A Question of Trust

Summary

This story is about a thief who gets a taste of his own medicine. Horace Danby steals only once in a year. He is fond of books and spends most of his booty on buying books. He plans meticulously before attempting a burglary. During his burglary attempt at a big house, he gathers all the necessary information and enters the house for stealing from the safe. He is cheated by a lady thief, who claims herself to be the owner of the house. Finally, Horace ends up in prison only to repent at the way he was deceived by a person from his own profession.

Comprehension Questions 

Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:

1. What was the passion of Horace Danby and how did he satisfy it? 

The passion of Horace Danby was collecting rare and expensive books. To satisfy this passion, he needed money and arranged it by robbing one safe every year and then secretly buying the books through an agent.

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

Danby always planned his robberies meticulously. He prepared for the robbery at Shotover Grange by studying the house, the electric wiring, paths and garden. He knew that the family normally lived in the city and knew about the movement of the servants, who had gone out that afternoon. He had kept his tools ready, packed in a bag. 

3. Whom did Horace Danby see in the kitchen? How did they greet each other? What tact did Horace apply there? 

Horace Danby saw the family dog, Sherry, in the kitchen. The dog greeted Horace by stirring, making a noise and wagging its tail in a friendly way. Horace greeted the dog by tactfully calming it down, calling it by its name and showing love to it. 

4. Where was the safe at Shotover Grange? What was there inside it? What did Horace expect to get if he sold them one by one? 

The safe at Shotover Grange was kept in the drawing room behind a poor painting and had jewels worth about 15000 pounds kept in it. It had a poorly built burglar alarm, but could be opened only through a specific code. Horace expected to get 5000 pounds if he sold the jewels one by one.

5. Why was Horace Danby sure that his robbery at Shotover Grange would be a successful one? 

Horace Danby was sure that his robbery at Shotover Grange would be a successful one because he had studied the house, the drawing room where the safe was kept, the wiring and its garden. He had also studied the movement of the servants, so he had planned well, thus ensuring that nothing could go wrong. 

6. Why does Horace Danby get angry when anyone talks about ‘honour among thieves’? 

When anyone talks about ‘honour among thieves’, Horace Danby gets angry because the young lady who cheated him was also a thief, yet did not follow this saying. 

7. Do you think Horace Danby was unfairly punished? 

Horace Danby deserved what he got. A crime is a crime, no matter if it is committed for your own benefit or for somebody else’s benefit. 

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

No, Horace did not get the jewels from the Grange safe. But he broke open the safe for the wife of the owner of the house without gloves. But in reality, that lady was a burglar. Thus, there were Horace’s fingerprints all over the room. So, the police arrested him for stealing the jewels from the Grange safe.

Answer the following questions in 100-150 words:

1. Horace Danby represents people who adopt the wrong ways to fulfill their wishes. What values would you like such people to imbibe to reform themselves?
Horace Danby was a successful businessman. He was about fifty years old, respectable citizen but had a habit that led him to do robberies. Danby loved rare, expensive books and to get them he used to rob a safe every year. Every year he planned carefully just to get what he wanted. Danby adopted wrong ways to fulfill his wishes and hence, later got trapped in a plot by a thief like him. People like Horace Danby need to learn that one should work hard to fulfill their desires. So also, money earned fast in this manner does not last longer. They should imbibe the values of honesty, responsibility, hard work, dedication, self-confidence in order to reform themselves.

2. Horace Danby requested the lady to forget what she saw. Was Horace afraid of being caught? Did he lack the courage to accept his crime publicly? Explain the values one must imbibe to accept one’s mistake.
Yes, Horace Danby was afraid of being caught. He lacked the courage to accept his crime publicly. He was not a professional criminal or thief. He was considered a good and honest man by everyone. He was about fifty years old and unmarried. His house was looked after by a housekeeper. He used to rob only one safe every year to pursue his habit of getting rare and expensive books to read. He used to rob only those who were rich. He had a good reputation in the society and hence did not want anyone to know about his crimes. Although he helped the lady, he was caught by the police for the crime he did not commit. He learnt from his mistake.

3. Horace was clever but the lady in red was cleverer. Do you agree with this statement?
Yes, I agree with this statement. Horace was clever, as he planned the robbery carefully, studied the target, took the proper tools and also took his gloves, to ensure leaving no fingerprints. But the young lady in red had all the necessary information, and, posing as the mistress of the house, exploited Horace’s fear on being discovered, tricked him into cracking open the safe and handing her the jewels. She even ensured that Horace left his fingerprints at the site, as she distracted him by picking up a cigarette which Horace offered to light after removing his gloves. Thus the lady outwitted him.

4. Would you do something wrong (i.e. commit a crime) if you thought that the ends justify the means? Do you think that there are certain situations you can be excused for acting dishonestly?
Yes, intentions do justify actions. If something wrong is done unintentionally, it may be pardoned. However, it cannot be excused if it is carried out even when knowing it is wrong. As Horace had the intention to rob the safe by breaking it open, his crime is intentional. Although he had good intentions in helping the lady (who he thought was the mistress of the house), his crime cannot be excused. Breaking open the safe cannot be justified at all. Certain situations where you can save one’s life or help someone in distress, one can be excused for acting dishonestly.

5. Horace was a successful thief because he carefully planned his robberies. Should we call him a successful thief and still appreciate his work? Why or why not?
Yes, as a thief, Horace is successful because he carefully planned his robberies and completes them well. He was living his life as a good and honest citizen. However, the wealth he gathered due from his successful robberies did not belong to him. By stealing other people’s valuables, he may have become successful but he is actually a criminal. He may be efficient in conducting his crimes so that he is successful, but we still cannot appreciate his work.

Think about it

1. Did you begin to suspect, before the end of the story, that the lady was not the person Horace Danby took her to be? If so, at what point did you realise this, and how?
Yes, we begin to suspect before the end of the story that the lady was not the person Horace Danby took her to be. She was unusually calm on seeing Horace. This seemed strange. When she did not call the police, and instead asked Horace to take out all the jewels from the safe, even if it meant breaking it open, it seems suspicious. Moreover, it seemed highly unlikely that she would forget the number combination to open the safe. Therefore it was evident, before the story ended, that the lady was not the person Horace had taken her to be.

2. What are the subtle ways in which the lady manages to deceive Horace Danby into thinking she is the lady of the house? Why doesn’t Horace suspect that something is wrong?
The lady manages to deceive Horace Danby into thinking she is the lady of the house from her appearance, her voice and mannerism. She was quite charming, dressed in red like the lady of the house would be. She spoke with a quiet, kindly voice but with firmness in it. She informed him that she had heard his sneezing from the top of the house implying that, that was where she had her room. She walked to the fireplace and straightened the ornaments there showing her familiarity with the place. The dog Sherry was rubbing against her and she spoke to it in a confident and casual in her behaviour and so Horace does not suspect that something is wrong.

3. ‚Horace Danby was good and respectable — but not completely honest‛. Why do you think this description is apt for Horace? Why can’t he be categorised as a typical thief?
The description is apt for Horace Dancy because everyone thought that he was a good and honest citizen. He was about fifty years old and unmarried, and he lived with a housekeeper who worried over 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 to have two helpers.
Although he was good and respectable, he was not completely honest because fifteen years ago, he had served his first and only sentence in a prison library. He robbed only from those who had a lot of money and used the money secretly to buy rare, expensive books. Although the intention of buying books was good, the fact that he had to steal to achieve this end showed that he was not completely honest.
Horace cannot be categorized as a typical thief because he robbed only from those who had a lot of money and use the money secretly to buy rare, expensive books through an agent. Besides, he didn’t rob often but a safe every year. Each year he planned carefully just what he would do and stole enough to last him for twelve months.

4. Horace Danby was a meticulous planner but still he faltered. Where did he go wrong and why? 

Horace Danby failed to get enough information about the real occupants of the house. He seems to be too occupied with collecting information about the house map, wiring and location of valuable items. Although he was smart enough to know the dog’s actual name, he overlooked getting information about the occupants of the house. When he landed in trouble with the appearance of the young lady, his clever mind gave way to carelessness, leading him to open the safe without wearing gloves.

Practice Question

Q1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. 

(a) He put on a pair of gloves, took the key, and opened the door. He was always careful not to leave any fingerprints. A small dog was lying in the kitchen. It stirred, made a noise, and moved its tail in a friendly way. 

i. What is the name of the dog mentioned in the above extract?
a. Tyson
b. Sherry
c. Cooper
d. Charlie 

ii. In which house is the kitchen referred to located?
a. Montex Grange
b. Shotover Grange
c. Mintunbury Grange
d. Westbury Grange 

iii. What did Horace have to do to keep the dog quiet?
a. call him by his name and show love
b. offer him something to eat
c. play with him
d. take him for a walk 

iv. Give the opposite of ‘friendly’
a. antisocial
b. indifferent
c. hostile
d. unmannerly

(b)She laughed, and he begged, thinking that he had persuaded her, ‚Look, I have no right to ask you for anything, but I’m desperate. 

i. Who is ‘she’ in the above extract?
a. servant
b. thief
c. policewoman
d. owner of the house 

ii. Why was he desperate?
a. Because he wanted to buy the books anyhow.
b. Because he didn’t want to go the prison again.
c. Because he was very poor.
d. Because he was dying of hay fever. 

iii. What did the ‘she’ threaten to do?
a. to let the dog loose at him
b. to raise an alarm
c. to call the neighbours
d. to inform the police 

iv. Find a word in the extract that means ‘convinced’.
a. begged
b. persuaded
c. desperate
d. right

Q2. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each. 

(a) What advice did the lady give Horace regarding his hay fever? Was she really interested in his health? 

The lady told Horace that he could get rid of the disease if he found out which plant had given him the disease. She advised him that he should see a doctor. Actually, she was not interested in his health. She was just trying to be friendly and sympathetic. 

(b) How did flowers hinder Horace in his work? 

Flowers hindered Horace in his work because he had hay fever, a disorder affecting the nose and throat, caused by allergy to pollen or dust. Due to this problem, whenever he came close to the flowers, he sneezed and could be caught. Hence, he had to cover his face. 

(c) What did Horace Danby wonder about for a moment looking at the painting? What did he finally decide? 

On seeing the poor painting in front of the safe, Horace Danby wondered for a moment whether to collect pictures instead of books. But then, he thought that books were better in a small house like his, as paintings took up too much room. 

(d) What do you think is the meaning of the phrase ‘honour among thieves’? Which of the two lacked honour? 

The phrase ‘honour among thieves’ means that thieves have their code of conduct. By that code, one thief is honest to the other thief. Among the two, the young lady lacked honour. She tricked Horace and got him caught for the robbery she had done.

Q3. Answer the following questions in in 100 -120 words. 

(a)What were Horace Danby’s plans for his latest robbery?
Horace was sure that the robbery he was planning for that year was going to be as successful as all the others so far. He had been observing and studying the house at Shotover Grange for two weeks. He had observed everything minutely. That afternoon, when he planned to rob the house, he had seen the two servants, who remained in the Grange, going to the movies. He came out from behind the garden wall. He had packed his tools carefully in a bag on his back. Horace knew that there were about fifteen thousand pounds worth of jewels in the Grange safe and if he sold them one by one, he was sure to get enough money to last him for another year. 

(b) Why was Horace Danby arrested although he failed to profit from the robbery at Shotover Grange? What message does the story ‘His First Flight’ convey?
Horace Danby was arrested although he failed to profit from the robbery at Shotover Grange, because he broke open the safe to give the lady in red the jewels, thinking her to be the wife of the owner who had forgotten the number combination to open the safe. Actually he wanted to escape scot-free, as he had been caught red-handed by the lady and wanted to keep her happy. However, his fingerprints were all over the room, as he had forgotten to wear his gloves while opening the safe. Thus he was arrested soon afterwards.