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The Pupil
The Pupil

Chapter I

Cover illustration for The Pupil
Context Illustration Reading 1/15 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.
Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.
He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.
He came back without the fan, only with the casual observation that he couldn’t find it.
As he dropped this cynical confession he looked straight and hard at the candidate for the honour of taking his education in hand.
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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 Pupil

Chapter I

Reading 1/15 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.
Line 2
Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.
Line 3
He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.
Line 4
He came back without the fan, only with the casual observation that he couldn’t find it.
Line 5
As he dropped this cynical confession he looked straight and hard at the candidate for the honour of taking his education in hand.

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.”

Everything pronoun US /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading “Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.”

Hand noun US /hand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.”

Hear noun US /hear/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As he dropped this cynical confession he looked straight and hard at the candidate for the honour of taking his education in hand.”

Observation noun US /ˈobservation/

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

From this reading “He came back without the fan, only with the casual observation that he couldn’t find it.”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.”

Poor noun US /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.”

Repeated noun US /repeated/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.”

Speak noun US /speak/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.”

Take noun US /take/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.”

Thing noun US /thing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.”

Yet conjunction US /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.”

All words in this reading · 116

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 poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

affable

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

aristocracy

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

back

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

From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

boy

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

From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

broach

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

came

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

From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

candidate

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

From this reading As he dropped this cynical confession he looked straight and hard at the candidate for the honour of taking his education in hand.

casual

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

From this reading He came back without the fan, only with the casual observation that he couldn’t find it.

confession

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

From this reading As he dropped this cynical confession he looked straight and hard at the candidate for the honour of taking his education in hand.

conventional

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

cost

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

couldn't

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

From this reading He came back without the fan, only with the casual observation that he couldn’t find it.

cynical

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

From this reading As he dropped this cynical confession he looked straight and hard at the candidate for the honour of taking his education in hand.

de

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

direction

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

drawing

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

dropped

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

From this reading As he dropped this cynical confession he looked straight and hard at the candidate for the honour of taking his education in hand.

education

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

From this reading As he dropped this cynical confession he looked straight and hard at the candidate for the honour of taking his education in hand.

effort

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

engagement

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

fan

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

From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

fat

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

feelings

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

fetch

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

From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

figure

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

From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

find

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

gants

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

glance

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

gliding

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

hand

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

hard

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

From this reading As he dropped this cynical confession he looked straight and hard at the candidate for the honour of taking his education in hand.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

hearnounUS /hear/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

hesitated

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

honour

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

From this reading As he dropped this cynical confession he looked straight and hard at the candidate for the honour of taking his education in hand.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

jewelled

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

just

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

From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

lady

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

large

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

leave

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

liked

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading As he dropped this cynical confession he looked straight and hard at the candidate for the honour of taking his education in hand.

man

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

manner

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

money

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

more

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

Moreen

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From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

Mrs

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

From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

nervously

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

From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

note

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

From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

observationnounUS /ˈobservation/

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

From this reading He came back without the fan, only with the casual observation that he couldn’t find it.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

once

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

only

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

opening

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

out

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

From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

pair

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

person

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

poornounUS /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

pressing

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

procrastinated

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

repeatednounUS /repeated/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

room

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

From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

salary

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

From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

sat

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

sent

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

From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

settled

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

soiled

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

some

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

sound

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

From this reading He would have liked to hear the figure of his salary; but just as he was nervously about to sound that note the little boy came back—the little boy Mrs. Moreen had sent out of the room to fetch her fan.

speak

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

spoke

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

straight

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

From this reading As he dropped this cynical confession he looked straight and hard at the candidate for the honour of taking his education in hand.

subject

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

Suède

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

takenounUS /take/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

taking

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

From this reading As he dropped this cynical confession he looked straight and hard at the candidate for the honour of taking his education in hand.

terms

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

there

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

thingnounUS /thing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading As he dropped this cynical confession he looked straight and hard at the candidate for the honour of taking his education in hand.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

treating

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

unwilling

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He came back without the fan, only with the casual observation that he couldn’t find it.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

YetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as settled, without some more conventional glance in that direction than he could find an opening for in the manner of the large affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suède through a fat jewelled hand and, at once pressing and gliding, repeated over and over everything but the thing he would have liked to hear.

young

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

From this reading The poor young man hesitated and procrastinated: it cost him such an effort to broach the subject of terms, to speak of money to a person who spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.