A Question of Trust

A Question of Trust

1. Why is Horace Danby described as good and respectable but not completely honest?

Ans. Horace Danby was a lock-maker. He lived a happy life. He minded his business and lived peacefully. Therefore, he has been rightly described as good and respectable. But he was a thief and robbed a safe every year. Thus he was not completely honest.

2. Why did he rob every year? Was he a typical thief? If so, why?

Or

How often did Horace Danby rob every year? What did he do with the loot?

Ans. Horace Danby was fond of rare and expensive books. But he had no money to buy them. So he robbed a safe every year to get money so that he could buy those books. He was a typical thief since (1) He committed a theft annually; (ii) He robbed only safes. (iii) He did so to buy rare and expensive books.

3. Describe how Horace Danby planned his work?

Ans. Horace Danby spent a great deal of time in planning his work. He studied his target for two weeks carefully. He collected all information about its rooms, electric wiring, paths and the garden before breaking into it. Sometimes he found the description of certain houses in magazine articles.

4. Horace was a very successful thief. What went wrong when he attempted to rob Shotover Grange?

Ans. No doubt Horace Danby was a careful and successful thief. But Horace Danby's luck failed when he attempted to rob Shotover Grange. He met a lady there. He thought her to be the wife of the owner of the house. He opened the safe for her without gloves.. But in fact she was a thief like him. His fingerprints were found on the safe and he was arrested for robbery.

5. What advice did the lady give Horace about his hay fever? Was she really interested in his health?

Ans. The lady said that he could cure his disease with a special treatment. He advised him to find out what plant gave him this problem. She also advised him to consult a doctor.

6. Did the young lady expect Horace to be caught after the theft?

Ans. Yes, the young lady expected Horace to be caught after the theft. She herself was also a clever and smart thief. She posed to be the wife of the owner of the house. She made him remove his gloves and open the safe for her. She certainly expected that Horace Danby would be caught.

7. In what way would his arrest have helped her?

Ans. She was sure that Horace Danby would be arrested after the theft. She knew that she was in the clear as she herself had not touched anything. Nobody would suspect her. There was not a single proof against her im the house. Thus she would not come into picture.

8. Did Horace get the jewels from the Grange safe? If not, why did the police arrest him?

Or

Why did the police arrest Horace Danby when he could not keep the jewels stolen from the Grange Safe?

Ans. No, Horace did not get the jewels from the Grange safe. Still, he was arrested. It was because he opened the safe without gloves and gave the jewels to the young lady thinking her to be the mistress of the house. His fingerprints were found all over the room and thus he was arrested.

9. Who is the real culprit in this story, the lady or Horace? How did he/she manage to rob the safe without leaving a single fingerprint?

Ans. In this story, Horace Danby breaks open the safe for the lady in red. He had no gloves on his hands. As a result, his fingerprints were found on the safe. He was held culprit and was arrested though he did not get a single jewel.

The lady in red posed to be the mistress of the house. She made Horace open the safe. She took all the jewellery in her possession. Thus she was the real culprit in this story.

10. What do you think is the meaning of the phrase 'honour among thieves'? Which of the two lacked honour ?

Ans. The phrase 'honour among thieves' signifies that even thieves have their own code of conduct. They never betray one another. Rather, they behave honestly towards other thieves. Out of the two thieves, the lady in red lacked honour. She did not honour the convention. Being herself a thief she played a trick on Horace, another thief.

11. What was Horace Danby's hobby? How did he manage to fulfil it?

Ans. Horace Danby’s hobby was to have rare and expensive books. But he didn’t have money to buy them. So, he robbed a safe every year and bought the books he loved. He planned carefully.

12. How did Danby prepare for the robbery at Shotover Grange?

Ans. Danby got all the important details of the house. Then he found out all about its electric wiring, paths and garden. He also collected information about the family. He knew all the movements of the servants. He always kept his tools ready.

13. Horace Danby was interested in the books, not in the painting. Why?

Ans. Horace Danby was fond of reading the rare and expensive books. For a moment, he thought to collect paintings. But then he thought that books were better in a small house.

14. Horace sneezed. Why did he do it?

Ans. Horace was suffering from an attack of hay fever. He did not sneeze deliberately. There was a big bowl of flowers kept in the drawing-room. These flowers caused him to sneeze. He buried his face in his handkerchief.

15. Describe the lady in red.

Ans. She was a young and smart thief. She was very graceful, resourceful and impressive. She spoke to Horace in an authoritative voice as if she was the mistress of the house. She was very intelligent. She was able to outsmart Danby easily. She not only robbed at Shotover Grange but also Danby Horace cleverly.

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