1. How did Horace know all the details of the house?

 Ans. Horace had been studying the house for the past two weeks. Moreover, a magazine article had described this house, giving a plan of all the rooms and a picture of the room. There were also the details of the safe hidden behind the safe.

2. How did Horace fulfil his desire of reading books after he was arrested?

Ans. After Horace was arrested, he became the assistant librarian in the prison and fulfilled his desire of reading books.

3. Though Horace planned everything meticulously, why did he fail?

Ans. Though Horace planned everything meticulously; he failed led because of the smart lady. She posed herself to be the owner of the house and convinced him to open the shelf as she had “not the password of the shelf. Horace got trapped in her plot.

4. How did the flowers cause him trouble?

 Ans. Horace Danby had an allergy for flowers, especially during pollen season. Who flowers are nearby, he got sneezing. The only cure for it was to stay away from those path flowers.

5. What was Horace Danby’s hobby? How did he manage to fulfil his hobby?

Ans. Horace’s only hobby was to read expensive and rare books. He used to rob a safe every year in order to arrange money for his hobby. He used to get those books from an agent.

6. How did the lady spoil his plan?

Ans. The lady posed as the owner of the house in front of Horace. Horace got scared and believed her. She asked him to open the safe as she had forgotten the password. Horace opened the safe and handed over the jewels to her. Hence, Horace’s plan of robbing the safe was spoiled.

7. Why did the lady report to the police though she promised that she would not report to the police?

Or

How did the lady deceive Horace?         

8. How did Horace enter Shot over Grange?

Ans. Horace had seen the housekeeper hang the key in the hook outside the kitchen door. He came out from behind the garden wall. He put on his gloves, took the key and opened the door of the kitchen and entered Shot over Grange.

9. Who is the real culprit in this story, the lady or Horace? How did he/she manage to rob the safe without leaving a single fingerprint?

 Ans. In this story, the real culprit is the young lady. She managed to trick Horace for breaking the safe for her. She did not even touch the safe herself. She managed to get all the jewels. She had to do no physical exercise for this. In this way, she managed to rob the safe without leaving a single fingerprint.

10. What do you think is the meaning of the phrase โ€˜honour among thievesโ€™?

Ans. The phrase ‘honour among thieves’ means that thieves have their code of conduct. One thief is honest to the other thief. They never betray one another.

11. Which of the two lacked honour?

Ans. Among the two the young lady lacked honour. She came face to face with a thief, still, she tricked ‘him. But Horace did not know that she was a thief. She got all the jewels. She went free but poor Horace was arrested. It was against the profession of thieves.

12. Describe Horace Danby.

Ans. Horace Danby was a good and respectable citizen. He was about fifty years old, but he was unmarried. He was a locksmith. He was very successful in his business. He was usually very well and healthy except for attacks of hay fever. But he was not completely honest.

13. How did Horace Danby manage to get rare and expensive books?

 Ans. Horace Danby loved rare and expensive books. He bought them secretly through an agent. But for this, he had to rob a safe every year because he had not enough money to buy these books. In this way, he managed to get these rare and expensive books.

14. What did the young lady ask Horace to do for her?

 Ans. The young lady told Horace that she had come there to take the jewels from the safe. She said that she had to wear them that night at a party. She made an excuse of forgetting the number to open the safe. So she compelled Horace to break open the safe for her if not she would tell the police everything about him.

15. What story did Horace tell the police when he was arrested?

Ans. He told the police that he had not stolen any jewels. He said that he broke open the safe for the young wife of the owner of the house. But the wife was herself an old lady of about sixty with grey-hair. So, none believed his story.

16. Why is Horace Danby described as good and respectable but not completely honest?

Ans. Horace Danby was a good person. He made locks. He was very successful in his business. He had engaged two helpers in his business. But he was not completely honest because he robbed a safe every year.

17. Why did he rob every year? Was he a typical thief? If so, why?

Ans. Horace loved reading rare and expensive books. So he robbed a safe every year to buy these books. He was a typical thief because he robbed only one safe every year.

18. Describe how Horace Danby planned his work?

  Ans. Horace Danby studied the house ai Shotover Grange for two weeks. He studied its rooms, its electric wiring, its paths and its garden. He was sure that the family was in London. The two servants had gone to the movies and they would not come back before four hours. He came out from behind the garden wall and entered the house.

19. He was a very successful thief. What went wrong when he attempted to rob Shotover Grange?

Ans. Danby was a very successful thief. He always used gloves while breaking a safe. He never left any fingerprints behind. This time when he started his work, he felt a little tickle in his nose. It was because of a big flower pot lying on the table. He was repeatedly sneezing. This happened wrong with him.

20. What advice did the lady give Horace regarding his hay fever? Was she really interested in his health?

Ans. The lady told Horace that he could get rid of the disease if he found out which plant had given him the disease. She advised him that he should see a doctor. Actually, she was not interested in his health. She was just trying to be friendly and sympathetic.

21. Did the young lady expect Horace to be caught after the theft?

Ans. Yes, the young lady expected Horace to be caught after the theft. She thought that it would be very easy to detect Horace with the help of fingerprints.

22. In what way could his arrest have helped her?

Ans. If Horace Danby was arrested for the jewels robbery at Shotover Grange then she could be safe. She got the jewels but Horace broke the safe for her. Thus, his arrest could have helped her by making her tension free.

23. Did Horace get the jewels from the Grange safe? If not, why did the police arrest him?

Ans. No, Horace did not get the jewels from the Grange safe. But he broke open the safe for the wife of the owner of the house without gloves. But in reality, that lady was a burglar. Thus, there were Horace’s fingerprints all over the room. So, the police arrested him for stealing the jewels from the Grange safe.

Q24. Who was Horace Danby?

Ans. Horace Danby was about fifty years old and unmarried. Everyone thought that he was a good and honest citizen. He lived with a housekeeper who worried about his health. He suffered from the attacks of hay fever in summer. He made locks and was successful at his business. But he was not completely honest. He robbed a safe once a year to buy rare and costly books.

Q25. Why was Horace Dan by not completely honest?

 Ans. Generally, people thought that Horace Danby was a good, honest and respectable citizen. However, he was not completely honest. He robbed a safe every year. This was done to get the necessary money for the purchase of ‘rare and expensive’ books. The money he stole was enough to last a year. He secretly bought the books he loved through an agent.

Q26. What preparations did Horace make for ‘this year’s robbery’ at Shotover Grange?

 Ans. All the previous yearly robberies of Horace Danby were successful. He felt sure that this year’s robbery at Shotover Grange would also be successful. He had been studying the location of the house for two weeks. He studied its rooms, electric wiring, paths and garden. He found out that the two servants had gone to the movies. He had seen the housekeeper hang the key to the kitchen door on a hook outside.

 Q27. How did Horace Danby enter the house?

 Ans. Horace Danby had been preparing for the theft. He studied the house carefully for two weeks before committing the theft in the house at Shotover Grange. He studied its rooms, electric wiring, paths and its garden. He had seen the housekeeper hang the key to the kitchen door on a hook outside. He put on a pair of gloves, took the key and opened the door. Thus, he entered the house at Shotover Grange.

Q28. What precautions did Horace make before reaching the safe? Name three of them.

Ans. Horace Danby took the following precautions before committing the theft:

(i)He put on a pair of gloves as he was always careful not to leave any fingerprints.

 (ii) To tackle the house-dog, Sherry, he kept him quiet and friendly by calling him by his right name.

(iii) He cut the wire of the burglar bell.

Q29. Why was it not hard to open the safe for Horace Danby?

Ans. It was not going to be hard to open the safe for Horace Danby. After all, he had `lived with locks and safes all his life’. He made locks himself with two helpers. The burglar alarm was poorly built and he cut the wires of the burglar alarm. He knew about the safe and the key, and it was not a difficult job for him to open it when no one was present in the house.

Q30. Whose voice was it that advised Horace about the special treatment of his hay fever?

Ans. When Horace was about to open the safe, he heard a female voice. She asked if he suffered from cold or hay fever. He was sneezing again and again. She told that he could cure the hay fever with special treatment. He must find out what plant gave him that disease. She also advised Horace to see a doctor.

Q31. Describe the unexpected meeting of the young lady in red and Horace.

 Ans. When a voice advised Horace to find a suitable treatment of his hay fever, he was surprised. It was a quiet, kindly voice but one with firmness in it. A young woman, quite pretty and dressed in red was standing there. She walked to the fireplace and straightened the ornaments. She said that she “didn’t expect to meet a burglar”.

Q32. Why did the woman in red threaten to telephone the police?

Ans. Horace was caught red-handed. The woman in red said that she didn’t expect to meet a burglar there. She added that she knew that it had been a great inconvenience for him to meet her. She also asked what he was going to do. Horace replied that he was thinking of running away. The lady threatened that if he did so, she would telephone the police and tell them all about him. They would get him at once.

Q33. When and why did the woman in red say, “Society must be protected from men like you”? Doesn’t it sound ironical?

 Ans. Horace assured the woman in red that he would not hurt her. She must forget she ever met him. It made her angry. She couldn’t let him go, otherwise, he would rob someone else. Society must be protected from people like him. It sounds ironical because she herself was a thief and had come for the same purpose for which Horace was there in the house.

Q34. “I have always liked the wrong kind of people,” said the woman in red. Comment.

Ans. It was ironical that the woman who was being considered as the lady of the house and talking big things was herself a thief. Horace requested her to let him go. He was desperate and afraid of going to prison. He promised never to do such a thing again. The lady pretended to be generous and stated that she “always liked the wrong kind of people”.

Q35. Why did Horace mistake the young lady in red as the lady of the house?

Ans. The young woman in red was even smarter than Horace Danby. She was a thief and came with the same purpose as Horace to that house. However, she encountered Horace with an air of confidence and authority. She didn’t allow him to doubt or think about her. She showed that the dog, Sherry, belonged to her. He told him that she returned ‘home’ just in time. Her manner of speaking, gestures and confidence made Horace mistake her to be the lady of the house.

Q36. Do you think that the young woman in red proved far smarter than Horace Danby? Give reasons.

Ans. Definitely, the young woman in red proved far smarter than Horace Danby. She played her part of being the lady of the house with complete perfection. She was an example of self-confidence. She didn’t show any hesitation. She spoke and acted with an air of complete confidence and authority. Poor Horace became a puppet who couldn’t take himself out of her spell. She threatened to telephone the police and made him open the safe, while Horace was later on caught and arrested. She decamped with the jewels.

Q37. Who is the real culprit in the story, the young lady in red or Horace Danby? Comment.

Ans. Law of any land works on evidence. Horace Danby opened the safe without wearing his gloves. He didn’t think it necessary to wear them as he thought he was working for ‘the lady of the house’. So the police matched his fingerprints and he was arrested. The lady in the red was actually the real culprit. She made Horace open the safe for her. She was also a thief and decamped with the jewels. But in the eyes of the law, Horace was the real culprit because the evidence was against him.

 Q38. Why didn’t the dog bark when Horace Danby and the young lady in red entered to commit theft in the house?

Ans. Both, Horace Danby and the young lady in red knew all the tricks of their trade. They knew the real nature of dogs and how to be friendly with them. A small dog when made a noise, Horace called out “All right, Sherry,” as he passed. Perhaps, the lady in red also knew like Horace that to keep dogs quiet, one must call them by their right names. Their trick worked and Sherry remained quiet.

Q39. Why did Horace Danby prefer books to collect paintings?

 Ans. Horace Danby had a passion for books. Collecting and buying rare and expensive books was his passionate hobby. He resorted to robbing a safe every year to buy them. When the preference between collecting books and paintings came, he chose the former. Paintings took up too much space. In a small house like his, books were a better choice.

 Q40. Why didn’t Horace Danby never get any chance to look for another safe?

 Ans. Horace got nothing from the house at Shotover Grange. The lady in red decamped with the jewels. For two days, he kept his promise given to the kind, young lady in red. On the third day, he realised that he would have to look for another safe to buy books. But he never got that chance because the police arrested him for the jewel robbery at Shotover Grange.