Chapter 9 of The Princess Dehra is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Princess Dehra is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Surely! surely! it can’t be that I am listening to the Duke of Lotzen!... But, of course, you know what the decree is.” And now he lied, and so easily and promptly that even she did not suspect. “No,” said he, “I don’t; I lost the Book before I had a chance to open it. All I know is what that blotter tells.
Chapter 9 of The Princess Dehra is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
absorbent paper used to dry ink
From this reading “All I know is what that blotter tells.”
issue a decree
From this reading “But, of course, you know what the decree is.””
a British peer of the highest rank
From this reading ““Surely! surely! it can’t be that I am listening to the Duke of Lotzen!...”
a German art song of the 19th century for voice and piano
From this reading “And now he lied, and so easily and promptly that even she did not suspect.”
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading ““Surely! surely! it can’t be that I am listening to the Duke of Lotzen!...”
with little or no delay
From this reading “And now he lied, and so easily and promptly that even she did not suspect.”
imagine to be the case or true or probable
From this reading “And now he lied, and so easily and promptly that even she did not suspect.”
plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer
From this reading “All I know is what that blotter tells.”
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.
as might be expected
In this reading “But, of course, you know what the decree is.””
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 “No,” said he, “I don’t; I lost the Book before I had a chance to open it.
(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 All I know is what that blotter tells.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “Surely! surely! it can’t be that I am listening to the Duke of Lotzen!...
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And now he lied, and so easily and promptly that even she did not suspect.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Surely! surely! it can’t be that I am listening to the Duke of Lotzen!...
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “No,” said he, “I don’t; I lost the Book before I had a chance to open it.
absorbent paper used to dry ink
From this reading All I know is what that blotter tells.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading “No,” said he, “I don’t; I lost the Book before I had a chance to open it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But, of course, you know what the decree is.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Surely! surely! it can’t be that I am listening to the Duke of Lotzen!...
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “No,” said he, “I don’t; I lost the Book before I had a chance to open it.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading But, of course, you know what the decree is.”
issue a decree
From this reading But, of course, you know what the decree is.”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading And now he lied, and so easily and promptly that even she did not suspect.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No,” said he, “I don’t; I lost the Book before I had a chance to open it.
a British peer of the highest rank
From this reading “Surely! surely! it can’t be that I am listening to the Duke of Lotzen!...
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading And now he lied, and so easily and promptly that even she did not suspect.
divisible by two
From this reading And now he lied, and so easily and promptly that even she did not suspect.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “No,” said he, “I don’t; I lost the Book before I had a chance to open it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And now he lied, and so easily and promptly that even she did not suspect.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Surely! surely! it can’t be that I am listening to the Duke of Lotzen!...
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But, of course, you know what the decree is.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Surely! surely! it can’t be that I am listening to the Duke of Lotzen!...
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading But, of course, you know what the decree is.”
a German art song of the 19th century for voice and piano
From this reading And now he lied, and so easily and promptly that even she did not suspect.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading “Surely! surely! it can’t be that I am listening to the Duke of Lotzen!...
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading “No,” said he, “I don’t; I lost the Book before I had a chance to open it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Surely! surely! it can’t be that I am listening to the Duke of Lotzen!...
not any; not one
From this reading “No,” said he, “I don’t; I lost the Book before I had a chance to open it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading And now he lied, and so easily and promptly that even she did not suspect.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now he lied, and so easily and promptly that even she did not suspect.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Surely! surely! it can’t be that I am listening to the Duke of Lotzen!...
To move from a closed position.
From this reading “No,” said he, “I don’t; I lost the Book before I had a chance to open it.
with little or no delay
From this reading And now he lied, and so easily and promptly that even she did not suspect.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “No,” said he, “I don’t; I lost the Book before I had a chance to open it.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And now he lied, and so easily and promptly that even she did not suspect.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And now he lied, and so easily and promptly that even she did not suspect.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “Surely! surely! it can’t be that I am listening to the Duke of Lotzen!...
imagine to be the case or true or probable
From this reading And now he lied, and so easily and promptly that even she did not suspect.
plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer
From this reading All I know is what that blotter tells.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Surely! surely! it can’t be that I am listening to the Duke of Lotzen!...
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Surely! surely! it can’t be that I am listening to the Duke of Lotzen!...
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Surely! surely! it can’t be that I am listening to the Duke of Lotzen!...
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But, of course, you know what the decree is.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But, of course, you know what the decree is.”
Chapter 9 of The Princess Dehra by John Reed Scott holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 9 holds 420 sentences of The Princess Dehra, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Princess Dehra by John Reed Scott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 9 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 Princess Dehra by John Reed Scott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4241 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40034 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40034, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 353 minutes of reading across 849 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Princess Dehra section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Princess Dehra 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 Princess Dehra, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
