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Cousin Betty
Cousin Betty

Chapter XXIX

Cover illustration for Cousin Betty
Context Illustration Reading 1/38 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
For some months past the Marshal had had many sad thoughts.
He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.
The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.
The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.
This sum the Marshal spent in furnishing the ground floor, which was in every way suitable; for, as he said, he would not accept the Marshal’s baton to walk the streets with.
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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.

Cousin Betty

Chapter XXIX

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
For some months past the Marshal had had many sad thoughts.
Line 2
He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.
Line 3
The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.
Line 4
The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.
Line 5
This sum the Marshal spent in furnishing the ground floor, which was in every way suitable; for, as he said, he would not accept the Marshal’s baton to walk the streets with.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “This sum the Marshal spent in furnishing the ground floor, which was in every way suitable; for, as he said, he would not accept the Marshal’s baton to walk the streets with.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.”

Fortune noun US /ˈfortune/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.”

Help noun US /help/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.”

Poor noun US /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.”

Thinking noun US /thinking/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.”

All words in this reading · 88

Every word is available to listen to. 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 The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

accept

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

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading This sum the Marshal spent in furnishing the ground floor, which was in every way suitable; for, as he said, he would not accept the Marshal’s baton to walk the streets with.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

Baroness

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

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

baton

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

From this reading This sum the Marshal spent in furnishing the ground floor, which was in every way suitable; for, as he said, he would not accept the Marshal’s baton to walk the streets with.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

became

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

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

begged

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

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

cause

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

From this reading He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.

cheerful

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

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

comrade

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

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

daughter

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

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

day

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

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

de

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

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

deafness

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

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading This sum the Marshal spent in furnishing the ground floor, which was in every way suitable; for, as he said, he would not accept the Marshal’s baton to walk the streets with.

expenses

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

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

floor

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

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For some months past the Marshal had had many sad thoughts.

fortunenounUS /ˈfortune/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

furnishing

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

From this reading This sum the Marshal spent in furnishing the ground floor, which was in every way suitable; for, as he said, he would not accept the Marshal’s baton to walk the streets with.

griefs

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

From this reading He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.

ground

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

From this reading This sum the Marshal spent in furnishing the ground floor, which was in every way suitable; for, as he said, he would not accept the Marshal’s baton to walk the streets with.

guessed

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

From this reading He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading For some months past the Marshal had had many sad thoughts.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.

headquarters

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

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

helpnounUS /help/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.

house

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

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

household

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

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

how

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

From this reading He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

kept

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

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

known

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

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

man

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

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

many

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

From this reading For some months past the Marshal had had many sad thoughts.

Marshal

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

From this reading For some months past the Marshal had had many sad thoughts.

Marshal's

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

From this reading This sum the Marshal spent in furnishing the ground floor, which was in every way suitable; for, as he said, he would not accept the Marshal’s baton to walk the streets with.

Minister

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

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

miserably

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

From this reading He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.

money

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

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

months

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

From this reading For some months past the Marshal had had many sad thoughts.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

old

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

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

past

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

From this reading For some months past the Marshal had had many sad thoughts.

poornounUS /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.

Prince

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

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

refuge

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

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

sad

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

From this reading For some months past the Marshal had had many sad thoughts.

said

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

From this reading This sum the Marshal spent in furnishing the ground floor, which was in every way suitable; for, as he said, he would not accept the Marshal’s baton to walk the streets with.

sister-in-law

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

From this reading He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.

smallness

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

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

some

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

From this reading For some months past the Marshal had had many sad thoughts.

spent

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

From this reading This sum the Marshal spent in furnishing the ground floor, which was in every way suitable; for, as he said, he would not accept the Marshal’s baton to walk the streets with.

streets

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

From this reading This sum the Marshal spent in furnishing the ground floor, which was in every way suitable; for, as he said, he would not accept the Marshal’s baton to walk the streets with.

suitable

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

From this reading This sum the Marshal spent in furnishing the ground floor, which was in every way suitable; for, as he said, he would not accept the Marshal’s baton to walk the streets with.

sum

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

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

suspected

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

From this reading He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.

taciturn

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

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading For some months past the Marshal had had many sad thoughts.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

thinkingnounUS /thinking/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading This sum the Marshal spent in furnishing the ground floor, which was in every way suitable; for, as he said, he would not accept the Marshal’s baton to walk the streets with.

thoughts

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

From this reading For some months past the Marshal had had many sad thoughts.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

understanding

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

From this reading He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.

walk

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

From this reading This sum the Marshal spent in furnishing the ground floor, which was in every way suitable; for, as he said, he would not accept the Marshal’s baton to walk the streets with.

War

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

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.

way

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

From this reading This sum the Marshal spent in furnishing the ground floor, which was in every way suitable; for, as he said, he would not accept the Marshal’s baton to walk the streets with.

well

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

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading This sum the Marshal spent in furnishing the ground floor, which was in every way suitable; for, as he said, he would not accept the Marshal’s baton to walk the streets with.

Wissembourg

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

From this reading The smallness of his fortune was so well known at headquarters, that the War Minister, the Prince de Wissembourg, begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money for his household expenses.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading This sum the Marshal spent in furnishing the ground floor, which was in every way suitable; for, as he said, he would not accept the Marshal’s baton to walk the streets with.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading He had guessed how miserably poor his sister-in-law was, and suspected her griefs without understanding their cause.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading The old man, so cheerful in his deafness, became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and it was for them that he kept the first floor.