A Question of Trust Class 10 Notes, Summary & Q&A

1. Introduction to A Question of Trust

Welcome to our comprehensive A Question of Trust Class 10 notes. “A Question of Trust” by Victor Canning (External Link for SEO) is a clever story from the CBSE Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet book. It is based on the famous proverb “Honor among thieves.” The story revolves around Horace Danby, a man who is considered respectable but is secretly a thief. He steals only once a year to fund his expensive hobby of collecting rare books. However, his life takes a sudden turn when he meets a mysterious lady during one of his robberies. Read our full A Question of Trust summary (Internal Link for SEO) below to understand the irony of how a careful professional can be outsmarted.

2. A Question of Trust Characters Sketch

• Horace Danby: A fifty-year-old unmarried man who makes locks. He is generally considered a good and honest citizen, but he robs one safe every year. He loves rare and expensive books and suffers from hay fever.
• The Young Lady in Red: A clever and beautiful thief who pretends to be the mistress of the house at Shotover Grange. She is very manipulative and manages to trick Horace into opening the safe for her.
• Sherry: The pet dog at Shotover Grange whom Horace treats kindly to keep him quiet.

3. A Question of Trust Summary in English

Horace Danby’s Secret Life

Horace Danby was about fifty years old and was a successful locksmith. Everyone thought he was a good, honest man. However, he had a secret: fifteen years ago, he had served time in prison. Now, he robbed one safe every year. He wasn’t a common thief; he stole only from the rich and only to buy rare and expensive books that he loved to collect. He planned each robbery very carefully for months.

Planning at Shotover Grange

For two weeks, Horace had been studying the house at Shotover Grange. He knew exactly where the safe was hidden behind a poor painting in the drawing-room. He knew that the two servants were away at the movies and the owners were in London. He entered the house with his tools, wearing gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints. However, the smell of flowers in the room triggered his hay fever, and he began to sneeze.

The Encounter with the Lady in Red

While he was sneezing, a young, pretty woman dressed in red appeared in the doorway. She spoke to Horace very calmly, as if she were the owner’s wife. She acted as if she had caught a common burglar. Horace was frightened that he would be handed over to the police. The lady told him that she would let him go only if he helped her. She claimed that she had forgotten the numbers to open the safe and needed the jewels for a party that night.

The Big Mistake

Horace, desperate to escape, believed her story completely. In his haste and fear, he took off his gloves and opened the safe for her without thinking. He handed her the jewels and left the house happily, thinking he was safe. He forgot that he had left his fingerprints all over the safe when he removed his gloves.

The Arrest and Irony

Two days later, a policeman arrested Horace for the jewel robbery at Shotover Grange. His fingerprints were found everywhere. The real owner of the house, a sixty-year-old woman with grey hair, said that the story of the young lady was complete nonsense. Horace realized that he had been tricked by another thief. He was sent to prison, where he now works as an assistant librarian. He gets very angry whenever someone mentions “honor among thieves” because he was betrayed by a member of his own profession.

4. A Question of Trust Class 10 MCQs

5. A Question of Trust Question Answers (Short)

6. A Question of Trust Important Questions (Long)