📖 Class 10 English – Footprints Without Feet – A Question of Trust
Original Visual Revision Notes Aligned with the Class 10 English syllabus. Independently created study material. Not affiliated with or endorsed by NCERT.

📌 Table of Contents 1. 📚 Classroom Notes 2. 🎨 Easy Illustrations 3. ✏️ Worked Examples 4. 📋 Cheat Sheet 5. 🏠 Take-Home Handout 6. 🃏 Revision Flashcards 7. 🧠 Mind Map

📝 Section 1 — Classroom Notes

✍ About the Author

👷 Main Characters

🏠 Setting

🔒 Horace's System

📚 Entering the House

💕 The Woman in Red

💔 Horace's Big Mistake

💔 The Shocking Twist

💡 Theme and Moral

🎨 Section 2 — Easy Illustrations

Horace's Annual Theft Plan Study the target house Rob one safe per year Buy rare books secretly Sell jewels slowly

Horace robbed one safe every year in a carefully planned cycle to fund his love of rare books.

The Fatal Mistake — Removing Gloves Safe Entry — Gloves ON No fingerprints left Professional and careful 🥊 Opening Safe — Gloves OFF Fingerprints everywhere! The woman tricked him! 👈 One moment of carelessness led to Horace's arrest.

Horace was careful with gloves — until the woman in red made him remove them.

Who Was the Real Owner's Wife? The Young Woman in Red Pretty, kind voice Pretended to be the wife ACTUALLY: A thief! Used Horace to steal jewels The Real Wife Grey-haired, 60 years old Sharp-tongued woman Called Horace's story "nonsense" Was in London the whole time The real twist — the young woman was another thief all along!

The big reveal: the woman in red was not the owner's wife — she was a clever fellow thief!

Horace's Downfall — Step by Step 1 Removes gloves 2 Opens safe — prints left 3 Leaves jewels with woman 4 Arrested — prints prove guilt! Horace's trust in the wrong person led directly to prison.

The chain of events shows how one moment of misplaced trust cost Horace everything.

✏️ Section 3 — Worked Examples

❓ Question 1 — Character Analysis

Why can Horace Danby be described as "good and respectable — but not completely honest"?
1 Think about how Horace lives and how people see him.
2 Think about his secret life and what he steals for.
3 Compare him to a "typical thief" — is he different?
✅ Answer: Horace is genuinely respectable in his daily life — he runs a successful business, has employees, and is seen as a good citizen. He is not greedy or violent. He steals only to fund his love of rare books — once a year, carefully. This makes him unusual compared to ordinary thieves. However, his secret robbery means he is dishonest at heart. Hence the description fits perfectly — good in most ways, but not completely honest.

❓ Question 2 — The Trick

How did the young woman convince Horace she was the owner's wife?
1 Note that the dog rubbed against her — it recognised her.
2 Think about her calm, confident manner of speaking.
3 Consider the story she told about needing jewels for a party.
✅ Answer: Several things made the woman convincing: (1) The dog Sherry rubbed against her affectionately — suggesting familiarity. (2) She spoke with natural confidence and ease, not like someone who had broken in. (3) She straightened ornaments — acting as if the room was her own. (4) Her story about needing jewels for a party was believable and logical. Horace wanted to believe her because she was offering to let him go free.

❓ Question 3 — Irony

What is the central irony in the story? Why is it funny and sad at the same time?
1 Define irony: when the opposite of what you expect happens.
2 Think about what Horace does to other people's homes.
3 Consider what happened to Horace at Shotover Grange.
✅ Answer: The central irony is that a thief was robbed by another thief. Horace breaks into people's homes and tricks their security — but a cleverer thief used exactly the same skills on him. She played on his weakness (fear of prison, desire to please) just as he plays on other people's weaknesses. It is funny because of the unexpected twist, but sad because Horace loses his freedom, goes to prison, and ends up angry and bitter about "honour among thieves."

❓ Question 4 — Theme

What does the title "A Question of Trust" mean in this story?
1 Think about who trusted whom in the story.
2 Consider whether that trust was deserved.
3 Think about what the story says about trust between dishonest people.
✅ Answer: The title refers to the question of whether thieves can trust each other. Horace trusted the woman in red because she was kind, confident, and seemed to be giving him a chance. But this trust was completely misplaced — she was a fellow thief exploiting his vulnerability. The story says that people who live dishonest lives cannot truly trust anyone, because they can be deceived in the same ways they deceive others.

📋 Section 4 — Cheat Sheet

Key vocabulary from "A Question of Trust" with simple meanings.

WordSimple Meaning
Hay feverAn allergy causing sneezing, watery eyes from pollen or dust
LumbagoBack pain in the lower spine area
Burglar alarmA device that sounds when someone breaks into a building
FingerprintsUnique marks made by the tips of your fingers on surfaces
ConstableA lower-ranking police officer
MagistrateA judge or official who deals with less serious crimes
OrnamentsDecorative objects placed around a room
InconvenienceSomething that causes trouble or difficulty
MeticulousVery careful and paying attention to every small detail
CharmingVery pleasant and attractive in manner
ArrestedTaken by the police, charged with a crime
SubstitutionReplacing one thing with another secretly
RespectableRegarded by others as morally good and proper
ProfessionA person's regular job or occupation

📄 Section 5 — Take-Home Handout

📝 Part A — Fill in the Blanks

  1. Horace Danby robbed safes to buy __________ books that he loved.
  2. He had studied Shotover Grange for __________ weeks before the robbery.
  3. He entered the house using the key the __________ left on a hook outside.
  4. The woman in red asked Horace to open the safe because she had forgotten the __________.
  5. Horace was arrested because his __________ were found all over the drawing room.

📝 Part B — True or False

  1. Horace Danby was a violent criminal who often hurt people. (True / False)
  2. The house at Shotover Grange had about 15,000 pounds worth of jewels. (True / False)
  3. The dog Sherry barked and attacked Horace when he entered. (True / False)
  4. The woman in red was actually the owner's wife. (True / False)
  5. Horace now works as a library assistant in prison. (True / False)

📝 Part C — Match the Columns

Column AColumn B
1. Horace Danby's joba. Another thief in disguise
2. The woman in redb. Makes locks — and knows safes
3. Sherryc. Horace opened it without gloves
4. The safed. A friendly dog at the house
5. Hay fevere. Caused by the flowers in the drawing room

📝 Part D — Short Answer Questions

  1. Why was Horace good at breaking into safes? What was his regular job?
  2. How did the woman in red use Horace's fear of prison against him?
  3. Why does Horace "get very angry when anyone talks about honour among thieves"?

📝 Part E — Think and Write

  1. Do you think Horace was punished fairly? Should stealing for "good reasons" like loving books make a crime less serious?
  2. The story says a magazine article described the house and mentioned the hidden safe. What does this suggest about being careful with private information?

✅ Detailed Answers

Part A: 1. rare   2. two   3. housekeeper   4. combination numbers   5. fingerprints
Part B: 1. False (he was non-violent)   2. True   3. False (it was friendly)   4. False (she was a thief)   5. True
Part C: 1–b   2–a   3–d   4–c   5–e
Part D:
1. Horace was a locksmith by profession — he made locks and understood exactly how safes and security systems worked. This gave him expert knowledge for his annual robberies.
2. She knew Horace was desperate not to go to prison. She offered to let him go free in exchange for opening the safe — making him think he owed her a favour. His gratitude and relief made him careless about leaving fingerprints.
3. Horace trusted the woman as a fellow thief. He expected some "professional courtesy" — that she would not betray him since they were in the same business. But she tricked him completely, making him angry about the idea that thieves ever keep their word.
Part E Sample Answers:
1. Horace committed a real crime — theft — regardless of his reasons. Good intentions do not justify breaking the law. His punishment was fair, though his character was more complex than a typical thief.
2. Publishing private information (like the location of a safe) can make homes vulnerable. People should be careful about what details they share publicly about their valuables and security arrangements.

🃏 Section 6 — Revision Flashcards

Who wrote "A Question of Trust"?
Victor Canning — British mystery and thriller writer
Why did Horace rob safes?
To get money to buy rare, expensive books he loved
What was Horace's regular job?
A locksmith — he made and repaired locks
Who was the young woman in red really?
Another thief — she pretended to be the owner's wife to get Horace to open the safe
Why was Horace arrested?
His fingerprints were all over the room — he had removed his gloves to help the woman
What is Horace's job in prison?
Assistant librarian — still surrounded by books!
What does the title mean?
Can thieves trust each other? The answer is no — one thief betrayed another
What is the main theme?
Dishonest people cannot trust anyone; crime always brings punishment

🧠 Section 7 — Mind Map

Characters Horace (locksmith thief) Woman in Red (real thief) Horace's Plan Rob safe, buy rare books Studied house 2 weeks The Trick Woman poses as owner's wife Horace Arrested Fingerprints found; real wife says "nonsense!" Theme No honour among thieves! Fatal Mistake Removed gloves; fingerprints left behind Setting Shotover Grange English country house Prison Outcome Horace becomes prison librarian A Question of Trust Lesson 4

Mind map showing the key ideas in "A Question of Trust".