A Question of Trust Summary Class 10 English

Introduction

The heist that occurred at a home in Shot over Grange served as the inspiration for "A Question of Trust." On the same objective to loot a home safe, two experienced thieves and burglars meet face to face. They both went to great lengths to ensure that the heist would go down without a hitch.

About Author

Under the pen names Julian Forest and Alan Gould, Victor Canning, who predominantly penned thrillers, published a number of works. Eric Ambler, Alistair Maclean, and Hammond Innes were among his close friends.

Canning had a long writing career that began at an early age. His first novel, Mr. Finchley Discovers His England (1934), was released when he was twenty-three years old, and he had already sold a number of short stories by the time he was nineteen. Canning also wrote for young readers; the US children's television network "The Runaways adapted his trilogy The Runaways".

More intricate and darker than his earlier thrillers, Canning's latter works were highly praised by critics. The Rainbird Pattern was nominated for an Edgar Award in 1974 and received the CWA Silver Dagger in 1973.

The Family Plot, Alfred Hitchcock's comedic movie that year, was created from The Rainbird Pattern, and it served as Hitchcock's final motion picture. Several of Canning's other books, notably Golden Salamander (1949), were adapted into films while he was still alive.

Overview

A Question of Trust Summary from English 10 is the topic of this article. Horace Danby is the character of this little narrative. In this tale, a thief experiences the consequences of his own actions. Horace Danby is a total thief. He only steals once a year. He enjoys reading and spends the majority of his income on books. Additionally, he carefully plans every burglary before attempting it. He did a lot of research before attempting to break into a large mansion to steal from the safe. He was the victim of adultery by a woman burglar who identified herself as the home's owner. Finally, Horace reaches his destination-prison-only to reflect on the fact that a guy shouldn't trust anyone, especially someone in his own line of work.

Theme

The story is based on the robbery that was committed in the house at Shotover Grange. Two thieves had the same mission of robbing the safe of the same place. Both had made elaborate preparations. However, one of the robbers was successful in their venture, while the other landed in jail.

Summary

Horace Danby, the titular burglar in this Victor Canning tale, was a decent citizen. He was a locksmith by trade. The fifty-year-old man was a prosperous businessman and was single. He was assisted by two others. He would certainly buy them because he enjoyed collecting expensive and rare books. Although he was well-respected, he wasn't entirely trustworthy. He once a year looted a safe to fund his pricey pastime and purchased the expensive books through an agency. Before attempting any burglary, he would first put out a well-thought-out strategy. He spent more than two weeks getting to know the rooms, wiring, walkway, and garden of Shotover Grange, where he intended to commit burglary this time.

Family members were in London. The two people who looked after the residence went to see a movie one day. Horace decided that now would be the ideal moment to commit the burglary. He entered the home by coming out from behind a garden wall. He used the hook in the kitchen door to pick up a key and put on gloves to prevent leaving fingerprints. When he opened the door, Sherry the dog could be seen waggling its tail.

Danby was aware that the safe was concealed in the drawing room under a shoddy painting. There was a vase of flowers on the table. Danby couldn't smell flowers because of an allergy. He was sneezing continuously and tickling his nose. He disabled the burglar alarm with his tools.

A young woman's voice could be heard speaking through the doorway as he sneezed loudly. She identified herself as the wife of the homeowner and was wearing red. Horace was persuaded to trust her. She said she came in order to pick up jewellery to wear that evening to a party.

Horace asked to be allowed free because he was concerned about being turned over to the police. She informed him that because all of her jewellery was in the safe, he would only be permitted to go if he did so. She said that she was unable to unlock it because she had forgotten the combination. Danby offered to open the safe and did so without wearing gloves. All of the gems were immediately removed by the lady. Horace assumed he had escaped from prison as he left the house. He was detained for the gem theft at Shotover Grange after two days. Horace's prints were visible everywhere. He admitted to the crime and said that he did not steal the gems but rather unlocked the safe for a woman. In actuality, the woman was a robber who persuaded Horace to unlock the safe. Because the owner's wife was sixty years old and did not fit the description Horace gave, no one believed this story. He was taken into custody and imprisoned. He rose to the position of assistant librarian. He frequently considered the woman who deceived him. When someone spoke the phrase "honour among thieves," he used to become agitated and irate.

Analysis

Thethief in the tale is made to pay for his crimes. It conveys the idea that one shouldn't trust someone unless they have thoroughly investigated them.

Thief Horace Danby was taken advantage of by another thief. The same residence was the target of both criminals' schemes. The woman was successful in passing for the owner's wife. She explains that she came to grab her jewellery all of a sudden since she wanted to wear it to a party that evening. Danby asked to be released because he was afraid. If he brought her the gems, she promised to let him go. Danby removed his gloves and opened the door. Because of his many fingerprints, the police detained him.

Conclusion

The moral of the story is that we shouldn't blindly trust people before learning more about them.

FAQ's

1. Who was the mysterious woman?

A young woman wearing red clothing who claims to be the owner of the house in the Trust chapter makes the narrator look foolish while successfully committing robbery.

2. Horace Danby is hearing someone talk.

Speaking to Horace Danby from the doorway was a woman. She wore a red dress and was youthful and attractive. She went to the fireplace and set the decorations there in order. She said that Horace would have stolen the entire collection of gems from the safe if she hadn't arrived just in time. He agreed to open the safe for her in exchange for her letting him leave without calling the police. It was therefore clear that she was acting as if she were a member of the family residing at Shotover Grange.

3. Before the story ended, did you start to wonder whether the lady was not who Horace Danby had assumed her to be? If so, when and how did you come to this realisation?

Yes, even before the narrative concluded, we started to wonder if the lady was really the one who conned Horace Danby into believing her. She was noticeably abnormally composed as she witnessed Horace attempting to open the safe's latch. This was strange since if she had been a Shotover Grange family member, she would have quickly reported a theft. Instead, she came up to Horace through the doorway and begged him to remove all the jewellery from the safe in exchange for her not telling the police and letting him leave unhindered. It seemed quite implausible that she was a member of the household and had forgotten the combination to access the safe given the suspicious nature of all these occurrences.

It was therefore obvious and unmistakable that she was only employing Horace to access the safe for her.

We could conclude that the woman was the genuine offender and definitely not the one Horace had thought her to be well before the narrative came to a finish.

4. What cunning means does the woman employ to trick Horace Danby into believing she is the lady of the house? Why doesn't Horace think there's a problem?

The young woman managed to trick Horace Danby into thinking that she was the lady of the house in a number of subtle ways, including her assured stride, the way she touched up her makeup, her familiarity with the dog Sherry, and the ease with which she picked up a cigarette from the correct position. Horace was terrified and unable to think clearly, so he failed to recognise that she was attempting to con him into opening the safe for her.

5. Do intentions always excuse deeds? Would you commit a sin if you believed your goals outweighed your actions, like Horace Danby? Do you believe that there are circumstances in which acting dishonestly is acceptable?

The old proverb "The ends do not justify the means" has stood the test of time. No one should hurt another person to pursue their own narrow goals. However, we are aware that idealism is not the only force driving the world. There are many instances of deception when dishonest people deceive others to get an advantage quickly. Such behaviour ought to be decried and severely punished.