(Page 20)
Question 1.
What does Horace Danby like
to collect?
Answer:
Horace Danby likes to collect rare and expensive books.
Question 2.
Why does he steal every
year?
Answer:
He stole every year so that he could buy the rare and expensive books that
he loved to collect. Each year he planned carefully so as to steal enough to
last twelve months.
Page 22
Question 3.
Who is speaking to Horace Danby?
Answer:
A lady standing in the doorway
is speaking to Horace Danby. She was young and pretty and was dressed in red.
She said she had come just in time, or else her family would have been robbed
by Horace. Thus she pretended to be one of the members of the family living at
Shotover Grange.
Question 4.
Who is the real culprit in
the story?
Answer:
The real culprit in the story is the woman who pretended to be a member of
the family living at Shotover Grange. She tricked Horace Danby into believing
her, and cleverly took away all the jewels that were kept in the safe.
Think About It
(Page 25)
Question 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?
Answer:
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.
Question 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?
Answer:
Her confident walk, her
familiarity with the dog Sherry, her act of touching up her make-up and the
ease with which she picks a cigarette from the right place are enough to
deceive anybody. Horace was too frightened to think properly, so he didn’t
suspect anything.
Question 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?
Answer:
Horace’s habits were not
typical of a thief. He was fond of books. He used to steal only once in a year
so he was never stealing more than his needs. However, an act of theft is
still a crime, no matter how well a thief behaves, so this description is apt
for Horace. He can’t be categorised as a typical thief because he is not a
regular offender like other thieves.
Question 4.
Horace Danby was a meticulous
planner but still he faltered. Where did he go wrong and why?
Answer:
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.
Talk About It
(Page 25)
Question 1.
Do you think Horace Danby was
unfairly punished, or that he deserved what he got?
(or)
Do you think Horace Danby was unfairly
punished? (CBSE 2013)
Answer:
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.
Question 2.
Do intentions justify
actions? Would you, like Horace Danby, do something wrong if you thought your
ends justified the means? Do you think that there are situations in which it
is excusable to act less than honestly?
Answer:
“Ends do not justify means”, is
a very old and time-tested saying. For their own benefit nobody should harm
others. But this world doesn’t function on idealism. There are many examples
of people tricking people for quick gains. These acts should be deplored and
dealt with severely.