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NCERT English Class 10th – A Question of Trust Detailed Summary

Introduction

“A Question of Trust” is an interesting short story written by Victor Canning. It is included in the NCERT Class 10 English book First Flight. The story is about a clever thief named Horace Danby, who loves books and steals only once every year to buy rare books. The story takes an unexpected turn when he is himself tricked by another thief.

The chapter teaches us that even clever criminals cannot always trust others, and crime ultimately leads to trouble.

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Detailed Summary

Horace Danby – The Unusual Thief

Horace Danby was about fifty years old. He looked like an ordinary and respectable locksmith. He lived alone and made locks for two shops. Everyone believed him to be honest and hardworking.

However, Horace had a secret life. He was actually a thief. But he was not a violent criminal. He stole only once every year because he needed money to buy expensive rare books. Reading books was his greatest passion.

He planned his robberies very carefully and successfully avoided the police for many years.

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Planning the Robbery

One day, Horace decided to rob a large house named Shotover Grange. The house belonged to a rich family. Horace had studied the house carefully for two weeks.

He learned that:

• The family would be away.

• The servants had gone away too.

• Only a small dog remained in the house.

He believed the robbery would be easy and safe.

Horace entered the house through the kitchen window. He wore gloves so that he would not leave fingerprints. He was fully prepared and carried tools to open the safe.

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The Safe

Inside the house, Horace found a big safe hidden behind a picture in the drawing room. The safe contained jewellery worth about fifteen thousand pounds.

Horace was confident because he was skilled at opening safes. He began working carefully.

But while opening the safe, he removed his gloves because they felt uncomfortable.

This small mistake later became very important.

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The Young Woman Appears

Suddenly, Horace heard a voice behind him. A young and attractive woman was standing there.

Horace became frightened. He thought she was the owner of the house. The woman spoke calmly and confidently. She told Horace that she had seen him entering the house.

Surprisingly, she did not scream or call the police.

Instead, she behaved very politely and cleverly. She said she also wanted the jewels from the safe because she needed money. Then she pretended to trust Horace and asked him to open the safe for her.

She also threatened him gently by saying that if he refused, she would call the police.

Horace believed her story completely.

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Horace Opens the Safe

The woman told Horace that she had forgotten the combination number of the safe. She asked him to use his skills to open it.

Wanting to avoid trouble, Horace quickly opened the safe. The woman took all the jewels and placed them into a bag.

Before leaving, she thanked Horace sweetly and promised not to inform the police.

Horace felt relieved and believed he had escaped danger.

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The Truth Revealed

Two days later, Horace was arrested by the police.

He was shocked because he thought nobody knew about the robbery.

The police discovered Horace’s fingerprints on the safe because he had removed his gloves. They accused him of stealing the jewels.

Horace tried to explain that a young woman had tricked him and taken the jewellery.

But the police did not believe him.

The real owner of the house was an elderly woman, not the young lady Horace had met. This proved that the young woman was herself a clever thief pretending to be the owner.

She escaped successfully with all the jewels, while Horace was caught.

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Ending of the Story

Horace realized that he had been fooled by another criminal. He had trusted the young woman and paid the price for it.

Finally, Horace was sent to prison. In jail, he became angry whenever anyone talked about “honour among thieves.”

The story ends with irony because a thief who deceived others was himself deceived.

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Main Characters

1. Horace Danby

• A fifty-year-old locksmith

• Secretly a thief

• Intelligent and careful

• Loves rare books

• Easily fooled by the young woman

2. The Young Woman

• Smart and confident

• Pretends to be the owner of the house

• Tricks Horace into opening the safe

• Escapes with the jewels

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Themes of the Story

1. Crime Never Pays

Even though Horace was clever, his criminal activities finally led him to prison.

2. Deception

The young woman deceives Horace very cleverly.

3. Trust

The story shows that trust among criminals is dangerous and unreliable.

4. Irony

A thief who tricks others is himself tricked by another thief.

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Moral of the Story

• Dishonesty always leads to trouble.

• Criminals cannot truly trust one another.

• Intelligence without honesty is useless.

• Crime may seem successful for some time, but the truth comes out eventually.

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Important Exam Points

• Writer: Victor Canning

• Main character: Horace Danby

• Place robbed: Shotover Grange

• Horace’s profession: Locksmith

• Reason for stealing: To buy rare books

• Cause of arrest: Fingerprints on the safe

• Twist in the story: The young woman was also a thief

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Short Conclusion

A Question of Trust is a suspenseful and humorous story about a thief who becomes the victim of another clever thief. The story highlights irony, deception, and the consequences of crime in an entertaining way.