“A Question of Trust” is the story of Horace Danby, a 50-year-old locksmith and part-time burglar who steals once a year to buy rare books. He thinks he is an honest man except for this one crime, which he justifies because he steals only from rich people.
One summer afternoon, Horace enters the house of a wealthy woman, Miss Hollander. He disables the alarm system and begins working on the safe. Suddenly, a young, well-dressed woman appears and claims to be the owner of the house.
She pretends she has forgotten the safe’s combination and requests Horace to open it for her. Afraid of being caught, he agrees. He breaks open the safe and hands her the jewels. She lets him leave quietly.
A few days later, the real Miss Hollander reports a theft. The police quickly identify Horace as the thief because of his fingerprints and typical burglary methods. He is arrested.
In jail, Horace realizes that the woman who tricked him was not the owner but a clever thief. Now he repairs locks for the prison officers, thinking about how trust can be deceptive.
Summary in Hindi
“A Question of Trust” कहानी है Horace Danby की—50 वर्ष का ताला बनाने वाला, जो साल में केवल एक बार चोरी करता है। वह केवल अमीर लोगों के घरों में चोरी करता है ताकि दुर्लभ किताबें खरीद सके। उसके अनुसार वह ‘ईमानदार’ है, बस एक छोटी सी कमज़ोरी है।
एक दिन वह Miss Hollander के घर में चोरी करने पहुँचता है। वह अलार्म बंद करता है और तिजोरी तोड़ने लगता है। तभी एक सुंदर, आत्मविश्वासी महिला वहाँ आती है और खुद को घर की मालकिन बताती है।
वह कहती है कि वह तिजोरी का पासवर्ड भूल गई है और Horace से इसे खोलने को कहती है। पकड़े जाने के डर से Horace उसकी बात मान लेता है और तिजोरी खोल देता है। वह महिला उसे जाने देती है।
कुछ दिनों बाद असली Miss Hollander चोरी की रिपोर्ट करती है। जाँच में पुलिस को सारे सबूत Horace की तरफ इशारा करते हैं। वह गिरफ्तार हो जाता है।
जेल में Horace को पता चलता है कि जिसने उसे धोखा दिया था, वह कोई और चोर थी, न कि असली मालकिन। यह कहानी बताती है कि भरोसा करना भी जोखिम भरा हो सकता है।
Character Sketch
Horace Danby: Horace Danby is a 50-year-old unmarried man who runs a lock-making business. He is a respectable citizen but has a secret hobby: stealing jewels once a year to buy expensive books. He is meticulous, plans his thefts carefully, and considers himself a good, honest person except for this one flaw. He is gullible and easily tricked, showing that even a clever man can be fooled by a better actor.
The Lady in Red: A young, charming, and cunning woman who poses as the lady of the house at Shotover Grange. She is a brilliant actress who uses her poise, knowledge of the house, and psychology to convince Horace she is the owner. She is the real thief who outsmarts Horace, stealing the jewels he had come to steal. She represents deceit wrapped in elegance.
10 Previous Year Questions & Solutions
1. What was Horace Danby's passion? How did he fund it? (2019)
Answer: Horace Danby's passion was collecting rare and expensive books. He funded this expensive hobby by committing one carefully planned robbery every year. He would steal jewels from a safe, sell them to a reliable fence, and use the money to buy the books he loved.
2. Describe Horace Danby's planning for the robbery at Shotover Grange. (2020)
Answer: Horace planned meticulously. He studied the house, knew the family was in London, and knew about the safe in the drawing-room. He knew the dog would not bark if given his favourite drugs. He brought his tools, wore gloves, and even knew the precise location of the key to the drawing-room from a magazine article. He thought he had covered every detail.
3. How did the lady in red trick Horace? (2022)
Answer: The lady tricked Horace by posing confidently as the lady of the house. She acted surprised but calm, scolded him for his hay fever, and pretended to need the jewels to wear to a party that night. She appealed to his sense of honour, making him open the safe for her. Once she had the jewels, she locked him in and called the police, framing him for the theft.
4. Why did Horace not suspect the lady immediately? (2023)
Answer: Horace did not suspect her because she was exceptionally poised, knew details about the house (like the dog Sherry), and behaved with the authority of the owner. She appeared elegant and spoke with confidence. Horace, being a fundamentally honest man at heart, was easily taken in by her act and her appeal to his "gentleman's" honour.
5. What is the irony in the story's ending? (2018)
Answer: The irony is that Horace Danby, the meticulous thief who stole to fund his love for books, was ultimately imprisoned because he was tricked by a better thief into opening the safe for her. He, who prided himself on his intelligence and planning, was outsmarted and betrayed by his own gullibility and a false sense of honour.
6. "He was allergic to flowers." How did this detail become significant? (2021)
Answer: Horace's hay fever (allergy to flowers) was significant because it gave the "lady" a plausible reason to ask him to remove his gloves to take a handkerchief from his pocket. This action ensured his fingerprints would be all over the safe and room, providing solid evidence against him when the police arrived.
7. Do you think Horace was a good man at heart? Justify. (2019)
Answer: Yes, Horace was a good man at heart in many ways. He was a respectable businessman, paid his taxes, and had no violent tendencies. His stealing was limited and driven by a specific passion, not greed. His willingness to help the "lady" and his sense of honour show a moral code. However, his actions were still criminal, showing a conflict between his essentially good nature and his one dishonest habit.
8. What is the "question of trust" referred to in the title? (2020)
Answer: The "question of trust" operates on two levels. First, it is about Horace trusting the lady's word that she wouldn't call the police if he opened the safe—a trust she blatantly betrayed. Second, on a deeper level, it questions who in society is truly trustworthy. The respectable-looking lady was the real criminal, while the thief showed a sense of honour, blurring the lines of trust.
9. What is the moral of the story 'A Question of Trust'? (2022)
Answer: The moral is that crime does not pay, and dishonesty eventually leads to downfall. It also warns that appearances can be deceptive, and even clever people can be fooled by better actors. The story suggests that having a "one-time" criminal flaw can unravel a person's entire life, as it did for Horace Danby.
10. Could Horace have avoided his fate? How? (2023)
Answer: Yes, Horace could have avoided his fate if he had stuck to his own rules and not engaged with the lady. His plan was to be in and out quickly without encountering anyone. If he had fled when he first saw her, or at least been more suspicious of her story, he might have escaped. His downfall was caused by breaking his own protocol and letting his guard down.
