Chapter 2 of The Stolen Statesman is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Stolen Statesman is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There was silence for a long time. It seemed that the last hope had vanished. Smeaton stood for a long time lost in thought. Then he roused himself from his reverie. "It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.
Chapter 2 of The Stolen Statesman is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
closing the eyes intermittently and rapidly
From this reading “"It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.”
past form of “confront” — oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading “"It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.”
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “"It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.”
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading “"It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.”
absentminded dreaming while awake
From this reading “Then he roused himself from his reverie.”
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading “Then he roused himself from his reverie.”
under normal conditions
From this reading “"It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.”
having passed out of existence
From this reading “It seemed that the last hope had vanished.”
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 a lengthy or prolix manner
In this reading “"It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.”
a prolonged period of time
In this reading “There was silence for a long time.”
In this reading “"It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.”
In this reading “"It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.”
In this reading “Smeaton stood for a long time lost in thought.”
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 There was silence for a long time.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.
closing the eyes intermittently and rapidly
From this reading "It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.
an occurrence of something
From this reading "It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.
past form of “confront” — oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading "It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading "It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading "It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There was silence for a long time.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Then he roused himself from his reverie.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It seemed that the last hope had vanished.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then he roused himself from his reverie.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Then he roused himself from his reverie.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then he roused himself from his reverie.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading It seemed that the last hope had vanished.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Smeaton stood for a long time lost in thought.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed that the last hope had vanished.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.
immediately past
From this reading It seemed that the last hope had vanished.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading "It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading There was silence for a long time.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Smeaton stood for a long time lost in thought.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.
not any; not one
From this reading "It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.
absentminded dreaming while awake
From this reading Then he roused himself from his reverie.
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading Then he roused himself from his reverie.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed that the last hope had vanished.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading There was silence for a long time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Smeaton stood for a long time lost in thought.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Smeaton stood for a long time lost in thought.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It seemed that the last hope had vanished.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It seemed that the last hope had vanished.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he roused himself from his reverie.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was silence for a long time.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Smeaton stood for a long time lost in thought.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading There was silence for a long time.
the act of using
From this reading "It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.
under normal conditions
From this reading "It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.
having passed out of existence
From this reading It seemed that the last hope had vanished.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was silence for a long time.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "It's no use blinking the fact that we are confronted with a more than usually difficult case," he said, at length.
Chapter 2 of The Stolen Statesman by William Le Queux holds 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 2 holds 428 sentences of The Stolen Statesman, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Stolen Statesman by William Le Queux exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 2 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 Stolen Statesman by William Le Queux on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4699 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41130 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41130, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 391 minutes of reading across 940 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Stolen Statesman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Stolen Statesman 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 Stolen Statesman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
