text_original: In the business life of the town where he had been treated with deference there was a withdrawal, hard to define but very real to Otto. Again and again when he entered an office or room men stopped talking. There was a restraint at the War Board  the one group in the town which had always listened with eagerness, whether to outlandish theories and gossip or to sensible argument and unquestioned fact.
text_transcription: IN THE BUSINESS LIFE OF THE TOWN WHERE HE HAD BEEN TREATED WITH DEFERENCE THERE WAS A WITHDRAWAL HARD TO DEFINE BUT VERY REAL TO OTTO AGAIN AND AGAIN WHEN HE ENTERED AN OFFICE OR ROOM MEN STOPPED TALKING THERE WAS A RESTRAINT AT THE WAR BOARD THE ONE GROUP IN THE TOWN WHICH HAD ALWAYS LISTENED WITH EAGERNESS WHETHER TO OUTLANDISH THEORIES AND GOSSIP OR TO SENSIBLE ARGUMENT AN UNQUESTIONED FACT
phonemes: ɪnðə bˈɪznəs lˈaɪf ʌvðə tˈaʊn wˌɛɹ hiː hɐdbɪn tɹˈiːɾᵻd wɪð dˈɛfɹəns ðɛɹwˌʌz ɐ wɪθdɹˈɔːl, hˈɑːɹd tə dᵻfˈaɪn bˌʌt vˈɛɹi ɹˈiːəl tʊ ˈɑːɾoʊ. ɐɡˈɛn ænd ɐɡˈɛn wɛn hiː ˈɛntɚd ɐn ˈɑːfɪs ɔːɹ ɹˈuːm mˈɛn stˈɑːpt tˈɔːkɪŋ. ðɛɹwˌʌz ɐ ɹᵻstɹˈeɪnt æt ðə wˈɔːɹ bˈɔːɹd ðə wˈʌn ɡɹˈuːp ɪnðə tˈaʊn wˌɪtʃ hæd ˈɔːlweɪz lˈɪsənd wɪð ˈiːɡɚnəs, wˈɛðɚ tʊ aʊtlˈændɪʃ θˈiəɹiz ænd ɡˈɑːsɪp ɔːɹ tə sˈɛnsᵻbəl ˈɑːɹɡjuːmənt ænd ʌŋkwˈɛstʃənd fˈækt.