for this job!”

coldadjectiveUS /koʊld/

having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

curiositynounUS /ˌkjʊriˈɑːsəti/

a state in which you want to learn more about something

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

desirenounUS /dɪˈzaɪər/

the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

earnestnessnounUS /ˈɜːrnəstnəs/

an earnest and sincere feeling

From this reading Then the man said, with an earnestness that in spite of himself impressed the heir of the Merriwether railroads:

exciteverbUS /ɪkˈsaɪt/

arouse or elicit a feeling

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading “Mr. Thomas Thorne Merriwether, classified in our books as 7-7-77, you are the man I need for this job!”

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

heirnounUS /er/

A person legally or magically entitled to the property or rank of another on that person's death.

From this reading Then the man said, with an earnestness that in spite of himself impressed the heir of the Merriwether railroads:

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading Then the man said, with an earnestness that in spite of himself impressed the heir of the Merriwether railroads:

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “Mr. Thomas Thorne Merriwether, classified in our books as 7-7-77, you are the man I need for this job!”

impressedadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈprest/

deeply or markedly affected or influenced

From this reading Then the man said, with an earnestness that in spite of himself impressed the heir of the Merriwether railroads:

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Then the man said, with an earnestness that in spite of himself impressed the heir of the Merriwether railroads:

incuriously

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

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

IndeedadverbUS /ˌɪnˈdiːd/

in truth (often tends to intensify)

From this reading “Indeed?” said Tom, politely.

indifferencenounUS /ˌɪnˈdɪfərəns/

unbiased impartial unconcern

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

jobnounUS /dʒɑːb/

the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money

From this reading “Mr. Thomas Thorne Merriwether, classified in our books as 7-7-77, you are the man I need for this job!”

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

Merriwether

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

From this reading Then the man said, with an earnestness that in spite of himself impressed the heir of the Merriwether railroads:

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading “Mr. Thomas Thorne Merriwether, classified in our books as 7-7-77, you are the man I need for this job!”

neednounUS /niːd/

a condition requiring relief

From this reading “Mr. Thomas Thorne Merriwether, classified in our books as 7-7-77, you are the man I need for this job!”

obviousadjectiveUS /ˈɑːbviəs/

easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Then the man said, with an earnestness that in spite of himself impressed the heir of the Merriwether railroads:

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading “Mr. Thomas Thorne Merriwether, classified in our books as 7-7-77, you are the man I need for this job!”

politelyadverbUS /pəˈlaɪtli/

in a polite manner

From this reading “Indeed?” said Tom, politely.

railroadsnounUS /ˈreɪlroʊdz/

plural of “railroad” — line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight

From this reading Then the man said, with an earnestness that in spite of himself impressed the heir of the Merriwether railroads:

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

spitenounUS /spaɪt/

feeling a need to see others suffer

From this reading Then the man said, with an earnestness that in spite of himself impressed the heir of the Merriwether railroads:

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then the man said, with an earnestness that in spite of himself impressed the heir of the Merriwether railroads:

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

ThomasnounUS /ˈtɑːməs/

United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)

From this reading “Mr. Thomas Thorne Merriwether, classified in our books as 7-7-77, you are the man I need for this job!”

Thorne

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

From this reading “Mr. Thomas Thorne Merriwether, classified in our books as 7-7-77, you are the man I need for this job!”

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

TomnounUS /tɑːm/

male cat

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He said this with a cold indifference that made Tom look incuriously at the man, whose obvious desire was to excite curiosity.

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading “Yes, you are.”

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “Mr. Thomas Thorne Merriwether, classified in our books as 7-7-77, you are the man I need for this job!”

Chapter 11 of The Plunderers: A Novel by Edwin Lefevre holds 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 11 of The Plunderers: A Novel contain?

Chapter 11 holds 427 sentences of The Plunderers: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 11 of The Plunderers: A Novel by Edwin Lefevre exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 11 of The Plunderers: A Novel?

Work through the 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 86 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 11 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 11 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 Plunderers: A Novel

Common questions about reading The Plunderers: A Novel by Edwin Lefevre on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Plunderers: A Novel?

Yes. All 6578 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51970 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Plunderers: A Novel is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #51970, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Plunderers: A Novel take to read?

About 548 minutes of reading across 1316 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Plunderers: A Novel section by section

How to work through The Plunderers: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Plunderers: A Novel 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 Plunderers: A Novel

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Plunderers: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Christmas
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Plunderers: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Middle
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Plunderers: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Height
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Plunderers: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Weight
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Plunderers: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.