Introduction 

A Question of Trust is an interesting story about a clever thief named Horace Danby. He looks like a good and honest man, but secretly he steals from rich people. One day he plans a robbery, but a smart woman cheats him and escapes safely.

About the Author

This story is written by Victor Canning. He was a famous writer of mystery and adventure stories. His stories are full of suspense, clever plans, and surprising endings.

Main Characters

1. Horace Danby

He was about fifty years old. He made locks and lived alone. He looked like a good man but was a thief.

2. The Young Woman

She was clever, calm, and smart. She pretended to be the owner of the house and fooled Horace.

3. The Real Owners of the House

They were away from home when the robbery happened.

Full Summary (Easy Explanation)

Horace Danby was about fifty years old. He was not an ordinary thief. Horace is a locksmith by profession. He made locks and sold them. He was careful, quiet, and intelligent. He lived alone and had two servants who worked in his house. He looked like a respectable person. Nobody could think that he was also a thief.

Horace loved rare and expensive books very much. He wanted to buy such books, but they were costly. To get money for books, he stole once every year from rich people. He always planned his robberies carefully. He studied the house, the people, the roads, and the security system before stealing. Because of this careful planning, he had never been caught.

This time Horace planned to rob a house at Shotover Grange. It was a big house owned by rich people. Horace had watched the house for two weeks. He knew that the family had gone to London and the servants had gone to the movies. So he believed the house was empty. He also knew where the valuable jewels were kept.

Horace entered the house through the kitchen window. He was pleased because everything was going according to his plan. He moved quietly inside the house. He wore gloves so that he would not leave fingerprints. He went upstairs to the room where the safe was kept.

The safe was behind a picture on the wall. Horace was very skilled in opening locks and safes. He quickly started working on it. He was sure that within a few minutes the jewels would be in his hands. He felt proud of his skill and experience.

Suddenly he heard a voice from behind.

A voice politely asked to open the safe quickly. I need the jewels.”

Horace was shocked. He turned around and saw a young woman standing near the door. She was dressed well and looked confident. She was smiling calmly.

Horace became nervous. He thought she was the lady of the house. He feared that now he would be caught. But the woman did not scream or call the police. Instead, she spoke normally and behaved as if she knew everything.

She told Horace that she had forgotten the number combination of the safe and needed the jewels for a party that night. She said Horace should open it for her.

Horace believed her. He thought she was the owner’s wife or a family member. The woman looked rich and spoke with confidence. So Horace trusted her words.

Horace then opened the safe successfully. There were expensive jewels kept inside it, and their value was 15,000 pounds.. He looked at them with surprise. But before taking anything, he gave them to the woman.

Then the woman suddenly noticed that Horace was wearing gloves. She said she could not touch the jewels while Horace wore gloves because it looked suspicious. She also said he must take off the gloves to show he was helping her honestly.

Horace removed the gloves.

This was a great mistake.

The woman took the jewels, thanked him sweetly, and asked him to go out through the kitchen. Then she walked away.

Horace soon understood that something was wrong. He searched for her but she had disappeared. Then he realized the truth. She was not the lady of the house. She was another thief, smarter than him. She had used his skills and stolen the jewels herself.

Horace was angry with himself. He had always believed that he was the cleverest thief. But now he had been fooled by a young woman.

Soon the police arrived. They found Horace in the house. His fingerprints were on the safe because he had removed his gloves. The police arrested him immediately.

Horace tried to explain that a young woman had tricked him and taken the jewels. then the police thus not believe him. The real lady of the house said that there was no such woman in the family. Nobody knew the woman Horace described.

The police thought Horace was lying to save himself. They had strong proof against him because his fingerprints were on the safe.

Horace went to prison. He kept thinking about the clever woman who had escaped with the jewels. He never saw her again.

Thus, the story ends with a surprising lesson. A thief who trusted another thief was cheated. Horace was smart, but the woman was smarter.

Easy Moral of the Story

• Crime never gives true success.

• A dishonest person cannot trust others.

• Someone may always be smarter than us.

• Wrong actions bring punishment in the end.

Important Themes

1. Trust and Deception

Horace trusted the woman and was cheated.

2. Crime and Punishment

Horace stole many times but was finally caught.

3. Intelligence

Both thieves were clever, but the woman was more clever.

Short Note

Horace Danby was a lock maker who secretly stole from rich people once every year. He entered Shotover Grange to steal jewels.A youngwomanpretendedto be the owner and asked him to open the safe. She took the jewels and escaped. Horace was arrested.

Important Question Answers

1. Who was Horace Danby?

Horace Danby was a fifty-year-old lock maker. He looked honest but secretly stole from rich people once every year.

2. Why did Horace steal?

Horace loved rare and expensive books. He needed money to buy them, so he stole.

3. Why did Horace choose Shotover Grange?

He had watched the house for two weeks and knew the family was away and the house was empty.

4. Who was the young woman?

She was a clever thief who pretended to be the lady of the house.

5. How did the woman fool Horace?

She spoke confidently, acted like the owner, and made Horace open the safe for her.

6. Why was Horace arrested?

He removed his gloves, so his fingerprints were left on the safe. Police used them as proof.

7. What is the irony in the story?

A thief who used to fool others was himself fooled by another thief.

8. What lesson do we learn?

Dishonesty leads to punishment. Crime never gives peace or success.

Very Short Summary (5 Lines)

Horace Danby was a clever thief.

He entered a rich house to steal jewels.

A young woman pretended to be the owner.

She took the jewels and escaped.

Horace was caught by the police.

Exam Notes

• Author: Victor Canning

• Main Character: Horace Danby

• Place: Shotover Grange

• Theme: Trust, cheating, crime, punishment

• Ending: Horace arrested, woman escaped

One Line Answer

A Question of Trust shows how a thief was trapped because he trusted another thief.