Chapter 23 of The Poniard's Hilt is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Poniard's Hilt is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE RESCUE. The prisoners in the _ergastula_ had drawn as close as possible to the iron railing. Little Odille, who had fallen asleep on the knees of the bishopess, awoke with a start, saying: "Ronan, are they coming to take us to the place of execution? I am ready for everything."
Chapter 23 of The Poniard's Hilt is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
in a state of sleep
From this reading “Little Odille, who had fallen asleep on the knees of the bishopess, awoke with a start, saying:”
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading “Little Odille, who had fallen asleep on the knees of the bishopess, awoke with a start, saying:”
putting a condemned person to death
From this reading “"Ronan, are they coming to take us to the place of execution?”
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading “The prisoners in the _ergastula_ had drawn as close as possible to the iron railing.”
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading “Little Odille, who had fallen asleep on the knees of the bishopess, awoke with a start, saying:”
plural of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading “The prisoners in the _ergastula_ had drawn as close as possible to the iron railing.”
a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading “The prisoners in the _ergastula_ had drawn as close as possible to the iron railing.”
free from harm or evil
From this reading “THE RESCUE.”
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 “The prisoners in the _ergastula_ had drawn as close as possible to the iron railing.”
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 Little Odille, who had fallen asleep on the knees of the bishopess, awoke with a start, saying:
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am ready for everything."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Ronan, are they coming to take us to the place of execution?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The prisoners in the _ergastula_ had drawn as close as possible to the iron railing.
in a state of sleep
From this reading Little Odille, who had fallen asleep on the knees of the bishopess, awoke with a start, saying:
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading Little Odille, who had fallen asleep on the knees of the bishopess, awoke with a start, saying:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Little Odille, who had fallen asleep on the knees of the bishopess, awoke with a start, saying:
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading The prisoners in the _ergastula_ had drawn as close as possible to the iron railing.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "Ronan, are they coming to take us to the place of execution?
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading The prisoners in the _ergastula_ had drawn as close as possible to the iron railing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The prisoners in the _ergastula_ had drawn as close as possible to the iron railing.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading I am ready for everything."
putting a condemned person to death
From this reading "Ronan, are they coming to take us to the place of execution?
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading Little Odille, who had fallen asleep on the knees of the bishopess, awoke with a start, saying:
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I am ready for everything."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The prisoners in the _ergastula_ had drawn as close as possible to the iron railing.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I am ready for everything."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The prisoners in the _ergastula_ had drawn as close as possible to the iron railing.
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading The prisoners in the _ergastula_ had drawn as close as possible to the iron railing.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading Little Odille, who had fallen asleep on the knees of the bishopess, awoke with a start, saying:
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Little Odille, who had fallen asleep on the knees of the bishopess, awoke with a start, saying:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Little Odille, who had fallen asleep on the knees of the bishopess, awoke with a start, saying:
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Little Odille, who had fallen asleep on the knees of the bishopess, awoke with a start, saying:
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Little Odille, who had fallen asleep on the knees of the bishopess, awoke with a start, saying:
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading "Ronan, are they coming to take us to the place of execution?
capable of happening or existing
From this reading The prisoners in the _ergastula_ had drawn as close as possible to the iron railing.
plural of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading The prisoners in the _ergastula_ had drawn as close as possible to the iron railing.
a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading The prisoners in the _ergastula_ had drawn as close as possible to the iron railing.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading I am ready for everything."
free from harm or evil
From this reading THE RESCUE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ronan, are they coming to take us to the place of execution?
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading Little Odille, who had fallen asleep on the knees of the bishopess, awoke with a start, saying:
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Little Odille, who had fallen asleep on the knees of the bishopess, awoke with a start, saying:
carry out
From this reading "Ronan, are they coming to take us to the place of execution?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE RESCUE.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Ronan, are they coming to take us to the place of execution?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The prisoners in the _ergastula_ had drawn as close as possible to the iron railing.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Ronan, are they coming to take us to the place of execution?
which person or people
From this reading Little Odille, who had fallen asleep on the knees of the bishopess, awoke with a start, saying:
in the company of; together with
From this reading Little Odille, who had fallen asleep on the knees of the bishopess, awoke with a start, saying:
Chapter 23 of The Poniard's Hilt by Eugène Sue holds 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 holds 112 sentences of The Poniard's Hilt, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Poniard's Hilt by Eugène Sue exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 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.
Common questions about reading The Poniard's Hilt by Eugène Sue on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4966 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31782 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31782, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 413 minutes of reading across 994 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Poniard's Hilt section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Poniard's Hilt to begin.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Poniard's Hilt, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
