Class 10 : English – Lesson 23. A Question of Trust

EXPLANATION & SUMMARY

💠 Explanation

🌟 Introduction to the Lesson
“A Question of Trust,” written by Victor Canning, is a short story from the Class 10 NCERT book Footprints Without Feet. It narrates the tale of Horace Danby, a respectable-looking man with an unusual hobby—stealing. Through suspense and irony, the story reveals how even the most cunning minds can be outsmarted.

📚 About the Author
Victor Canning (1911–1986) was a British novelist and short story writer, known for his adventure stories, crime fiction, and children’s books. His writings often blend wit, suspense, and moral lessons, making ordinary incidents engaging and thought-provoking.

💡 Setting / Context
The story is set in England, in a luxurious country house named Shotover Grange. The time is post-war Britain, when wealth, class differences, and the lure of easy money created an atmosphere ripe for such tales of theft and trickery.

🎭 Key Sections / Episodes
Horace Danby’s Double Life: Outwardly, Horace was a respectable locksmith who made a living honestly, yet he planned one robbery every year to fund his love for rare books.
The Target – Shotover Grange: He prepared carefully to break into the house while the servants were away, showing his skill and confidence.
The Unexpected Encounter: Inside the house, he met a woman pretending to be the owner’s wife. She manipulated Horace into breaking the safe for her.
The Twist: Trusting her words, Horace opened the safe without gloves, leaving his fingerprints.
The Downfall: Later, he was arrested because the woman turned out to be another thief, not the real lady of the house.

🖋️ Tone, Style, and Devices
The tone is suspenseful with touches of irony and humour. Devices like dramatic irony (reader realizes Horace is being tricked), character contrast (honest appearance vs. dishonest action), and foreshadowing heighten the impact.

🕊️ Themes and Takeaways
Deception: Even the clever can be deceived.
Irony of Fate: Horace planned carefully but was undone by misplaced trust.
Crime and Punishment: Wrong actions, however small, often lead to downfall.
Appearance vs. Reality: People are not always what they seem.

💠 Summary
“A Question of Trust” by Victor Canning is a suspenseful story about Horace Danby, a respected locksmith with a secret passion for stealing once a year to buy rare books. Confident of success, he targeted Shotover Grange, a wealthy household. After skillfully entering, he encountered a woman posing as the owner’s wife. She tricked him into opening the safe for her, and in his haste, he forgot to wear gloves, leaving his fingerprints behind. Later, Horace was arrested, only to discover that the woman was another clever thief. Through irony and wit, the story highlights how trust can be misplaced, appearances deceptive, and crime inevitably punished.

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PASSAGE

PASSAGE
“Horace Danby was a good and respectable citizen. He was about fifty and unmarried, and he lived with a housekeeper who worried about his health. He was usually very well and happy, except for attacks of hay fever in summer. He made locks and was successful enough at his business, but he was not completely honest. Every year he planned carefully one robbery that would last him for the next twelve months.”

💠 (Short Answer – 30 words)
What kind of man was Horace Danby?
Answer: Horace Danby was a respectable and successful locksmith, about fifty years old, unmarried, living with a housekeeper, but he secretly committed one robbery every year.

💠 (Multiple Choice)
What health problem troubled Horace Danby in summer?
A. Cold
B. Asthma
C. Hay fever
D. Migraine
Answer: C. Hay fever

💠 (Fill in the blank)
Horace Danby lived with his __.
Answer: housekeeper

💠 (Fill in the blank)
Horace planned one __ every year to last him for twelve months.
Answer: robbery

💠 (Assertion and Reason)
Assertion (A): Horace Danby was completely honest in his life.
Reason (R): He earned his money only from his lock-making business.
A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
B. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
C. A is false, but R is true.
D. Both A and R are false.
Answer: C. A is false, but R is true.

💠 (Short Answer – 30 words)
Why did Horace Danby commit theft once a year despite being successful?
Answer: Horace loved collecting rare books, and to afford them, he planned one robbery every year, believing this theft would finance his passion without harming his livelihood.

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OTHER QUESTIONS: –

🔴 Q1. Who is the author of “A Question of Trust”?
🔵 Answer: Victor Canning.

🔴 Q2. What was Horace Danby’s profession?
🔵 Answer: He was a successful locksmith.

🔴 Q3. Why did Horace plan one robbery every year?
🔵 Answer: To buy rare and expensive books.

🔴 Q4. What health problem did Horace suffer from?
🔵 Answer: He suffered from hay fever in summer.

🔴 Q5. Where was Horace’s house located and with whom did he live?
🔵 Answer: He lived in his own house with a housekeeper.

🔴 Q6. What was Horace’s plan for robbing Shotover Grange?
🔵 Answer: He carefully studied the house, waited for the servants to leave, and planned to open the safe to steal jewels.

🔴 Q7. How was Horace deceived inside Shotover Grange?
🔵 Answer: A woman posing as the owner’s wife tricked him into opening the safe for her.

🔴 Q8. Why did Horace not wear gloves while opening the safe?
🔵 Answer: He was in a hurry to obey the woman’s instructions and forgot to wear gloves, leaving fingerprints behind.

🔴 Q9. What irony lies in the title “A Question of Trust”?
🔵 Answer: Horace trusted the false lady, while society could never trust a thief like him. Thus, misplaced trust led to his downfall.

🔴 Q10. How did Horace justify his thefts to himself?
🔵 Answer: He felt he robbed only once a year, harming no one seriously, and used the money for his love of rare books.

🔴 Q11. What qualities of Horace Danby are revealed through the story?
🔵 Answer: He was intelligent, careful, and skillful but also overconfident, easily deceived, and weak in resisting temptation.

🔴 Q12. Describe Horace Danby’s encounter with the woman at Shotover Grange.
🔵 Answer: While breaking in, he met a charming woman claiming to be the owner’s wife. She pretended to need his help, and Horace, believing her, opened the safe, sealing his fate.

🔴 Q13. What message does Victor Canning convey through “A Question of Trust”?
🔵 Answer: The story teaches that dishonesty and crime, however small, eventually lead to downfall. It highlights irony, misplaced trust, and how appearances can be deceptive.

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