Chapter 6 of The Under-Secretary is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Under-Secretary is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She glanced at her guest quickly, for she was used to men's jealousies. Yet surely this scion of an Imperial House could not be jealous! "And for what reason, pray?" she asked, puzzled. "Because of a regrettable circumstance," he answered mysteriously. "Because of a forthcoming exposure which will be startling.
Chapter 6 of The Under-Secretary is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 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.
vulnerability to the elements; to the action of heat or cold or wind or rain
From this reading “"Because of a forthcoming exposure which will be startling.”
at ease in talking to others
From this reading “"Because of a forthcoming exposure which will be startling.”
relating to or associated with an empire
From this reading “Yet surely this scion of an Imperial House could not be jealous!”
plural of “jealousy” — a feeling of jealous envy (especially of a rival)
From this reading “She glanced at her guest quickly, for she was used to men's jealousies.”
a public toilet for men
From this reading “She glanced at her guest quickly, for she was used to men's jealousies.”
in a cryptic manner
From this reading “"Because of a regrettable circumstance," he answered mysteriously.”
deserving regret
From this reading “"Because of a regrettable circumstance," he answered mysteriously.”
a descendent or heir
From this reading “Yet surely this scion of an Imperial House could not be jealous!”
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 this reading “She glanced at her guest quickly, for she was used to men's jealousies.”
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 "Because of a regrettable circumstance," he answered mysteriously.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Yet surely this scion of an Imperial House could not be jealous!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And for what reason, pray?" she asked, puzzled.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Because of a regrettable circumstance," he answered mysteriously.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "And for what reason, pray?" she asked, puzzled.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She glanced at her guest quickly, for she was used to men's jealousies.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Yet surely this scion of an Imperial House could not be jealous!
for the reason that
From this reading "Because of a regrettable circumstance," he answered mysteriously.
a condition that accompanies or influences some event or activity
From this reading "Because of a regrettable circumstance," he answered mysteriously.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Yet surely this scion of an Imperial House could not be jealous!
vulnerability to the elements; to the action of heat or cold or wind or rain
From this reading "Because of a forthcoming exposure which will be startling.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She glanced at her guest quickly, for she was used to men's jealousies.
at ease in talking to others
From this reading "Because of a forthcoming exposure which will be startling.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading She glanced at her guest quickly, for she was used to men's jealousies.
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading She glanced at her guest quickly, for she was used to men's jealousies.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Because of a regrettable circumstance," he answered mysteriously.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She glanced at her guest quickly, for she was used to men's jealousies.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Yet surely this scion of an Imperial House could not be jealous!
relating to or associated with an empire
From this reading Yet surely this scion of an Imperial House could not be jealous!
showing extreme cupidity; painfully desirous of another's advantages
From this reading Yet surely this scion of an Imperial House could not be jealous!
plural of “jealousy” — a feeling of jealous envy (especially of a rival)
From this reading She glanced at her guest quickly, for she was used to men's jealousies.
a public toilet for men
From this reading She glanced at her guest quickly, for she was used to men's jealousies.
in a cryptic manner
From this reading "Because of a regrettable circumstance," he answered mysteriously.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Yet surely this scion of an Imperial House could not be jealous!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Yet surely this scion of an Imperial House could not be jealous!
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading "And for what reason, pray?" she asked, puzzled.
filled with bewilderment
From this reading "And for what reason, pray?" she asked, puzzled.
with speed
From this reading She glanced at her guest quickly, for she was used to men's jealousies.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading "And for what reason, pray?" she asked, puzzled.
deserving regret
From this reading "Because of a regrettable circumstance," he answered mysteriously.
a descendent or heir
From this reading Yet surely this scion of an Imperial House could not be jealous!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She glanced at her guest quickly, for she was used to men's jealousies.
so remarkably different or sudden as to cause momentary shock or alarm
From this reading "Because of a forthcoming exposure which will be startling.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading Yet surely this scion of an Imperial House could not be jealous!
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Yet surely this scion of an Imperial House could not be jealous!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She glanced at her guest quickly, for she was used to men's jealousies.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading She glanced at her guest quickly, for she was used to men's jealousies.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She glanced at her guest quickly, for she was used to men's jealousies.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "And for what reason, pray?" she asked, puzzled.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Because of a forthcoming exposure which will be startling.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Because of a forthcoming exposure which will be startling.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet surely this scion of an Imperial House could not be jealous!
Chapter 6 of The Under-Secretary by William Le Queux holds 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 425 sentences of The Under-Secretary, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Under-Secretary by William Le Queux exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Under-Secretary by William Le Queux on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4668 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40834 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40834, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 389 minutes of reading across 934 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Under-Secretary section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Under-Secretary 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 Under-Secretary, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
