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The Double Four
The Double Four

Chapter IX

Cover illustration for The Double Four
Context Illustration Reading 1/90 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.
"The gentleman would like to see you, sir," the man announced.
"You can show him in at once," Peter replied.
The servant withdrew.
Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.
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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.

The Double Four

Chapter IX

Reading 1/90 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.
Line 2
"The gentleman would like to see you, sir," the man announced.
Line 3
"You can show him in at once," Peter replied.
Line 4
The servant withdrew.
Line 5
Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

Learner Dictionary

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

Across preposition US /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading “Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.”

BEHIND preposition US /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading “THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.”

Brought noun US /ˈbrought/

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

From this reading “THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.”

During preposition US /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading “Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.”

Free adjective US /friː/

acting without enough restraint or discipline

From this reading “THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.”

Gentleman noun US /ˈgentleman/

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

From this reading “"The gentleman would like to see you, sir," the man announced.”

Memories noun US /ˈmɛm.ə.riz/

Recollections of past events.

From this reading “THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"You can show him in at once," Peter replied.”

Replied noun US /replied/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"You can show him in at once," Peter replied.”

Seeing noun US /seeing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.”

Stood noun US /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading “Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.”

Waiting noun US /ˈwaiting/

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

From this reading “Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “"The gentleman would like to see you, sir," the man announced.”

All words in this reading · 70

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 MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

afterwards

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

announced

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

From this reading "The gentleman would like to see you, sir," the man announced.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

attention

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

back

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

Baron

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

BEHINDprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

broughtnounUS /ˈbrought/

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

butler

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading "You can show him in at once," Peter replied.

card

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

carelessly

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

completely

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

curious

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

CURTAIN

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

de

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

denotes

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

face

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

few

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

flood

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

freeadjectiveUS /friː/

acting without enough restraint or discipline

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

gentlemannounUS /ˈgentleman/

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

From this reading "The gentleman would like to see you, sir," the man announced.

glanced

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

Grost

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

immersed

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

like

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

From this reading "The gentleman would like to see you, sir," the man announced.

looking

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

MAN

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

memoriesnounUS /ˈmɛm.ə.riz/

Recollections of past events.

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

minutes

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

once

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

From this reading "You can show him in at once," Peter replied.

out

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

Peter

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

From this reading "You can show him in at once," Peter replied.

reality

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

repliednounUS /replied/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "You can show him in at once," Peter replied.

rigidity

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

room

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

see

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

From this reading "The gentleman would like to see you, sir," the man announced.

seeing

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

servant

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

From this reading The servant withdrew.

setting

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

show

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

From this reading "You can show him in at once," Peter replied.

sir

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

From this reading "The gentleman would like to see you, sir," the man announced.

square

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

strange

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

usually

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

waiting

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

window

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

From this reading Peter, during those few minutes of waiting, stood with his back to the room and his face to the window, looking out across the square, in reality seeing nothing, completely immersed in this strange flood of memories.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Baron de Grost glanced at the card which his butler had brought in to him, carelessly at first, afterwards with that curious rigidity of attention which usually denotes the setting free of a flood of memories.

withdrew

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

From this reading The servant withdrew.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading "The gentleman would like to see you, sir," the man announced.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "The gentleman would like to see you, sir," the man announced.