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CBSE Revision Notes for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 4 A Question of Trust

CBSE Revision Notes for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 4 A Question of Trust

Chapter Sketch
Horace Danby collects rare books, and finances his hobby by breaking safes. This year, however, he is caught by a pretty young lady claiming to be the wife of the house owner. She tricks him into opening the safe and handing her the jewels. Horace is later arrested for the jewel robbery.

About the Characters
Horace Danby : He is a lock-opening expert who is caught for a jewellery robbery by trusting a woman who pretended to be a family member of the owner.
The Unknown : Woman She is a smart thief who uses Horace’s lock-opening skills to rob the jewellery from a safe.

OVERVIEW OF THE CHAPTER
Horace Danby: A Businessman and an Unusual Thief :
Horace Danby had a good reputation in society. He was about fifty years old and unmarried. He ran a business of making locks and had two helpers. But Horace was not totally honest. He loved rare and expensive books. Horace robbed a safe every year to finance his expensive hobby. He was now going for committing a robbery.

Horace Plans a Theft :
For two weeks Horace had studied the country house at Shotover Grange, whose owners normally lived in London. He wanted to burgle the jewellery lying in the safe in this house. Horace entered the house when the servants were away. He had an allergy to flowers called hay fever. He started sneezing. Then he heard a lady’s voice. She told him a cure for the sneeze.

Horace Meets a Young and Pretty Lady :
Then a young and pretty lady appeared in the doorway. She was young and pretty. 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.

Lady’s Condition for Horace’s Freedom :
The lady put one condition for letting Horace go. She told him that she had promised her husband to take her jewels to the bank. She had, however, left the jewels in the safe, as she wanted to wear the jewels in a party that night. She came down to get them, but had forgotten the number combination to open the safe. So she needed his help to break open the safe. So Horace opened the safe for her and handed her the jewels to get his freedom.

Horace Got Arrested :
After two days a policeman arrested him for the jewel robbery at Shotover Grange. Horace’s fingerprints were found all over the room. He had opened the safe without using his gloves. He told the police that the lady of the house had told him to open the safe. But the actual lady was a sixty year-old woman. She said that Horace’s story was nonsense. Then Horace realised that the pretty young woman was also a jewel thief who had used his skill to steal the jewels.
Horace is now assistant librarian in prison. He often thinks of the charming and clever young lady. She was in the same profession as him. She had simply tricked him. So he gets angry when anyone talks about “honour among thieves”.

Chapter Highlights

  1.  Horace Danby, who ran a business of making locks, had a good reputation in society. But he was not totally honest.
  2. His hobby was collecting rare and expensive books. Horace robbed one safe every year to finance his costly hobby.
  3. 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.
  4. Horace entered the house when the servants were away. But Horace started sneezing because he had an allergy to flowers called hay fever.
  5.  Suddenly he heard a young lady’s voice saying that she could cure him. He then saw her appear in the doorway.
  6.  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.
  7. . 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.
  8.  So Horace opened the safe for her and handed her the jewels to get his freedom.
  9. 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.
  10.  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.
    11. Horace is now in prison. He understands now that the charming and clever young lady had simply tricked him.

WORD MEANINGS
The given page nos. correspond to the pages in the prescribed textbook.

Word Meaning
PAGE 20
housekeeper person looking after the domestic work in a house
hay fever disease affecting the nose and throat caused by allergy to pollen or dust
respectable regarded as good by people
served spent
sentence punishment
safe strong locked box storing valuable items
Grange big house in a rural area
tickle itching
PAGE 21
make him happy keep him satisfied
fingerprints marks left by fingers
wondered thought
room space
burglar alarm alarm to warn about thieves
hindering delaying
PAGE 22
one with firmness in it determined
ornaments decorations
inconvenience trouble
get you arrest you
PAGE 23
hate the thought of don’t like
des’perate without any hope
wrong kind of people criminals
mended repaired
PAGE 24
look for steal from/rob
sharp-tongued using harsh, or critical language
charming friendly and likeable
in the same profession doing the same work
honour respect for each other

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