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The secret spring
The secret spring

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of The secret spring is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The secret spring
Context Illustration Reading 1/81 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
He held out his hands.
His emotion told me that there was something still to come.
"I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.
I am more conscious of it than ever now you are going.
I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The secret spring

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of The secret spring is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
He held out his hands.
/hiː held aʊt hɪz hændz/
Line 2
His emotion told me that there was something still to come.
/hɪz ɪˈmoʊʃən toʊld miː ðæt ðer wɑːz ˈsʌmθɪŋ stɪl tuː kʌm/
Line 3
"I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.
/aɪ wʊd nɑːt fɔːr ˈeniθɪŋ hɑːrk bæk tuː ˈaʊər ˌkɑːnvərˈseɪʃən ʌv ðɪs ˈmɔːrnɪŋ hiː ˈmɜːrmərd æt leŋkθ bʌt juː noʊ maɪ bɔɪ ðə ˈɪntrəst aɪ teɪk ɪn juː/
Line 4
I am more conscious of it than ever now you are going.
/aɪ æm mɔːr ˈkɑːnʃəs ʌv ɪt ðæn ˈevər naʊ juː ɑːr ˈɡoʊɪŋ/
Line 5
I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.
/aɪ beɡ ʌv juː ˈnevər tuː jiːld tuː ðə dɪˈzaɪər ˈiːvɪn tuː ðə ˌɪnvɪˈteɪʃənz juː wɪl ˈdaʊtləs ɡet tuː biː drɔːn frʌm jɔːr ˌækəˈdemɪk ˈfʌŋkʃənz/

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.

academic adjective US /ˌækəˈdemɪk/

associated with academia or an academy

From this reading “I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.”

beg verb US /beɡ/

call upon in supplication; entreat

From this reading “I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.”

doubtless adverb US /ˈdaʊtləs/

without doubt; certainly

From this reading “I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.”

emotion noun US /ɪˈmoʊʃən/

any strong feeling

From this reading “His emotion told me that there was something still to come.”

functions noun US /ˈfʌŋkʃənz/

plural of “function” — (mathematics) a mathematical relation such that each element of a given set (the domain of the function) is associated with an element of another set (the range of the function)

From this reading “I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.”

hark verb US /hɑːrk/

listen; used mostly in the imperative

From this reading “"I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.”

invitations noun US /ˌɪnvɪˈteɪʃənz/

plural of “invitation” — a request (spoken or written) to participate or be present or take part in something

From this reading “I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.”

yield verb US /jiːld/

be the cause or source of

From this reading “I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.”

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.

at length preposition + noun

in a lengthy or prolix manner

In this reading “"I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.”

hark back verb + particle

go back to something earlier

In this reading “"I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.”

All words in this reading · 63

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.

academicadjectiveUS /ˌækəˈdemɪk/

associated with academia or an academy

From this reading I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading I am more conscious of it than ever now you are going.

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading I am more conscious of it than ever now you are going.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.

begverbUS /beɡ/

call upon in supplication; entreat

From this reading I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.

boynounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading His emotion told me that there was something still to come.

consciousadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːnʃəs/

intentionally conceived

From this reading I am more conscious of it than ever now you are going.

conversationnounUS /ˌkɑːnvərˈseɪʃən/

the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

desirenounUS /dɪˈzaɪər/

the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state

From this reading I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.

doubtlessadverbUS /ˈdaʊtləs/

without doubt; certainly

From this reading I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.

drawnadjectiveUS /drɔːn/

showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering

From this reading I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.

emotionnounUS /ɪˈmoʊʃən/

any strong feeling

From this reading His emotion told me that there was something still to come.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading I am more conscious of it than ever now you are going.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.

functionsnounUS /ˈfʌŋkʃənz/

plural of “function” — (mathematics) a mathematical relation such that each element of a given set (the domain of the function) is associated with an element of another set (the range of the function)

From this reading I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading I am more conscious of it than ever now you are going.

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading He held out his hands.

harkverbUS /hɑːrk/

listen; used mostly in the imperative

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He held out his hands.

heldadjectiveUS /held/

occupied or in the control of; often used in combination

From this reading He held out his hands.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He held out his hands.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

interestnounUS /ˈɪntrəst/

a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

invitationsnounUS /ˌɪnvɪˈteɪʃənz/

plural of “invitation” — a request (spoken or written) to participate or be present or take part in something

From this reading I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading I am more conscious of it than ever now you are going.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

lengthnounUS /leŋkθ/

the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading His emotion told me that there was something still to come.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading I am more conscious of it than ever now you are going.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

murmuredverbUS /ˈmɜːrmərd/

past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading I am more conscious of it than ever now you are going.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading He held out his hands.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading His emotion told me that there was something still to come.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading His emotion told me that there was something still to come.

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading I am more conscious of it than ever now you are going.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading His emotion told me that there was something still to come.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading His emotion told me that there was something still to come.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading His emotion told me that there was something still to come.

toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading His emotion told me that there was something still to come.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading His emotion told me that there was something still to come.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

yieldverbUS /jiːld/

be the cause or source of

From this reading I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I take in you.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading I beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions.

Chapter 3 of The secret spring by Pierre Benoît holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 3 of The secret spring contain?

Chapter 3 holds 409 sentences of The secret spring, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of The secret spring by Pierre Benoît exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 3 of The secret spring?

Work through the 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 82 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 3 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 3 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 secret spring

Common questions about reading The secret spring by Pierre Benoît on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The secret spring?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The secret spring is used?

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

How long does The secret spring take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The secret spring

Words and structures a reader meets early in The secret spring, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of The secret spring, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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