The Woman of Mystery

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of The Woman of Mystery is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Maurice Leblanc • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Woman of Mystery

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Certainly, all hope was lost.

His plan, which was to use the tunnel before the alarm was raised, his plan was shattered.

Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

And how was he afterwards to escape the enemy and return to France?

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XVI Reading 1/85

The Woman of Mystery Maurice Leblanc

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of The Woman of Mystery is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

THE IMPOSSIBLE STRUGGLE In the terrible state of distress into which those last words threw him, Paul felt the need of some immediate action, even as he had done at the sight of the banquet given by Prince Conrad. Certainly, all hope was lost. His plan, which was to use the tunnel before the alarm was raised, his plan was shattered. Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place? And how was he afterwards to escape the enemy and return to France?

The Woman of Mystery

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of The Woman of Mystery 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

Line 1

/ðə ˌɪmˈpɑːsəbəl ˈstrʌɡəl ɪn ðə ˈterəbəl steɪt ʌv dɪˈstres ˈɪntuː wɪtʃ ðoʊz læst wɜːrdz θruː hɪm pɔːl felt ðə niːd ʌv sʌm ˌɪˈmiːdiːət ˈækʃən ˈiːvɪn æz hiː hæd dʌn æt ðə saɪt ʌv ðə ˈbæŋkwət ˈɡɪvən baɪ prɪns ˈkɑːnræd/

Line 2

Certainly, all hope was lost.

/ˈsɜːrtənli ɔːl hoʊp wɑːz lɔːst/

Line 3

His plan, which was to use the tunnel before the alarm was raised, his plan was shattered.

/hɪz plæn wɪtʃ wɑːz tuː juːs ðə ˈtʌnəl bɪˈfɔːr ðə əˈlɑːrm wɑːz reɪzd hɪz plæn wɑːz ˈʃætərd/

Line 4

Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

Line 5

And how was he afterwards to escape the enemy and return to France?

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.

banquet noun US /ˈbæŋkwət/

a ceremonial dinner party for many people

From this reading “THE IMPOSSIBLE STRUGGLE In the terrible state of distress into which those last words threw him, Paul felt the need of some immediate action, even as he had done at the sight of the banquet given by Prince Conrad.”

Conrad noun US /ˈkɑːnræd/

English novelist (born in Poland) noted for sea stories and for his narrative technique (1857-1924)

contingency noun US /kənˈtɪndʒənsi/

a possible event or occurrence or result

From this reading “Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?”

delivering verb US /dɪˈlɪvərɪŋ/

-ing form of “deliver” — deliver (a speech, oration, or idea)

From this reading “Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?”

Granting verb US /ˈɡræntɪŋ/

-ing form of “grant” — let have

From this reading “Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?”

shattered adjective US /ˈʃætərd/

ruined or disrupted

From this reading “His plan, which was to use the tunnel before the alarm was raised, his plan was shattered.”

tunnel verb US /ˈtʌnəl/

move through by or as by digging

From this reading “His plan, which was to use the tunnel before the alarm was raised, his plan was shattered.”

unlikely adjective US /ənˈlaɪkli/

not likely to be true or to occur or to have occurred

From this reading “Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?”

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.

immediate action adjective + noun

In this reading “THE IMPOSSIBLE STRUGGLE In the terrible state of distress into which those last words threw him, Paul felt the need of some immediate action, even as he had done at the sight of the banquet given by Prince Conrad.”

last words adjective + noun

succeeded in verb + particle counted as “succeed in”

In this reading “Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?”

take place verb + noun

come to pass

In this reading “Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?”

terrible state adjective + noun

at the sight preposition + article + noun counted as “at … sight”

All words in this reading · 71

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 Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

actionnounUS /ˈækʃən/

something done (usually as opposed to something said)

From this reading THE IMPOSSIBLE STRUGGLE In the terrible state of distress into which those last words threw him, Paul felt the need of some immediate action, even as he had done at the sight of the banquet given by Prince Conrad.

afterwardsadverbUS /ˈæftərwərdz/

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading And how was he afterwards to escape the enemy and return to France?

alarmnounUS /əˈlɑːrm/

fear resulting from the awareness of danger

From this reading His plan, which was to use the tunnel before the alarm was raised, his plan was shattered.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Certainly, all hope was lost.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

banquetnounUS /ˈbæŋkwət/

a ceremonial dinner party for many people

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading His plan, which was to use the tunnel before the alarm was raised, his plan was shattered.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

CertainlyadverbUS /ˈsɜːrtənli/

definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)

From this reading Certainly, all hope was lost.

ConradnounUS /ˈkɑːnræd/

English novelist (born in Poland) noted for sea stories and for his narrative technique (1857-1924)

contingencynounUS /kənˈtɪndʒənsi/

a possible event or occurrence or result

From this reading Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

deliveringverbUS /dɪˈlɪvərɪŋ/

-ing form of “deliver” — deliver (a speech, oration, or idea)

From this reading Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

distressnounUS /dɪˈstres/

psychological suffering

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

enemynounUS /ˈenəmi/

an opposing military force

From this reading And how was he afterwards to escape the enemy and return to France?

escapenounUS /ɪˈskeɪp/

the act of escaping physically

From this reading And how was he afterwards to escape the enemy and return to France?

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

findingnounUS /ˈfaɪndɪŋ/

the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation

From this reading Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

FrancenounUS /fræns/

a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe

From this reading And how was he afterwards to escape the enemy and return to France?

givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/

acknowledged as a supposition

GrantingverbUS /ˈɡræntɪŋ/

-ing form of “grant” — let have

From this reading Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

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 His plan, which was to use the tunnel before the alarm was raised, his plan was shattered.

hopenounUS /hoʊp/

a specific instance of feeling hopeful

From this reading Certainly, all hope was lost.

how

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

From this reading And how was he afterwards to escape the enemy and return to France?

immediateadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈmiːdiːət/

of the present time and place

IMPOSSIBLEadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɑːsəbəl/

not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

lostadjectiveUS /lɔːst/

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

From this reading Certainly, all hope was lost.

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

neednounUS /niːd/

a condition requiring relief

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

PaulnounUS /pɔːl/

United States feminist (1885-1977)

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

planverbUS /plæn/

have the will and intention to carry out some action

From this reading His plan, which was to use the tunnel before the alarm was raised, his plan was shattered.

PrincenounUS /prɪns/

a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)

raisedadjectiveUS /reɪzd/

located or moved above the surround or above the normal position

From this reading His plan, which was to use the tunnel before the alarm was raised, his plan was shattered.

returnverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading And how was he afterwards to escape the enemy and return to France?

shatteredadjectiveUS /ˈʃætərd/

ruined or disrupted

From this reading His plan, which was to use the tunnel before the alarm was raised, his plan was shattered.

sightnounUS /saɪt/

an instance of visual perception

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

statenounUS /steɪt/

the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

STRUGGLEverbUS /ˈstrʌɡəl/

make a strenuous or labored effort

succeededverbUS /səkˈsiːdɪd/

past form of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal

From this reading Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

terribleadjectiveUS /ˈterəbəl/

causing fear or dread or terror

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

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

threwverbUS /θruː/

inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading His plan, which was to use the tunnel before the alarm was raised, his plan was shattered.

tunnelverbUS /ˈtʌnəl/

move through by or as by digging

From this reading His plan, which was to use the tunnel before the alarm was raised, his plan was shattered.

unlikelyadjectiveUS /ənˈlaɪkli/

not likely to be true or to occur or to have occurred

From this reading Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

usenounUS /juːs/

the act of using

From this reading His plan, which was to use the tunnel before the alarm was raised, his plan was shattered.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Certainly, all hope was lost.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

wordsnounUS /wɜːrdz/

the words that are spoken

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

Élisabeth

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

From this reading Granting that he succeeded in finding Élisabeth and delivering her, a very unlikely contingency, at what moment would this take place?

Chapter 16 of The Woman of Mystery by Maurice Leblanc 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.

What does chapter 16 of The Woman of Mystery contain?

Chapter 16 holds 425 sentences of The Woman of Mystery, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of The Woman of Mystery by Maurice Leblanc 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.

How do I study chapter 16 of The Woman of Mystery?

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.

Can chapter 16 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 16 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 Woman of Mystery

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Is this the complete text of The Woman of Mystery?

Yes. All 7335 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34931 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #34931, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Woman of Mystery take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1467 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Woman of Mystery

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Woman of Mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Woman of Mystery; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Confessions: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Woman of Mystery; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lupin: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Woman of Mystery; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Teeth: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Woman of Mystery; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XVI

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