Summary of Chapter 4 A Question of Trust (Quick Revision Notes) Footprints without Feet Class 10th
Summary of the Chapter
Horace Danby had a good reputation in the society. He was about fifty and unmarried. He made locks and had two helpers. He loved rare and expensive books. Horace robbed a safe every year. He was now out on committing a robbery.
For two weeks Horace had studied the house of Shotover Grange. He had to burgle this house. Horace Danby entered the house. Horace had allergy from flower; he started sneezing. Then he heard a voice. The voice told him that he could cure the sneeze. It was the voice of a woman. She stood in the doorway. She was young and pretty. His first thought was to run. The lady told him that she would telephone the police. She would tell them about him. Horace Danby told him to let him go and forget she ever saw him. The lady put one condition for letting Horace go.
She told him that she had promised her husband to take her jewel to the bank. She had, however, left jewels in the safe. She told him that she wanted to wear the jewels in a party that night. She came down to get them. But she had forgotten the numbers to open the safe. So she needed his help and Horace opened the safe for her.
After two days a policeman had arrested him for the jewel robbery at Shotover Grange. Danby’s fingerprint were found all over the room. He had opened the safe without gloves. He said to the police that the landlady of the house said him to open the safe. But the lady was 60 years old woman. She said Danby's story is a nonsense.
Horace is now in prison. He often thinks of the charming and clever young lady. She was in the same profession. She had simply tricked him. Danby gets angry when anyone talks about “honour among thieves”.
Quick Revision Notes
• Horace Danby, who ran a business of making locks, had a good reputation in society. But he was not totally honest.
• His hobby was collecting rare and expensive books. Horace robbed one safe every year to finance his costly hobby.
• Horace had been studying the country house at Shotover Grange, whose owner normally lived in London, as he wanted to burgle the jewellery, worth about 15000 pounds, lying in the safe in this house.
• Horace entered the house when the servants were away. But Horace started sneezing because he had an allergy to flowers called hay fever.
• Suddenly he heard a young lady's voice saying that she could cure him. He then saw her appear in the doorway.
• His first thought was to run, as the lady told him that she would telephone the police. Horace told her to let him go and forget she ever saw him.
• The lady agreed on one condition - he should open the safe for her, as she had to wear the jewels in the safe for a party the same night, but she had forgotten the combination to open the safe.
• So, Horace opened the safe for her and handed her the jewels to get his freedom.
• After two days Horace was arrested for the jewel robbery at Shotover Grange. Horace's fingerprints were found, as he had opened the safe without using his gloves.
• When he told the police that the lady of the house had asked him to open the safe, he was surprised to learn that the actual lady was a 60-year old woman. Horace then realised that the young woman was also a jewel thief who had used his skill to steal the jewels.
• Horace is now in prison. He understands now that the charming and clever young lady had simply tricked him.
NCERT Solutions of A Question of Trust
Go Back To Summary of Class 10th Footprints Without Feet