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The Czar's Spy: The Mystery of a Silent Love
The Czar's Spy: The Mystery of a Silent Love

Chapter VIII

Cover illustration for The Czar's Spy: The Mystery of a Silent Love
Context Illustration Reading 1/64 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.
My eye caught the customer who, on the entry of Olinto, had dropped his paper and sat staring at him in wonderment.
The detective had evidently been furnished with a photograph of the dead man, and now, like myself, discovered him alive and living.
"Signor Padrone!" cried the man whose appearance was so absolutely bewildering.
"How did you find me here?
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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.

The Czar's Spy: The Mystery of a Silent Love

Chapter VIII

Reading 1/64 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.
Line 2
My eye caught the customer who, on the entry of Olinto, had dropped his paper and sat staring at him in wonderment.
Line 3
The detective had evidently been furnished with a photograph of the dead man, and now, like myself, discovered him alive and living.
Line 4
"Signor Padrone!" cried the man whose appearance was so absolutely bewildering.
Line 5
"How did you find me here?

Learner Dictionary

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

Appearance noun US /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading “"Signor Padrone!" cried the man whose appearance was so absolutely bewildering.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “The detective had evidently been furnished with a photograph of the dead man, and now, like myself, discovered him alive and living.”

Cried noun US /cried/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"Signor Padrone!" cried the man whose appearance was so absolutely bewildering.”

Dead noun US /dead/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.”

Express verb US /ɪkˈspres/

to show or communicate a feeling or idea

From this reading “LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.”

Here noun US /here/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"How did you find me here?”

Mine pronoun US /maɪn/

the one or ones belonging to the person speaking

From this reading “LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.”

Myself pronoun US /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading “The detective had evidently been furnished with a photograph of the dead man, and now, like myself, discovered him alive and living.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.”

Whose determiner US /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading “"Signor Padrone!" cried the man whose appearance was so absolutely bewildering.”

All words in this reading · 75

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 detective had evidently been furnished with a photograph of the dead man, and now, like myself, discovered him alive and living.

abject

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

absolute

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

absolutely

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

From this reading "Signor Padrone!" cried the man whose appearance was so absolutely bewildering.

alive

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

From this reading The detective had evidently been furnished with a photograph of the dead man, and now, like myself, discovered him alive and living.

amazement

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

appearancenounUS /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading "Signor Padrone!" cried the man whose appearance was so absolutely bewildering.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The detective had evidently been furnished with a photograph of the dead man, and now, like myself, discovered him alive and living.

bewildering

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

From this reading "Signor Padrone!" cried the man whose appearance was so absolutely bewildering.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

caught

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

From this reading My eye caught the customer who, on the entry of Olinto, had dropped his paper and sat staring at him in wonderment.

cold

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

COUNTER-CLAIM

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

criednounUS /cried/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "Signor Padrone!" cried the man whose appearance was so absolutely bewildering.

customer

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

From this reading My eye caught the customer who, on the entry of Olinto, had dropped his paper and sat staring at him in wonderment.

deadnounUS /dead/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

detective

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

From this reading The detective had evidently been furnished with a photograph of the dead man, and now, like myself, discovered him alive and living.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading "How did you find me here?

discovered

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

From this reading The detective had evidently been furnished with a photograph of the dead man, and now, like myself, discovered him alive and living.

dropped

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

From this reading My eye caught the customer who, on the entry of Olinto, had dropped his paper and sat staring at him in wonderment.

Dumfries

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

entry

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

From this reading My eye caught the customer who, on the entry of Olinto, had dropped his paper and sat staring at him in wonderment.

evidently

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

From this reading The detective had evidently been furnished with a photograph of the dead man, and now, like myself, discovered him alive and living.

expressverbUS /ɪkˈspres/

to show or communicate a feeling or idea

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

eye

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

From this reading My eye caught the customer who, on the entry of Olinto, had dropped his paper and sat staring at him in wonderment.

faced

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

find

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

From this reading "How did you find me here?

furnished

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

From this reading The detective had evidently been furnished with a photograph of the dead man, and now, like myself, discovered him alive and living.

gray

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

herenounUS /here/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "How did you find me here?

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading My eye caught the customer who, on the entry of Olinto, had dropped his paper and sat staring at him in wonderment.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading My eye caught the customer who, on the entry of Olinto, had dropped his paper and sat staring at him in wonderment.

How

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

From this reading "How did you find me here?

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

LIFE'S

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

like

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

From this reading The detective had evidently been furnished with a photograph of the dead man, and now, like myself, discovered him alive and living.

living

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

From this reading The detective had evidently been furnished with a photograph of the dead man, and now, like myself, discovered him alive and living.

lying

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

man

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "How did you find me here?

minepronounUS /maɪn/

the one or ones belonging to the person speaking

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

mortuary

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading The detective had evidently been furnished with a photograph of the dead man, and now, like myself, discovered him alive and living.

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

now

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

From this reading The detective had evidently been furnished with a photograph of the dead man, and now, like myself, discovered him alive and living.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

Olinto

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

From this reading My eye caught the customer who, on the entry of Olinto, had dropped his paper and sat staring at him in wonderment.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading My eye caught the customer who, on the entry of Olinto, had dropped his paper and sat staring at him in wonderment.

Padrone

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

From this reading "Signor Padrone!" cried the man whose appearance was so absolutely bewildering.

paper

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

From this reading My eye caught the customer who, on the entry of Olinto, had dropped his paper and sat staring at him in wonderment.

photograph

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

From this reading The detective had evidently been furnished with a photograph of the dead man, and now, like myself, discovered him alive and living.

sat

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

From this reading My eye caught the customer who, on the entry of Olinto, had dropped his paper and sat staring at him in wonderment.

seen

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

Signor

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

From this reading "Signor Padrone!" cried the man whose appearance was so absolutely bewildering.

slab

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading "Signor Padrone!" cried the man whose appearance was so absolutely bewildering.

staring

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

From this reading My eye caught the customer who, on the entry of Olinto, had dropped his paper and sat staring at him in wonderment.

stone

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading "Signor Padrone!" cried the man whose appearance was so absolutely bewildering.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading My eye caught the customer who, on the entry of Olinto, had dropped his paper and sat staring at him in wonderment.

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading "Signor Padrone!" cried the man whose appearance was so absolutely bewildering.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The detective had evidently been furnished with a photograph of the dead man, and now, like myself, discovered him alive and living.

wonderment

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

From this reading My eye caught the customer who, on the entry of Olinto, had dropped his paper and sat staring at him in wonderment.

words

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

From this reading LIFE'S COUNTER-CLAIM No words of mine can express my absolute and abject amazement when I faced the man, whom I had seen lying cold and dead upon that gray stone slab in the mortuary at Dumfries.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "How did you find me here?