Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Zibeline — Volume 1
Zibeline — Volume 1

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Zibeline — Volume 1 is here in full — 54 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Zibeline — Volume 1
Context Illustration Reading 1/10 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.
"Does any one take him up?" asked Constantin Lenaeiff.
"I do," said De Prerolles, who had returned to the table.
And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.
Unfortunately for him, the next hand was disastrous.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Zibeline — Volume 1

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Zibeline — Volume 1 is here in full — 54 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/10 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.
Line 2
"Does any one take him up?" asked Constantin Lenaeiff.
Line 3
"I do," said De Prerolles, who had returned to the table.
Line 4
And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.
Line 5
Unfortunately for him, the next hand was disastrous.
/ənˈfɔːrtʃənətli fɔːr hɪm ðə nekst hænd wɑːz dɪˈzæstrəs/

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.

cheques noun US /tʃeks/

plural of “cheque” — a written order directing a bank to pay money

From this reading “And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.”

disastrous adjective US /dɪˈzæstrəs/

(of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin

From this reading “Unfortunately for him, the next hand was disastrous.”

pencil noun US /ˈpensəl/

a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood

From this reading “And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.”

seizing noun US /ˈsiːzɪŋ/

small stuff that is used for lashing two or more ropes together

From this reading “And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.”

signed adjective US /saɪnd/

having a handwritten signature

From this reading “And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.”

stakes noun US /steɪks/

the money risked on a gamble

From this reading “THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.”

twenty-five adjective US /ˈtwentifaɪv/

being five more than twenty

From this reading “And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.”

Unfortunately adverb US /ənˈfɔːrtʃənətli/

by bad luck

From this reading “Unfortunately for him, the next hand was disastrous.”

All words in this reading · 61

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 And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading "Does any one take him up?" asked Constantin Lenaeiff.

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading "Does any one take him up?" asked Constantin Lenaeiff.

badlyadverbUS /ˈbædli/

to a severe or serious degree

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

begunverbUS /bɪˈɡʌn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

card-table

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

From this reading And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.

changeverbUS /tʃeɪndʒ/

cause to change; make different; cause a transformation

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

chequesnounUS /tʃeks/

plural of “cheque” — a written order directing a bank to pay money

From this reading And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.

Constantin

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

From this reading "Does any one take him up?" asked Constantin Lenaeiff.

DenounUS /diː/

a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading "I do," said De Prerolles, who had returned to the table.

disastrousadjectiveUS /dɪˈzæstrəs/

(of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin

From this reading Unfortunately for him, the next hand was disastrous.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading "I do," said De Prerolles, who had returned to the table.

Doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/

the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Does any one take him up?" asked Constantin Lenaeiff.

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.

feelingnounUS /ˈfiːlɪŋ/

the experiencing of affective and emotional states

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Unfortunately for him, the next hand was disastrous.

fortunenounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃən/

an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

fournounUS /fɔːr/

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.

francsnounUS /fræŋks/

plural of “franc” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 centimes

From this reading And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading Unfortunately for him, the next hand was disastrous.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "Does any one take him up?" asked Constantin Lenaeiff.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "I do," said De Prerolles, who had returned to the table.

illadjectiveUS /ɪl/

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

Landry

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

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

layverbUS /leɪ/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.

Lenaeiff

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

From this reading "Does any one take him up?" asked Constantin Lenaeiff.

lucknounUS /lʌk/

your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

MeanwhileadverbUS /ˈmiːnwaɪl/

at the same time but in another place

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

neverthelessadverbUS /ˌnevərðəˈles/

in spite of what has just been said

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading Unfortunately for him, the next hand was disastrous.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "Does any one take him up?" asked Constantin Lenaeiff.

PaulnounUS /pɔːl/

United States feminist (1885-1977)

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

pencilnounUS /ˈpensəl/

a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood

From this reading And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.

Prerolles

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

From this reading "I do," said De Prerolles, who had returned to the table.

raisedadjectiveUS /reɪzd/

located or moved above the surround or above the normal position

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

RESULTnounUS /rɪˈzʌlt/

a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

returnedverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrnd/

past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading "I do," said De Prerolles, who had returned to the table.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "I do," said De Prerolles, who had returned to the table.

seizingnounUS /ˈsiːzɪŋ/

small stuff that is used for lashing two or more ropes together

From this reading And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.

signedadjectiveUS /saɪnd/

having a handwritten signature

From this reading And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

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

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

stakesnounUS /steɪks/

the money risked on a gamble

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

tablenounUS /ˈteɪbəl/

a set of data arranged in rows and columns

From this reading "I do," said De Prerolles, who had returned to the table.

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading "Does any one take him up?" asked Constantin Lenaeiff.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

thousandnounUS /ˈθaʊzənd/

the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100

From this reading And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

turnsnounUS /tɜːrnz/

plural of “turn” — a circular segment of a curve

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

twenty-fiveadjectiveUS /ˈtwentifaɪv/

being five more than twenty

From this reading And, seizing a pencil that lay on the card-table, he signed four cheques of twenty-five thousand francs each.

UnfortunatelyadverbUS /ənˈfɔːrtʃənətli/

by bad luck

From this reading Unfortunately for him, the next hand was disastrous.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading "Does any one take him up?" asked Constantin Lenaeiff.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading THE RESULT Meanwhile, Paul Landry had begun badly, and had had some ill turns of luck; nevertheless, feeling that his fortune was about to change, he raised the stakes.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading "I do," said De Prerolles, who had returned to the table.

Chapter 4 of Zibeline — Volume 1 by Philippe, marquis de Massa holds 54 sentences, grouped into 11 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 4 of Zibeline — Volume 1 contain?

Chapter 4 holds 54 sentences of Zibeline — Volume 1, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Zibeline — Volume 1 by Philippe, marquis de Massa exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 54 sentences, grouped into 11 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 4 of Zibeline — Volume 1?

Work through the 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 11 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 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Zibeline — Volume 1

Common questions about reading Zibeline — Volume 1 by Philippe, marquis de Massa on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Zibeline — Volume 1?

Yes. All 536 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3931 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Zibeline — Volume 1 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3931, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Zibeline — Volume 1 take to read?

About 44 minutes of reading across 108 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Zibeline — Volume 1 section by section

How to work through Zibeline — Volume 1 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 12 chapters of Zibeline — Volume 1 to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in Zibeline — Volume 1

Words and structures a reader meets early in Zibeline — Volume 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Second
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Zibeline — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Empire
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Zibeline — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Restaurant
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Zibeline — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Freres-provencaux
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Zibeline — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.