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The Pension Beaurepas
The Pension Beaurepas

Chapter IX

Cover illustration for The Pension Beaurepas
Context Illustration Reading 1/8 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.
After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.
“But my house empties itself!” cried the old woman.
“The famille Ruck talks of leaving me, and Madame Church _nous fait la révérence_.”
“Mrs. Church is going away?”
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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 Pension Beaurepas

Chapter IX

Reading 1/8 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.
Line 2
After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.
Line 3
“But my house empties itself!” cried the old woman.
Line 4
“The famille Ruck talks of leaving me, and Madame Church _nous fait la révérence_.”
Line 5
“Mrs. Church is going away?”

Learner Dictionary

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

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.”

Cried noun US /cried/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““But my house empties itself!” cried the old woman.”

Itself pronoun US /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading ““But my house empties itself!” cried the old woman.”

Next noun US /next/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.”

All words in this reading · 71

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 next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.

AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

apparently

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

arrived

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

away

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

From this reading “Mrs. Church is going away?”

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.

Beaurepas

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

From this reading The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.

brother

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

business

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

Church

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

From this reading “The famille Ruck talks of leaving me, and Madame Church _nous fait la révérence_.”

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

criednounUS /cried/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But my house empties itself!” cried the old woman.

day

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

From this reading The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.

departure

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

elderly

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

From this reading The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.

empties

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

From this reading “But my house empties itself!” cried the old woman.

England

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

Europe

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

fait

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

From this reading “The famille Ruck talks of leaving me, and Madame Church _nous fait la révérence_.”

famille

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

From this reading “The famille Ruck talks of leaving me, and Madame Church _nous fait la révérence_.”

fingers

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

From this reading The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

glancing

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

going

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

From this reading “Mrs. Church is going away?”

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

handed

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

From this reading The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

house

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

From this reading “But my house empties itself!” cried the old woman.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

informed

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading “Mrs. Church is going away?”

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading “But my house empties itself!” cried the old woman.

la

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

From this reading “The famille Ruck talks of leaving me, and Madame Church _nous fait la révérence_.”

leaving

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

From this reading “The famille Ruck talks of leaving me, and Madame Church _nous fait la révérence_.”

Madame

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

From this reading The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.

meet

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

missive

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

From this reading The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.

Mrs

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

From this reading “Mrs. Church is going away?”

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

nextnounUS /next/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.

nous

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

From this reading “The famille Ruck talks of leaving me, and Madame Church _nous fait la révérence_.”

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “The famille Ruck talks of leaving me, and Madame Church _nous fait la révérence_.”

old

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

From this reading “But my house empties itself!” cried the old woman.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

own

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

From this reading The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.

proposed

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

proved

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

From this reading The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.

Ruck

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

From this reading “The famille Ruck talks of leaving me, and Madame Church _nous fait la révérence_.”

révérence

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

From this reading “The famille Ruck talks of leaving me, and Madame Church _nous fait la révérence_.”

signal

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

spend

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

talks

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

From this reading “The famille Ruck talks of leaving me, and Madame Church _nous fait la révérence_.”

telegram

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

From this reading The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.

there

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

three

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

weeks

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

From this reading After glancing at it, I informed her that it was apparently a signal for my departure; my brother had arrived in England, and proposed to me to meet him there; he had come on business, and was to spend but three weeks in Europe.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The next day Madame Beaurepas handed me, with her own elderly fingers, a missive, which proved to be a telegram.

woman

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

From this reading “But my house empties itself!” cried the old woman.