Chapter 6 of The Second Fiddle is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Second Fiddle is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When anything happened, Julian's first instinct was to happen with it. He had never been in the rear of a situation in his life. The blow of the Austrian ultimatum reached him on a yacht in mid-channel. There was a cabinet minister on board, for whose sake the yacht slewed round to make her way swiftly back to port. Julian went directly to him.
Chapter 6 of The Second Fiddle is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
a native or inhabitant of Austria
From this reading “The blow of the Austrian ultimatum reached him on a yacht in mid-channel.”
a piece of furniture resembling a cupboard with doors and shelves and drawers; for storage or display
From this reading “There was a cabinet minister on board, for whose sake the yacht slewed round to make her way swiftly back to port.”
inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
From this reading “When anything happened, Julian's first instinct was to happen with it.”
Roman Emperor and nephew of Constantine; he restored paganism as the official religion of the Roman Empire and destroyed Christian temples but his decision was reversed after his death (331?-363)
From this reading “When anything happened, Julian's first instinct was to happen with it.”
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading “He had never been in the rear of a situation in his life.”
in a swift manner
From this reading “There was a cabinet minister on board, for whose sake the yacht slewed round to make her way swiftly back to port.”
a final peremptory demand
From this reading “The blow of the Austrian ultimatum reached him on a yacht in mid-channel.”
an expensive vessel propelled by sail or power and used for cruising or racing
From this reading “The blow of the Austrian ultimatum reached him on a yacht in mid-channel.”
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 a ship, train, plane or other vehicle
In this reading “There was a cabinet minister on board, for whose sake the yacht slewed round to make her way swiftly back to port.”
In this reading “Julian went directly to him.”
In this reading “He had never been in the rear of a situation in his life.”
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 He had never been in the rear of a situation in his life.
any thing at all
From this reading When anything happened, Julian's first instinct was to happen with it.
a native or inhabitant of Austria
From this reading The blow of the Austrian ultimatum reached him on a yacht in mid-channel.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading There was a cabinet minister on board, for whose sake the yacht slewed round to make her way swiftly back to port.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had never been in the rear of a situation in his life.
exhale hard
From this reading The blow of the Austrian ultimatum reached him on a yacht in mid-channel.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading There was a cabinet minister on board, for whose sake the yacht slewed round to make her way swiftly back to port.
a piece of furniture resembling a cupboard with doors and shelves and drawers; for storage or display
From this reading There was a cabinet minister on board, for whose sake the yacht slewed round to make her way swiftly back to port.
without deviation
From this reading Julian went directly to him.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading When anything happened, Julian's first instinct was to happen with it.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There was a cabinet minister on board, for whose sake the yacht slewed round to make her way swiftly back to port.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had never been in the rear of a situation in his life.
come to pass
From this reading When anything happened, Julian's first instinct was to happen with it.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading When anything happened, Julian's first instinct was to happen with it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had never been in the rear of a situation in his life.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading There was a cabinet minister on board, for whose sake the yacht slewed round to make her way swiftly back to port.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The blow of the Austrian ultimatum reached him on a yacht in mid-channel.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had never been in the rear of a situation in his life.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had never been in the rear of a situation in his life.
inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
From this reading When anything happened, Julian's first instinct was to happen with it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When anything happened, Julian's first instinct was to happen with it.
Roman Emperor and nephew of Constantine; he restored paganism as the official religion of the Roman Empire and destroyed Christian temples but his decision was reversed after his death (331?-363)
From this reading Julian went directly to him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When anything happened, Julian's first instinct was to happen with it.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading He had never been in the rear of a situation in his life.
engage in
From this reading There was a cabinet minister on board, for whose sake the yacht slewed round to make her way swiftly back to port.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The blow of the Austrian ultimatum reached him on a yacht in mid-channel.
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading There was a cabinet minister on board, for whose sake the yacht slewed round to make her way swiftly back to port.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He had never been in the rear of a situation in his life.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had never been in the rear of a situation in his life.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The blow of the Austrian ultimatum reached him on a yacht in mid-channel.
a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country
From this reading There was a cabinet minister on board, for whose sake the yacht slewed round to make her way swiftly back to port.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading The blow of the Austrian ultimatum reached him on a yacht in mid-channel.
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading He had never been in the rear of a situation in his life.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading There was a cabinet minister on board, for whose sake the yacht slewed round to make her way swiftly back to port.
a reason for wanting something done
From this reading There was a cabinet minister on board, for whose sake the yacht slewed round to make her way swiftly back to port.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading He had never been in the rear of a situation in his life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a cabinet minister on board, for whose sake the yacht slewed round to make her way swiftly back to port.
in a swift manner
From this reading There was a cabinet minister on board, for whose sake the yacht slewed round to make her way swiftly back to port.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He had never been in the rear of a situation in his life.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a cabinet minister on board, for whose sake the yacht slewed round to make her way swiftly back to port.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When anything happened, Julian's first instinct was to happen with it.
a final peremptory demand
From this reading The blow of the Austrian ultimatum reached him on a yacht in mid-channel.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When anything happened, Julian's first instinct was to happen with it.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading There was a cabinet minister on board, for whose sake the yacht slewed round to make her way swiftly back to port.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Julian went directly to him.
at the time that
From this reading When anything happened, Julian's first instinct was to happen with it.
belonging to which person
From this reading There was a cabinet minister on board, for whose sake the yacht slewed round to make her way swiftly back to port.
in the company of; together with
From this reading When anything happened, Julian's first instinct was to happen with it.
an expensive vessel propelled by sail or power and used for cruising or racing
From this reading The blow of the Austrian ultimatum reached him on a yacht in mid-channel.
Chapter 6 of The Second Fiddle by Phyllis Bottome holds 95 sentences, grouped into 19 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 6 holds 95 sentences of The Second Fiddle, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Second Fiddle by Phyllis Bottome exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 95 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 6 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 Second Fiddle by Phyllis Bottome on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4282 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41107 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41107, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 356 minutes of reading across 857 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Second Fiddle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Second Fiddle 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 Second Fiddle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
