The Spider

Chapter VIII · The Grief of Ida

Chapter VIII of The Spider, “The Grief of Ida,” is here in full — 328 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Fergus Hume • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

And in this case the happiness of his whole life was at stake.

The visit of Lady Corsoon to enlist him on her side with the bribe of supporting his suit for her daughter was one of those unexpected cards which Fate deals us to win in the game of life.

It was a veritable ace, with which Vernon hoped to trump Maunders' trick.

Hitherto the handsome scamp had had everything his own way.

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

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Chapter VIII Reading 1/65

The Spider

Chapter VIII · The Grief of Ida

Chapter VIII of The Spider, “The Grief of Ida,” is here in full — 328 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/65 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

Line 2

And in this case the happiness of his whole life was at stake.

/ənd ɪn ðɪs keɪs ðə ˈhæpinəs ʌv hɪz hoʊl laɪf wɑːz æt steɪk/

Line 3

The visit of Lady Corsoon to enlist him on her side with the bribe of supporting his suit for her daughter was one of those unexpected cards which Fate deals us to win in the game of life.

Line 4

It was a veritable ace, with which Vernon hoped to trump Maunders' trick.

Line 5

Hitherto the handsome scamp had had everything his own way.

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.

ace noun US /eɪs/

the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number

From this reading “It was a veritable ace, with which Vernon hoped to trump Maunders' trick.”

bribe noun US /braɪb/

payment made to a person in a position of trust to corrupt his judgment

From this reading “The visit of Lady Corsoon to enlist him on her side with the bribe of supporting his suit for her daughter was one of those unexpected cards which Fate deals us to win in the game of life.”

deals noun US /diːlz/

plural of “deal” — a particular instance of buying or selling

enlist verb US /ˌenˈlɪst/

join the military

stake noun US /steɪk/

(law) a right or legal share of something; a financial involvement with something

From this reading “And in this case the happiness of his whole life was at stake.”

supporting adjective US /səˈpɔːrtɪŋ/

furnishing support and encouragement

trump verb US /trʌmp/

produce a sound as if from a trumpet

From this reading “It was a veritable ace, with which Vernon hoped to trump Maunders' trick.”

veritable adjective US /ˈverɪtəbəl/

often used as intensifiers

From this reading “It was a veritable ace, with which Vernon hoped to trump Maunders' trick.”

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 stake preposition + noun

in question or at issue

In this reading “And in this case the happiness of his whole life was at stake.”

whole life adjective + noun

In this reading “And in this case the happiness of his whole life was at stake.”

own way verb + noun

In this reading “Hitherto the handsome scamp had had everything his own way.”

gain by verb + particle

In this reading “Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.”

All words in this reading · 67

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading It was a veritable ace, with which Vernon hoped to trump Maunders' trick.

acenounUS /eɪs/

the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number

From this reading It was a veritable ace, with which Vernon hoped to trump Maunders' trick.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading And in this case the happiness of his whole life was at stake.

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading And in this case the happiness of his whole life was at stake.

bribenounUS /braɪb/

payment made to a person in a position of trust to corrupt his judgment

From this reading The visit of Lady Corsoon to enlist him on her side with the bribe of supporting his suit for her daughter was one of those unexpected cards which Fate deals us to win in the game of life.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

cardsnounUS /kɑːrdz/

a game played with playing cards

casenounUS /keɪs/

an occurrence of something

From this reading And in this case the happiness of his whole life was at stake.

Corsoon

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

daughternounUS /ˈdɔːtər/

a female human offspring

dealsnounUS /diːlz/

plural of “deal” — a particular instance of buying or selling

enlistverbUS /ˌenˈlɪst/

join the military

everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading Hitherto the handsome scamp had had everything his own way.

FatenounUS /feɪt/

an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future

feetnounUS /fiːt/

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

gainverbUS /ɡeɪn/

obtain

From this reading Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

gamenounUS /ɡeɪm/

a contest with rules to determine a winner

grassverbUS /ɡræs/

shoot down, of birds

From this reading Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

growverbUS /ɡroʊ/

pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

From this reading Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Hitherto the handsome scamp had had everything his own way.

handsomeadjectiveUS /ˈhænsəm/

pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion

From this reading Hitherto the handsome scamp had had everything his own way.

happinessnounUS /ˈhæpinəs/

state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy

From this reading And in this case the happiness of his whole life was at stake.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

HithertoadverbUS /ˈhɪðɜːrˈtuː/

used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time

From this reading Hitherto the handsome scamp had had everything his own way.

hopedverbUS /hoʊpt/

past form of “hope” — expect and wish

From this reading It was a veritable ace, with which Vernon hoped to trump Maunders' trick.

hurrynounUS /ˈhɜːri/

a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry

From this reading Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading And in this case the happiness of his whole life was at stake.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was a veritable ace, with which Vernon hoped to trump Maunders' trick.

LadynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading And in this case the happiness of his whole life was at stake.

mannounUS /mæn/

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

From this reading Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

Maunders

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

From this reading It was a veritable ace, with which Vernon hoped to trump Maunders' trick.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading And in this case the happiness of his whole life was at stake.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading Hitherto the handsome scamp had had everything his own way.

scampnoun

one who is playfully mischievous

From this reading Hitherto the handsome scamp had had everything his own way.

sidenounUS /saɪd/

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

stakenounUS /steɪk/

(law) a right or legal share of something; a financial involvement with something

From this reading And in this case the happiness of his whole life was at stake.

suitverbUS /suːt/

be agreeable or acceptable to

supportingadjectiveUS /səˈpɔːrtɪŋ/

furnishing support and encouragement

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading And in this case the happiness of his whole life was at stake.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

tricknounUS /trɪk/

a cunning or deceitful action or device

From this reading It was a veritable ace, with which Vernon hoped to trump Maunders' trick.

trumpverbUS /trʌmp/

produce a sound as if from a trumpet

From this reading It was a veritable ace, with which Vernon hoped to trump Maunders' trick.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

unexpectedadjectiveUS /ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪd/

not expected or anticipated

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

veritableadjectiveUS /ˈverɪtəbəl/

often used as intensifiers

From this reading It was a veritable ace, with which Vernon hoped to trump Maunders' trick.

Vernon

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

From this reading Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

visitverbUS /ˈvɪzɪt/

go to see a place, as for entertainment

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading Hitherto the handsome scamp had had everything his own way.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there was anything to gain by hurry.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

wholeadjectiveUS /hoʊl/

including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete

From this reading And in this case the happiness of his whole life was at stake.

winverbUS /wɪn/

be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

Chapter 8 of The Spider by Fergus Hume holds 328 sentences, grouped into 66 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 8 of The Spider contain?

Chapter 8 holds 328 sentences of The Spider, unabridged, divided into 66 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of The Spider by Fergus Hume exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 328 sentences, grouped into 66 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.

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Work through the 66 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 66 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.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 8 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.

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Chapter VIII · The Grief of Ida

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