🔐 Class 10 English Chapter 4 – A Question of Trust (Summary, Q&A, PDF)
Book: Footprints Without Feet
Chapter: 4 – A Question of Trust
Author: Victor Canning
Board: CBSE Class 10 (2025)
✍️ Introduction
“A Question of Trust” by Victor Canning is a witty and ironic story about a gentleman thief named Horace Danby. Known for his punctual, organized robberies, Horace believes stealing from the rich is harmless. But when he himself is tricked by a clever woman, the story takes a humorous turn, raising a thought-provoking question about trust and deception.
📖 Summary of the Chapter
The story is about a 50-year-old man named Horace Danby, who appears to be a respectable, honest citizen. He lives alone and makes a living by repairing locks and buying rare books. However, once a year, he secretly plans and commits a robbery to fund his expensive hobby of book collecting.
This year, Horace chooses a rich house with no servants at home. He disables the alarm, enters the study, and opens a safe after studying everything for two weeks. Just as he finishes cracking the safe, a woman appears and pretends to be the lady of the house. She claims she has forgotten the code and asks Horace to open it again so she can take some jewelry out discreetly, to avoid suspicion. Afraid of getting caught, Horace agrees and helps her.
A few days later, Horace is arrested—not because of the original robbery, but because the real lady of the house informs the police. He realizes he was tricked by a thief smarter than himself. Ironically, the thief who trusted his own skills gets fooled because he trusted the wrong person.
🌟 Central Theme
The story explores the theme of trust, deception, and irony. It shows how overconfidence and blind trust can lead to downfall. The title itself is ironic—Horace, a thief, gets robbed by someone more clever.
👤 Character Sketches
- Horace Danby: A clever, organized thief who lives a quiet life but steals once a year. Overconfident and trusting, he becomes a victim of a smarter con woman.
- The Woman (Unknown thief): A sharp, confident imposter who tricks Horace by pretending to be the owner. Calm, manipulative, and skilled in deception.
📚 Word Meanings
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Temptation | A strong desire to do something wrong |
| Suburb | Residential area outside a city |
| Deliberately | On purpose, intentionally |
| Flattery | Excessive praise used to trick someone |
| Confession | Admitting guilt or truth |
❓ Important Questions and Answers
- Q1. Who was Horace Danby? What was his secret?
Ans: Horace Danby was a lockmaker who lived a quiet life. His secret was that he stole once a year to buy rare books. - Q2. How did the woman trick Horace?
Ans: The woman pretended to be the owner of the house. She used flattery and fake urgency to make Horace open the safe and hand her the jewels. - Q3. What lesson did Horace learn in the end?
Ans: He learned that overconfidence and trusting strangers blindly can lead to regret and punishment. He also understood how it feels to be deceived. - Q4. What is the irony in the story?
Ans: The irony is that a thief who trusted himself to be smart got robbed by someone smarter. The “question of trust” works both ways.
📥 Download PDF Notes
👉 Click here to download PDF of A Question of Trust Notes
📌 Tags: Class 10 English Chapter 4, A Question of Trust Summary, Victor Canning, Footprints Without Feet, CBSE 2025, ToppersNoteHub
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