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The trail of the serpent
The trail of the serpent

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of The trail of the serpent is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The trail of the serpent
Context Illustration Reading 1/23 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A GOLDEN SECRET.
MR.
JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.
For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.
Truly a good young man, this Jabez.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The trail of the serpent

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of The trail of the serpent is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/23 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A GOLDEN SECRET.
/ə ˈɡoʊldən ˈsiː.krət/
Line 2
MR.
/ˈmɪstər/
Line 3
JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.
Line 4
For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.
/fɔːr wʌns ɪn ə weɪ hiː ˈɔːfərd ˈsʌmθɪŋ mɔːr ðæn ˈsɪmpəθi ənd ədˈmɪnəstərd wʌt ˈlɪtəl help hiː kʊd əˈfɔːrd frʌm hɪz ˈveri ˈslendər pɜːrs/
Line 5
Truly a good young man, this Jabez.

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.

administered verb US /ədˈmɪnəstərd/

past form of “administer” — work in an administrative capacity; supervise or be in charge of

From this reading “For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.”

afford verb US /əˈfɔːrd/

be able to spare or give up

From this reading “For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.”

benevolent adjective US /bəˈnevələnt/

intending or showing kindness

From this reading “JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.”

Blind noun US /blaɪnd/

people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group

From this reading “JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.”

inquiries noun US /ˌɪnˈkwaɪəriz/

plural of “inquiry” — a search for knowledge

From this reading “JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.”

purse noun US /pɜːrs/

a container used for carrying money and small personal items or accessories (especially by women)

From this reading “For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.”

slender adjective US /ˈslendər/

being of delicate or slender build

From this reading “For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.”

sympathetic adjective US /ˌsɪmpəˈθetɪk/

of or relating to the sympathetic nervous system

From this reading “JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.”

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.

next day adjective + noun

In this reading “JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.”

young man adjective + noun

a teenager or a young adult male

In this reading “Truly a good young man, this Jabez.”

sick man adjective + noun

In this reading “JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.”

All words in this reading · 50

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 A GOLDEN SECRET.

administeredverbUS /ədˈmɪnəstərd/

past form of “administer” — work in an administrative capacity; supervise or be in charge of

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

affordverbUS /əˈfɔːrd/

be able to spare or give up

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

benevolentadjectiveUS /bəˈnevələnt/

intending or showing kindness

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

BlindnounUS /blaɪnd/

people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

characternounUS /ˈkerɪktər/

an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

GOLDENadjectiveUS /ˈɡoʊldən/

having the deep slightly brownish color of gold

From this reading A GOLDEN SECRET.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading Truly a good young man, this Jabez.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

helpverbUS /help/

give help or assistance; be of service

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

inquiriesnounUS /ˌɪnˈkwaɪəriz/

plural of “inquiry” — a search for knowledge

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

JABEZ

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

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

kindadjectiveUS /kaɪnd/

having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

mannounUS /mæn/

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

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

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

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

MRnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading MR.

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

NORTHnounUS /nɔːrθ/

the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

offeredverbUS /ˈɔːfərd/

past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

PeternounUS /ˈpiːtər/

disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

pursenounUS /pɜːrs/

a container used for carrying money and small personal items or accessories (especially by women)

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

SECRETnounUS /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading A GOLDEN SECRET.

sickadjectiveUS /sɪk/

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

slenderadjectiveUS /ˈslendər/

being of delicate or slender build

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

sympatheticadjectiveUS /ˌsɪmpəˈθetɪk/

of or relating to the sympathetic nervous system

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

sympathynounUS /ˈsɪmpəθi/

an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading Truly a good young man, this Jabez.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

trulyadverbUS /ˈtruːli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading JABEZ NORTH, being of such a truly benevolent character, came the next day to Blind Peter, full of kind and sympathetic inquiries for the sick man.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading For once in a way he offered something more than sympathy, and administered what little help he could afford from his very slender purse.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading Truly a good young man, this Jabez.

Chapter 11 of The trail of the serpent by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon holds 118 sentences, grouped into 24 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 11 of The trail of the serpent contain?

Chapter 11 holds 118 sentences of The trail of the serpent, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 11 of The trail of the serpent by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 118 sentences, grouped into 24 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 11 of The trail of the serpent?

Work through the 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 24 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 11 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 11 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 trail of the serpent

Common questions about reading The trail of the serpent by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The trail of the serpent?

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

Which edition of The trail of the serpent is used?

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

How long does The trail of the serpent take to read?

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

How to read The trail of the serpent section by section

How to work through The trail of the serpent section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The trail of the serpent

Words and structures a reader meets early in The trail of the serpent, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

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