Jpadhie akshay CHAPTER Stn — padhie.akshayHorace Danby runs a business of making locks. He has a good reputation in the society. But he is a shilled thief and breaks a safe once a year to finance his hobby of reading rare oks. Horace plans meticulously where he is to break the safe. He studies the country house at Shotover Grange in every way like the drainage system, the electrical fittings, paths and the garden, maps etc. v The owner of the house lives in London. The house has jewellery worth about £ 15000 tying in the safe in the house. Horace enters the house. But he starts sneezing due to hay fever because he has an Allergy to flowers. Suddenly, he is accosted by a young lady, She says to Danby that she could cure him. The lady appears very confident and imposing, Danby's first thought is to run away asthe lady tells him that she is going to call the police. But Danby pleads to let him go. The young lady agrees on one condition. She tells him to open the safe for her as she is to wear the jewellery contained in the safe for a party that night. She also tells him that she has forgotten the key combination of the safe. Horace believes in her and opens the safe without using gloves and leaves the place. 10. But he is arrested for the theft of jewellery. His fingers are found on the safe. Danby tells the police that he opened the safe as the Lady of the house had asked him to do so. He is taken aback to learn that the actual house owner is a sixty-year old woman. Horace realises that the young lady was a jewel thief and had tricked him into opening the safe. Horace is now in prison. He gets furious when anyone talks about ‘honour among thieves’Jpadhie akshay LAST 10+ YEARS QUESTIONS —— & — ™ “x Gy Ipadhie.akshayQuestion: What things had made Horace Danby commit the robbery at Shotover Grange? Answer: Horace Danby was a great reader but a thief. In a magazine article, he found the building plan of all the rooms of the house. It had the picture of the safe also where it was Rept. The safe was behind a painting, This article prompted him to commit a robbery there. Question: What was the passion of Horace Danby and how did he satisfy it? Answer: The passion of Horace Danby was that he loved rare and expensive books. So he robbed a safe every year to satisfy this passion. Before robbing, he would plan everything carefully, He would steal enough money to last for twelve months. Question: Why was Horace Danby caught for the Shotover Grange robbery? Answer: Horace Danby was caught for the Shotover Grange robbery. It was because the safe had his fingerprints. He told that the landlady had asked him to open the safe. No one believed in his story. The real lady of the house was an old woman of sixty. The young lady was another thief. Question: Although Horace Danby was not the real culprit, yet he was caught by the police. ? y? Answer: Although Horace Danby was not the real culprit, yet he was caught by the police. Actually, his fingerprints were all over the safe and the room. He had opened it without gloves. Obviously, the police had a documentary evidence of the theft. So it had to arrest him at any cost. Question: What was Horace Danby's hobby? How did he manage to fulfil it? Answer: Horace Danby's hobby was reading rare and expensive books. He loved to read them. For that he would rob a safe every year. He stole enough to last for twelue months and secretly bought the books through an agent. Question: What story did the lady inuent:to fake Horace Danby to steal for her? Answer: The lady said that she had promised to take her jewels to the bank. But they were in the safe. She wanted to wear them for a party that night. But she had forgotten the safe number to open. To get freedom Horace opened the safe for her. Question: Did Horace get the jewels from the Grange safe? If not, why did the police arrest him? Answer: Yes, Horace did get the jewels from the Grange's safe. But he did not get them for himself. He stole them for the young and pretty lady. The police arrested him because his fingerprints were everywhere. It was a solid proof of his offence and crime. The police didn't have any proof against the lady, So it couldn't arrest her. Question: What do you think is the meaning of the phrase ‘honour among thieves’? Answer: The phrase ‘honour among thieves’ means that thieves do not cheat another thief. They do not play trick on other thieves. They have certain principles. They abide by the principle of honouring’ another thief. Question: Explain the statement: "Society must be protected from men like you." Answer: This statement was spoken by the lady to Horace Danby. It means that a thief is saying something good to another thief. The irony is that the lady is a bigger and more crafty thief than Danby. And strangely, she is talking of ridding the society of thieves ! Question: What was Horace Danby's hobby and how did he pursue it ? Answer: Horace Danby loved reading books. These were rare and very expensive. For that he needed money, So he looted a safe each year. For that he would plan well in time. He would not leave any chance of being caught. Then he would buy those books. Question: What did Horace do to flatter the lady? When did he do so? Answer:Horace Danby now felt that he was nearly caught in the trap. He would have to go to jail, So he started flattering the lady. He begged her to allow him to go as he had been caught red-handed. He promised never to steal again.Question: Describe how the young and pretty lady tricked Horace Danby. Answer: Horace Danby was reputed as a good man. But he robbed a safe once (in) a year. He decided to rob Shotover Grange's safe. So he entered it to rob the safe. But he met a young and pretty lady, She posed to be the wife of the owner. But she was another robber. She talked very confidently, Horace requested her to let him go. He won't rob again in future. He didn’t want to be arrested. The lady tricked him. She asked him to take the jewels out of the safe. She had forgotten the number for opening the safe. Danby opened the safe without loves, He left his fingerprints everywhere, He was arrested by the police because of the sold evidence. Question: Give a character-sketch of Horace Danby. Answer: Horace Danby was an uncommon kind of thief. Everyone thought him to be a good and honest citizen. He was respectable. But he was not completely honest. He loved rare and expensive books. He robbed a safe every year. He planned everything before robbery. But Danby was tricked in by a young and pretty lady. She was a thief like him. She posed to be the wife of the house owner. He asked her to let her go. But she made out a very convincing story, She asked Horace Danby to take out the jewels from the safe. Horace did so. But the police arrested him for the robbery. They had the evidence of his fingerprints. Question: Why did Horace Danby get angry when anyone talked about ‘Honour among thieves'? What does it mean in relation to the story 'A Question of Trust’? Answer: Horace Danby got very angry when anyone talked about honour among thieves’ in jail. it was because thieves should respect and maintain ethics among themselves. But a lady thief didn't do so. She got him sent to prison. In fact, tt was she due to whom Danby had opened the safe. Actually, he had thought that she was the lady of the house. He met her when he entered the Shotover Grange house to steal. That lady was a thief like him. She made up a false story before Horace. She impressed him as the landlady. Danby believed it. He opened the safe for her. He left his fingerprints in doing so. He was sent to prison due to his fingerprints. Question: ‘A Question of Trust’ describes the value of trust among the people in a general way. Its importance in human relationship or otherwise can't be measured, But loss of trust causes an irreparable damage in life. Describe how such values are highlighted in the story. Answer: ‘A Question of Trust’ deals with a very sensitive aspect of life. It is based on the value of trust and how it damages human relationships if trust gets broken. When it is broken, there is no end to the suffering. It changes the very course of life. The broken trust plays havoc with the feelings of persons. This is what happens to Horace Danby. He can't be excused for what he does. But he can do nothing when he has been pushed to the wall by the lady who is another thief. It is very sad that two thieves break the trust between them. Horace Danby suffers emotionally more and more. He laments that trust must be kept at any cost. The importance of trust in human relationship is great as it sustains self-respect.