Chapter 4 of The Vultures is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Vultures is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Paul Deulin walked slowly up the faubourg towards the new town. The clocks were striking the hour. He took off his hat, and gave a little sigh of enjoyment of the fresh air and bright sun. “Just Heaven, forgive me!” he said, with upturned eyes. “I have already told several lies, and it is only eight o'clock.
Chapter 4 of The Vultures is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
European weed naturalized in southwestern United States and Mexico having reddish decumbent stems with small fernlike leaves and small deep reddish-lavender flowers followed by slender fruits that stick straight up; often grown for forage
From this reading “The clocks were striking the hour.”
the pleasure felt when having a good time
From this reading “He took off his hat, and gave a little sigh of enjoyment of the fresh air and bright sun.”
stop blaming or grant forgiveness
From this reading ““Just Heaven, forgive me!” he said, with upturned eyes.”
plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth
From this reading ““I have already told several lies, and it is only eight o'clock.”
according to the clock
From this reading ““I have already told several lies, and it is only eight o'clock.”
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading “Paul Deulin walked slowly up the faubourg towards the new town.”
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “He took off his hat, and gave a little sigh of enjoyment of the fresh air and bright sun.”
sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect
From this reading “The clocks were striking the hour.”
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 He took off his hat, and gave a little sigh of enjoyment of the fresh air and bright sun.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading He took off his hat, and gave a little sigh of enjoyment of the fresh air and bright sun.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading “I have already told several lies, and it is only eight o'clock.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He took off his hat, and gave a little sigh of enjoyment of the fresh air and bright sun.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading He took off his hat, and gave a little sigh of enjoyment of the fresh air and bright sun.
European weed naturalized in southwestern United States and Mexico having reddish decumbent stems with small fernlike leaves and small deep reddish-lavender flowers followed by slender fruits that stick straight up; often grown for forage
From this reading The clocks were striking the hour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Paul Deulin walked slowly up the faubourg towards the new town.
being one more than seven
From this reading “I have already told several lies, and it is only eight o'clock.
the pleasure felt when having a good time
From this reading He took off his hat, and gave a little sigh of enjoyment of the fresh air and bright sun.
opinion or judgment
From this reading “Just Heaven, forgive me!” he said, with upturned eyes.
a New Orleans district lying outside the original city limits; used in combination with the names of various quarters of the city
From this reading Paul Deulin walked slowly up the faubourg towards the new town.
stop blaming or grant forgiveness
From this reading “Just Heaven, forgive me!” he said, with upturned eyes.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading He took off his hat, and gave a little sigh of enjoyment of the fresh air and bright sun.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading He took off his hat, and gave a little sigh of enjoyment of the fresh air and bright sun.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading He took off his hat, and gave a little sigh of enjoyment of the fresh air and bright sun.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have already told several lies, and it is only eight o'clock.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He took off his hat, and gave a little sigh of enjoyment of the fresh air and bright sun.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading “Just Heaven, forgive me!” he said, with upturned eyes.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He took off his hat, and gave a little sigh of enjoyment of the fresh air and bright sun.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading The clocks were striking the hour.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I have already told several lies, and it is only eight o'clock.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I have already told several lies, and it is only eight o'clock.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I have already told several lies, and it is only eight o'clock.
and nothing more
From this reading “Just Heaven, forgive me!” he said, with upturned eyes.
plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth
From this reading “I have already told several lies, and it is only eight o'clock.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He took off his hat, and gave a little sigh of enjoyment of the fresh air and bright sun.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Just Heaven, forgive me!” he said, with upturned eyes.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Paul Deulin walked slowly up the faubourg towards the new town.
according to the clock
From this reading “I have already told several lies, and it is only eight o'clock.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He took off his hat, and gave a little sigh of enjoyment of the fresh air and bright sun.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He took off his hat, and gave a little sigh of enjoyment of the fresh air and bright sun.
and nothing more
From this reading “I have already told several lies, and it is only eight o'clock.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading Paul Deulin walked slowly up the faubourg towards the new town.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Just Heaven, forgive me!” he said, with upturned eyes.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading “I have already told several lies, and it is only eight o'clock.
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading He took off his hat, and gave a little sigh of enjoyment of the fresh air and bright sun.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Paul Deulin walked slowly up the faubourg towards the new town.
sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect
From this reading The clocks were striking the hour.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading He took off his hat, and gave a little sigh of enjoyment of the fresh air and bright sun.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Paul Deulin walked slowly up the faubourg towards the new town.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading “I have already told several lies, and it is only eight o'clock.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He took off his hat, and gave a little sigh of enjoyment of the fresh air and bright sun.
in the direction of
From this reading Paul Deulin walked slowly up the faubourg towards the new town.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading Paul Deulin walked slowly up the faubourg towards the new town.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Paul Deulin walked slowly up the faubourg towards the new town.
having been turned so that the bottom is no longer the bottom
From this reading “Just Heaven, forgive me!” he said, with upturned eyes.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Paul Deulin walked slowly up the faubourg towards the new town.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The clocks were striking the hour.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Just Heaven, forgive me!” he said, with upturned eyes.
Chapter 4 of The Vultures by Henry Seton Merriman holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 4 holds 423 sentences of The Vultures, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Vultures by Henry Seton Merriman exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 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 4 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 Vultures by Henry Seton Merriman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6274 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3805 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3805, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 522 minutes of reading across 1255 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Vultures section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Vultures 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 Vultures, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
