Footprints Without Feet – Chapter 4: A Question of Trust

About the Author: Victor Canning was a British novelist and screenwriter, known for his adventure and crime fiction.

Summary: The story is about a professional thief named Horace Danby, who is different from typical criminals. He is not a hardened criminal but a locksmith who steals only once a year to fund his love for buying and reading rare, expensive books. He plans to rob a wealthy family's safe in Shotover Grange. However, he is outwitted by a young lady disguised as the mistress of the house. She tricks him into opening the safe for her, claiming she has forgotten the combination, and steals the jewels herself. Horace is later caught by the police because his fingerprints are found at the scene. The young lady was also a thief, and Horace is left to face the consequences. The story explores the irony of a thief being fooled by another thief and questions the nature of trust.

Horace Danby: Horace is a 50-year-old locksmith who is generally honest and respectable. He is not a hardened criminal. He steals only once a year to buy rare and expensive books. He is meticulous, careful, and plans his robberies well. However, he is fooled by a young lady who pretends to be the owner's wife. He trusts her and opens the safe for her, only to be betrayed. He represents someone who is intelligent in his craft but naive in trusting others.

The Young Lady: She is a clever and cunning thief who disguises herself as the mistress of the house. She is confident, quick-thinking, and manipulative. She easily convinces Horace that she is the owner's wife and makes him open the safe for her. She steals the jewels and leaves Horace to take the blame. She represents the idea that criminals can be of any age or appearance and that trust can be easily exploited.

Answer: Horace Danby is a 50-year-old locksmith who is generally honest and respectable. He is not a hardened criminal. His hobby is buying and reading rare and expensive books. He steals once a year to fund his book-buying habit.

Answer: Horace was a locksmith by profession. He planned his robbery at Shotover Grange carefully. He studied the house maps, knew the family's routine, and knew that the servants would be away. He wore gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints. He entered through the window using his tools and went straight to the safe.

Answer: The young lady claimed to be the wife of the owner of the house. She tricked Horace by telling him that she had forgotten the combination of the safe and needed to get her jewels out. She convinced him to open the safe for her, pretending that she would not call the police if he helped her.

Answer: Horace believed the young lady because she seemed confident and familiar with the house. She appeared to be the owner's wife. He opened the safe for her, using his skills, and gave her the jewels she pointed to. He believed that she would keep quiet about his presence.

Answer: Horace Danby did not get away with his plan. He was caught by the police because his fingerprints were found on the safe. The young lady, who was actually a thief, had tricked him into opening the safe. He trusted her, and she betrayed him. He was arrested and sent to prison.

Answer: The irony in the story is that a professional thief, Horace Danby, is fooled and outwitted by another thief disguised as a respectable lady. Horace, who is careful and meticulous, falls for a simple trick and opens the safe for her. He trusts her, but she betrays him and leaves him to take the blame. The person who appears to be the victim (the lady) is actually the criminal, and the criminal (Horace) becomes the victim. Also, Horace, who steals to buy books, is caught, while the lady thief escapes.

Answer: Horace Danby was not a typical thief. He was a 50-year-old locksmith who was generally honest and respected in his community. He stole only once a year to fund his hobby of buying rare books. He did not steal out of greed or necessity but out of passion for books. He was careful and meticulous in his planning. He was not a hardened criminal and had a sense of trust and honour. He is a unique and sympathetic character.

Answer: (Students should share their personal experiences.)

Answer: (Students should discuss their opinions. Points: Stealing is generally wrong, but some may argue that extreme circumstances (like poverty or desperation) could make it understandable. However, the law does not justify stealing for any reason, including hobbies like Horace's.)

Locksmith: a person who makes and repairs locks
Grudge: a persistent feeling of ill will or resentment
Hobby: an activity done regularly for pleasure
Meticulous: showing great attention to detail
Vault: a secure room or safe for storing valuables
Burglary: the illegal entry into a building with intent to commit a crime
Disguised: having changed one's appearance to conceal identity
Combination: the sequence of numbers used to open a safe
Conceited: excessively proud of oneself
Dignity: the state of being worthy of respect
Irony: a situation where the opposite of what is expected happens
Betrayal: the act of being disloyal or breaking someone's trust

Answer:
(i) Horace Danby was a 50-year-old locksmith who stole once a year to buy rare books.
(ii) He was a meticulous planner who paid close attention to detail.
(iii) He chose to rob Shotover Grange that weekend because the servants would be away and the family would be out for the evening, making it easier to break in without being caught.

Answer:
(i) The young lady (disguised as the owner's wife) said these words to Horace Danby.
(ii) She said she would not report him to gain his trust and make him open the safe for her.
(iii) This reveals that the speaker is clever, manipulative, and a skilled liar. She is using kindness as a trap.

Answer: Horace Danby stole only once a year because he did not want to become a habitual criminal. He was basically an honest person who had a passion for rare and expensive books. He used the money from his annual theft to buy books for his library. He believed that stealing once a year was harmless and justified his hobby.

Answer: The young lady tricked Horace by pretending to be the mistress of the house. She acted confident and familiar with the house. She claimed she had forgotten the safe's combination and needed to get her jewels out. Her motive was to get Horace to open the safe for her so she could steal the jewels without any effort. She then left Horace to take the blame for the robbery.

Answer: The story is titled "A Question of Trust" because it explores the theme of trust and betrayal. Horace Danby trusted the young lady because she appeared to be the owner's wife. However, she betrayed him and left him to face the consequences. The story teaches us that trust should not be given blindly. Appearances can be deceptive, and people may exploit our trust for their own benefit. It also shows that even criminals can be victims of betrayal.