Introduction

“Victor Canning” is the author of the story “A Question of Trust”. This is a  story of a thief named “Horace Danby” who experienced justice served. He has a history of stealing. He met a woman who cheated him during one of his robbery attempts at a large home, and he was put in jail because he had completely believed her.

Short Summary of a Question of Trust

A well-respected member of society,” Horace Danby”. He was single and around fifty years old. With two assistants, he made locks. He was healthy and content. But in the summer, he experienced hay fever attacks. But he wasn’t entirely truthful. His first and only term had been completed in a prison library. He was passionate about reading. He loved pricey, rare books.

Every year, Horace Danby robbed a safe. He stole enough to last him a year. He privately used an agency to purchase the books he liked. He was no longer able to commit a robbery.

Horace Danby walked inside. In the kitchen, a small dog was sleeping. He called it by name and silenced it. The safe was placed in the drawing room. On the table was a large bowl of flowers. He felt a tickle in his nostrils. He began to sneeze. It was simple to open the safe. To cut the alarm bell’s wiring, he entered the hallway.

Finally, he heard a voice. He could stop the sneeze, the voice assured him. It was a woman’s voice. She was in the entranceway. She was attractive and young. She wore crimson clothing. She claimed to have returned in time. 

He had already been convinced by the woman that she was the landlady. She set one condition before releasing Horace. To dupe Danby, she had cooked up a lie. and told her she couldn’t remember the safe’s password. Within an hour, he opened the safe and gave her the gems.

There were Danby’s fingerprints all over the place. Without wearing gloves, he had opened the safe. He admitted to the police that the house’s landlady had asked him to access the safe. However, the landlady was a sixty-year-old woman with grey hair. She argued that the Danby story was ridiculous.

About the author

“Victor Canning”, a prominent British author of mysteries and novels who was active in the “1950s, 1960s, and 1970s”, lived from “16 June 1911 to 21 February 1986”. He was a reserved person, publishing no autobiographies, and giving just a few newspaper interviews.

Conclusion

The story conveys a message that we shouldn’t blindly trust people before learning more about them.

Think about it (Textbook questions)

1. Did you begin to suspect, before the end of the story, that the lady was not the person Horace Danby took her to be? If so, at what point did you realize this, and how?

Ans: Yes, as the story progresses, we begin to doubt if the woman was who Horace Danby thought she was. When she saw Horace, she became remarkably composed. This seemed strange to me. Strangely, she decided not to call the police and told Horace to take out all the diamonds from the safe, even if it meant busting open the safe. It didn’t seem possible for her to forget the safe’s passcode. Before the tale ended, it became obvious that the woman was not who Horace had initially believed her to be.

2. What are the subtle ways in which the lady manages to deceive Horace Danby into thinking she is the lady of the house? Why doesn’t Horace suspect that something is wrong?

Ans: She can fool anyone with her assured stroll, her familiarity with the dog Sherry, her touch-up act, and the ease with which she selects a cigarette from the appropriate location. Horace wasn’t suspicious since he was too terrified to think clearly.

3. “Horace Danby was good and respectable – but not completely honest”. Why do you think this description is apt for Horace? Why can’t he be categorized as a typical thief?

Ans: Horace’s behaviors were not those of a regular thief. He enjoyed reading. He used to only steal once a year, so he never stole more than what he needed. This definition fits Horace well because theft is still a crime regardless of how well a thief behaves. He does not commit crimes regularly like other thieves, so he cannot be classified as a typical robber.

4. Horace Danby was a meticulous planner but still, he faltered. Where did he go wrong and why?

Ans: He was, naturally, a careful planner. Before stealing each year, he carefully planned. He stumbled though. He was blind to the lady’s charming, smart, and cunning conversations. He may have been there as a thief, And he had been caught in the act. His ability to recognize the lady’s tricks was impaired by his “fear of going to jail.” Then he committed theft.

Extra Question Answer

1. How does Horace defend his actions?

Ans: Every year, he committed theft to purchase the expensive and rare books he cherished. He carefully planned each year’s theft so that there would be enough for a full year.

2. What made  Horace sneeze?

Ans: A big bowl of flowers on the drawing-room table caused Horace to start sneezing in the Grange home. Horace had hay fever, a disorder marked by sneezing brought on by a pollen allergy.

3. How did Horace explain his theft?

  Ans: Horace Danby was confident that his theft at Shotover Grange would be successful since he had researched the home, the safe’s location in the drawing room, the wiring, and its garden. His careful planning ensured that nothing could go wrong because he had also examined the servants’ movement.

4. What does the title  “A question of trust” mean?

Ans: Horace believed the statements of the woman who pretended to be the owner of the house. Even though she was a thief, Horace trusted her and did not suspect her. As a result, there is some uncertainty about whether Horace should have trusted her, and his trust in her was called a  question. Consequently, the term is appropriate.