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The Mesmerist's Victim
The Mesmerist's Victim

Chapter XIX

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Context Illustration Reading 1/26 · 5 lines
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THE KING’S PRIVATE SUPPER-PARTY.
The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.
But Louis had other matters to do than look at these lords.
The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.
He went to the window and saw the coach of Dubarry driven away at great speed.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Mesmerist's Victim

Chapter XIX

Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE KING’S PRIVATE SUPPER-PARTY.
Line 2
The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.
Line 3
But Louis had other matters to do than look at these lords.
Line 4
The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.
Line 5
He went to the window and saw the coach of Dubarry driven away at great speed.

Learner Dictionary

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

Another noun US /ˈanother/

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

From this reading “The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He went to the window and saw the coach of Dubarry driven away at great speed.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.”

Look noun US /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But Louis had other matters to do than look at these lords.”

Parlor noun US /ˈpɑːrlər/

an old-fashioned sitting room

From this reading “The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.”

Somebody pronoun US /ˈsʌmbɑːdi/

a person, without saying who

From this reading “The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.”

These determiner US /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading “But Louis had other matters to do than look at these lords.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He went to the window and saw the coach of Dubarry driven away at great speed.”

Whither adverb US /ˈwɪðər/

an old word meaning “to where”

From this reading “The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.”

All words in this reading · 76

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 marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He went to the window and saw the coach of Dubarry driven away at great speed.

anothernounUS /ˈanother/

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

any

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading But Louis had other matters to do than look at these lords.

awakened

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

away

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

From this reading He went to the window and saw the coach of Dubarry driven away at great speed.

best

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But Louis had other matters to do than look at these lords.

coach

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

From this reading He went to the window and saw the coach of Dubarry driven away at great speed.

courtiers

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

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading But Louis had other matters to do than look at these lords.

driven

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

From this reading He went to the window and saw the coach of Dubarry driven away at great speed.

Dubarry

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

From this reading He went to the window and saw the coach of Dubarry driven away at great speed.

else

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

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

emotion

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

fall

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

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

few

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

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

followed

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

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

friend

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

friends

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

glances

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

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

granting

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He went to the window and saw the coach of Dubarry driven away at great speed.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

infirmity

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

KING'S

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

From this reading THE KING’S PRIVATE SUPPER-PARTY.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

looknounUS /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But Louis had other matters to do than look at these lords.

lords

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

From this reading But Louis had other matters to do than look at these lords.

lose

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

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

Louis

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

From this reading But Louis had other matters to do than look at these lords.

made

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

marshal

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

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

master

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

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

matters

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

From this reading But Louis had other matters to do than look at these lords.

meal

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

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

monarch

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

occasion

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

other

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

From this reading But Louis had other matters to do than look at these lords.

paltriness

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

parasites

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

parlornounUS /ˈpɑːrlər/

an old-fashioned sitting room

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

preferring

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

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

PRIVATE

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

From this reading THE KING’S PRIVATE SUPPER-PARTY.

railing

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

royal

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

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

saw

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

From this reading He went to the window and saw the coach of Dubarry driven away at great speed.

smile

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

somebodypronounUS /ˈsʌmbɑːdi/

a person, without saying who

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

spare

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

speed

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

From this reading He went to the window and saw the coach of Dubarry driven away at great speed.

SUPPER-PARTY

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

From this reading THE KING’S PRIVATE SUPPER-PARTY.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE KING’S PRIVATE SUPPER-PARTY.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading But Louis had other matters to do than look at these lords.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He went to the window and saw the coach of Dubarry driven away at great speed.

whitheradverbUS /ˈwɪðər/

an old word meaning “to where”

From this reading The marshal found his royal master in the little parlor, whither a few courtiers had followed him, preferring to lose their meal than have his glances fall on somebody else.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.

window

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

From this reading He went to the window and saw the coach of Dubarry driven away at great speed.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading The paltriness of these parasites would have made him smile at another time: but they awakened no emotion on this occasion in the railing monarch, who would spare no infirmity in his best friend--granting that he had any friends.