A Question of Trust Class 10 Questions and Answers
Read and find out :
(Page 20)
Question 1.
What does Horace Danby like to collect?
होरेस डेनबी क्या इकट्ठा करना पसन्द करता है ?
Answer:
He liked to collect rare and expensive books.
Question 2.
Why does he steal every year ?
वह हर साल चोरी क्यों करता है ?
Answer:
He stole to buy rare and expensive books that he loved to read and collect. He robbed only one safe to steal enough money to last him for twelve months.
(Page 22)
Question 1.
Who is speaking to Horace Danby ?
होरेस डेनबी से कौन बात कर रहा है ?
Answer:
Another lady-thief is speaking to him. She has posed herself as the mistress of the house.
Question 2.
Who is the real culprit in the story?
कहानी में असली अपराधी कौन है ?
Answer:
The real culprit in the story was the young lady who posed as the mistress of the house. She escaped with the booty, whereas Horace Danby proved to be the culprit as he had left his fingerprints on the safe while opening it without wearing gloves.
Textbook Questions
Think about it :
Question 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 realise this, and how ?
क्या कहानी खत्म होने से पहले आपको शक हो गया था कि औरत वह नहीं है, जो होरेस डेनबी समझ रहा था ? अगर ऐसा है तो आपने कब ऐसे महसूस किया और कैसे ?
Answer:
The very first statement of the lady when she entered the scence when Horace sneezed had put a little suspicion in my mind. The real mistress of the house would be angry or scared to see a burgler in her house and not remain so cool. Again when she said that she always liked the wrong type of person, my suspicion got a little more confirmation. Then she said, “Before we left for London, I promised my husband to take my jewels to our bank; but I left them here in the shelf.
I want to wear them to a party tonight, so I came down to get them.” The explanation does not seem to be very convincing. Moreover, how can you forget the numbers to open the safe when you have specially come to open it. She is ready to let Horace break the safe. Why so desperate to get or wear those jewels? All the above facts strengthened my suspicion that the lady was not the real mistress but a faked one.
Question 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?
किन सूक्ष्म तरीकों से औरत होरेस डेनबी को घर की मालकिन होने की भ्रान्ति डालती है ? होरेस को शक क्यों नहीं होता कि o sta ?
Answer:
The lady in the red used many subtle ways to make Horace believe that she was the mistress of the house. She had made friendship with the dog of the house-Sherry. The way she snubbed at the dog. “Don’t Sherry anybody would think, I’d been away for a month.” The confident way she walked to the fireplace and straightened the ornaments there all these little acts and her authoritative voice were so convincing that Horace was deceived and thought her to be the real mistress of the house.
Moreover, she scared Horace by threatening to hand him over to the police. When a person is scared, he loses his reasoning and power to think. In that weak state of mind, he was easily convinced by the lady and could not suspect that anything could be wrong.
Question 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 categorised as a typical thiefb ?
“होरेस डेनबी अच्छा और आदरणीय था-पर पूरी तरह से ईमानदार नहीं था।” आप क्यों सोचते हैं कि यह वर्णन होरेस के लिए उपयुक्त है ? वह एक विशिष्ट चोर की श्रेणी में क्यों नहीं आता?
Answer:
Horace Danby was not a history sheeter or a criminal minded person. He was a successful locksmith and had kept two helpers to run his business. He was good and respectable but not completely honest. He used to rob a safe every year to get money to buy rare and expensive books. He was not a typical thief to steal whatever or wherever he got a chance. Stealing was not his profession. He robbed a safe only once a year after thorough planning.
Question 4.
Horace Danby was a meticulous planner but still he faltered. Where did he go wrong and why?
होरेस डेनबी बड़ी सावधानी से योजना बनाता था परन्तु फिर भी वह लड़खड़ा गया। वह कहाँ गलत हुआ और क्यों ?
Answer:
There is no doubt that Horace Danby planned his robberies meticulously. He would study the house, the roomplan, the wire system, its paths, when servants went out etc. He always took the right tools and put on his gloves so as not to leave any fingerprints. Because of his cautious moves, he had never been caught so far.
This time also he had studied the house at Shotover Grange thoroughly and put on his gloves and taken the right tools, yet he met his waterloo. He sneezed due to hay fever and attracted the so called mistress of the house. The lady threatened to hand him over to the police. This scared him. To please the lady, he removed his gloves to light her cigarette and then opened the safe without wearing the gloves. He left his fingerprints on safe and all over the room. This led to his arrest.
Additional questions extract based questions
Answer the questions that follow the extracts in 30-40 words:
1. “Horace saw them go, and he felt happy in spite of a little tickle of hay fever in his nose.”
Question i.
Who did Horace see go and why was he feeling happy?
Answer:
Horace saw the two servants of Shotover Grange go away from the place. With no one to guard the house, it would be easy for Horace to sneak into the Shotover Grange and rob the safe.
Question ii.
What is a hay fever? Why is it referred to here?
Answer:
Hay fever is a disorder affecting nose and throat, caused by allergy of pollen or dust. It is referred to in these lines because Horace was frequently attacked by hay fever in summer
2. The safe was in the drawing room, behind a rather poor painting. Horace wondered for a moment whether he should collect pictures instead of books. But they took up too much room. In a small house, books were better.
Question i.
What made Horace wonder if he should collect pictures? Why did he drop the idea at once?
Answer:
There was a painting in the drawing room of the Shotover Grange. That made Horace wonder if he should collect picture. But he dropped the idea at once as he felt that pictures would occupy too much room.
Question ii.
Why did Horace collect books and how?
Answer:
Horace loved rare and expensive books. So he robbed a safe every year. He stole enough to last for twelve months and secretly bought the books he loved through an agent.
3. How foolish people are when they own valuable things, Horace thought. A magazine article had described this house, giving a plan of all the rooms and a picture of this room. The writer had even mentioned that the painting hid a safe!
Question i.
What made Horace to think that people are foolish when they own valuable things?
Answer:
Horace thought so because he had known all the details about the Shotover Grange from a magazine article. In that, the owner had given all the details about the house.
Question ii.
How did the details of the Shotover Grange make things easy for Horace?
Answer:
Horace robbed a safe every year to get rare, expensive books that he loved. That year, he had read about Shotover Grange : the plan of all the rooms and where the safe was located etc. That article from a magazine made it easy for him to plan his robbery of the Shotover Grange safe.
4. Then he heard a voice say from the doorway, “What is it? A cold or hay fever ?
Question i.
Whose voice was heard by Horace? Where?
Answer:
Horace heard this voice when he went to rob the safe of Shotover Grange. The voice was that of a lady. She was another robber, who put up herself as the owner of the house.
Question ii.
Why did the voice ask Horace about his health?
Answer:
Horace had gone into the Shotover Grange to rob the safe. He was affected by hay fever every year during summer. That time being summer, the smell of flowers on the table made him sneeze loudly. So the voice asked him about his health.
5. It was a quiet, kindly voice, but one with firmness in it. A woman was standing in the doorway, and Sherry was rubbing against her. She was young, quite pretty, and was dressed in red. She walked to the fireplace and straightened the ornaments there.
Question i.
Who was the woman and who was Sherry?
Answer:
The woman was another thief. Sherry was the pet dog of the inmates of Shotover Grange.
Question ii.
What did Horace thought the woman to be? Why?
Answer:
Horace mistook the woman to be the owner of the Shotover Grange, because she seemed to be very natural in her outlook. Also, the dog Sherry was showing its fondness for the lady as if she was its mistress.
6. She nodded. “I see what an inconvenience it is for you to meet me.”
Question i.
Who is the she mentioned in this line? Who is she addressing? Why?
Answer:
The ‘she’ mentioned here is the lady whom Horace encounters at the Shotover Grange when he goes there to rob the safe. The lady is addressing Horace, who is stunned at finding the owner’ of the house there.
Question ii.
What is the inconvenience that the lady is talking about?
Answer:
The lady is talking about the inconvenience that Horace could feel when he finds the owner of the house very much present there. For, he has sneaked into the Shotover Grange to rób its safe.
7. The voice was suddenly sharp. “Why should I ? You were going to rob me. If I let you go, you’ll only rob someone else. Society must be protected from men like you.”
Question i.
Why did the voice utter these words and to whom?
Answer:
The voice here, of the woman who was also a robber, uttered these words to Horace. He had gone there to rob the safe of the house. But seeing the lady, he mistook her to be the owner of the house. He therefore pleaded her to let him go.
Question ii.
What is the irony that we could find in the words of the voice here?
Answer:
The voice here is of the lady, who was also a robber. Horace mistook her to be the owner of the house and pleaded her to leave him. At this, the lady declared that the society must be protected from men like him, while ironically, she herself was a robber!
Short answer type questions
Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words.
Question 1.
How did Horace know all the details of the house?
Answer:
Horace had been studying the house for the past two weeks. Moreover, a magazine article had described this house, giving a plan of all the rooms and a picture of the room. There were also the details of the safe hidden behind the safe.’
Question 2.
Horace Danby was good and respectable person but not completely honest. Prove.
Answer:
Horace Danby was not a history sheeter or a criminal minded person. He was a successful locksmith and had kept two helpers to run his business. He was good and respectable but not completely honest. He used to rob a safe every year to get money to buy rare and expensive books.
Question 3.
How did the flowers cause him trouble?
Answer:
Horace Danby had an allergy for flowers especially during pollen season. Whenever flowers are nearby, he got sneezings. The only cure for it was to stay away from those particular flowers.
Question 4.
How did Horace come to know about the safe and the jewels in it at Shotover Grange?
Answer:
He came to know about it through an article published in a magazine. It not only told the layout of the rooms but also told about the safe which had jewels worth fifteen thousand pounds. The safe was in the drawing room behind an old painting.
Question 5.
How did Horace fulfil his desire of reading books after he was arrested ?
Answer:
After Horace was arrested, he became the assistant librarian in the prison and fulfilled his desire of reading books.
Question 6.
Why did the lady report to the police though she promised that she would not report to the police ?
Or
How did the lady deceive Horace ?
Answer:
The lady was very clever and shrewd. She promised Horace that she would not report to the police if he would help her in getting the jewels from the safe. Horace broke the safe and helped her. But she didn’t keep her promise as she was also a thief and did not want to get into trouble.
Question 7.
What was Danby’s ailment? How did it herald his presence in the house at Shotover Grange ?
Answer:
Danby’s only ailment was hay fever. He was allergic to flowers. The pollen made him sneeze. At Shotover Grange the flowers betrayed his presence to the young lady. Who posed to be the mistress of the house.
Question 8.
Though Horace planned everything meticulously, why did he fail?
Answer:
Though Horace planned everything meticulously, he failed because of the smart lady. She posed herself to be the owner of the house and convinced him to open the shelf as she had forgot the password of the shelf. Horace got trapped in her plot.
Question 9.
What was Horace Danby’s hobby? How did he manage to fulfil his hobby?
Answer:
Horace’s only hobby was to read expensive and rare books. He used to rob a safe every year in order to arrange money for his hobby. He used to get those books from an agent.
Question 10.
Horace Danby was a typical thief. Describe how he planned his work.
Answer:
Horace was a typical thief. He used to plan his robberies thoroughly and carefully. He used to fix his target and studied it for a couple of days. He collected information about the plan of rooms. The wire system, the family servants, where they kept the keys and when they left the house unguarded.
Question 11.
How did Horace Danby’s hay fever result in his failure in his robbery attempt at Shotover Grange?
Answer:
Horace Danby suffered from hay fever. The smell of flowers made him sneeze. At Shothover Grange the flowers betrayed his presence to the lady in red who posed to be the mistress of the house. She made Horace open the safe and took away all the jewels. Horace was arrested for the robbery. He had opened the safe without wearing globes and left his fingerprints all over the place.
Question 12.
Horace Danby deserved what he got. Do you agree or not? Give example from the lesson.
Answer:
Yes, I do agree to the idea that Horace Danby deserved what he got. No doubt he used to rob once a year only to satiate his passion for buying and reading rare and expensive books. But an affence is an offened and must be punished sooner or later.
Question 13.
Why would Horace get angry when anyone talked of “honour among thieves” ?
Answer:
The phrase ‘Honour among thieves’ means that thieves must maintain a code of conduct. The ethic among them is not to help police in arresting a fellow thief. Horace Denby would get angry at the mention of the above phrase because it reminded him of a charming, young lady in red who befooled and cheated him and got him arrested
Long answer type Questions
Answer the following questions in about 100-150 words.
Question 1.
Horace Danby requested the lady to forget what she saw. Was Horace afraid of being caught ? Did he lack courage to accept his crime publicly ? Explain the values one must imbibe to accept one’s mistake.
Answer:
Yes, Horace Danby was afraid of being caught. He lacked the courage to accept his crime publicly. He was not a professional criminal or thief. He was considered a good and honest man by everyone. He was about fifty years old and unmarried. His house was looked after by a housekeeper. He used to rob only one safe every year to pursue his habit of getting rare and expensive books to read. He used to rob only those who were rich.
He had a good reputation in the society and hence did not want anyone to know about his crimes. Although he helped the lady, but was caught by the police for the crime he did not commit. He learnt from his mistake.
Question 2.
Horace stated that he robbed only those who had a lot of money. Was he really a threat to the society? Did he lack the qualities of a good citizen ? Discuss the values he needs to imbibe to lead a path of righteousness.
Answer:
I don’t think Horace was a threat to the society. He never threatened anyone and rather stole for a very good reason. He used to rob a safe every year to pursue his hobby of getting rare and expensive books to read. He was not a professional thief. Moreover, he never harmed anyone. He was considered a good and honest citizen by everyone.
He was about fifty years old and unmarried. He had all the qualities of a good citizen. He was not a criminal or a typical thief. He did so only to fulfil his need, He was an honest and good man. He believed in the lady’s story and gave away all the jewels to her. If he had been a criminal, he would have killed the lady or would have never handed the jewels to her.
Question 3.
Why did Horace rob every year? Was he a typical thief? If so, why?
Answer:
Horace Denby broke a safe every year. He had a passion for buying and reading rare and expensive books. To raise the money for this he used to a rob a safe every year. This money lasted for one year. For the next year he robbed another safe.
He was a typical thief. He used to plan his robberies thoroughly and carefully. He would study his target for a couple of days. He collected information about the plan of rooms, the wire and alarm system, family servants, where they kept the keys, when left the house unguarded and so on.
Question 4.
How was Horace Danby befooled by the lady, in red ?
Answer:
Horace Denby, as usual, had thoroughly planned the robbery at Shotover Grange in advance and came well prepared. But when he entered the room where the safe was, the flowers on the table made him sneeze. He suffered from hay fever.
His sneezing brought the lady in red to him. She posed to be the mistress of the house and threatened to hand Horace over to police. She told him that she would let him go free if he opened the safe for her. She wanted to wear the jewellery in it at a dinner party that evening but had forgotten the code number to open it.
Horace Denby who was much scared lost his presence of mind. To please the lady he lighted her cigarette for which he had to remove his gloves. Then he opened the safe bare-handed, left his fingerprints that led to his arrest. The lady went away with the jewels. She had befooled, cheated and trapped Horace.
Question 5.
Did the young lady expect Horace to be caught after the theft ? In what way could his arrest have helped her ?
Answer:
Yes, I think the lady expected Horace Denby to be arrested. She had made him break the safe without wearing any gloves His fingerprints were all over the safe. As for herself, she took away all the jewellery without even touching the safe. No other fingerprints were there on the safe except of Horace’s so he was sure to be arrested.
If Horace was arrested all the blame would come to him. As there would be no proof against her she would go scot free. Again, nobody would believe Horace’s story that the mistress of the house had herself asked him to break the safe as the real mistress was a gray haired, sharp-tongued lady of sixty. His description of the mistress of the house won’t match with the real mistress.
Question 6.
Why was Horace Danby arrested though he opened the safe and got the jewels out of the safe easily?
Answer:
Horace Denby opened the safe at Shotover Grange easily and handed over the jewellery to the so-called mistress of the house. He went home happily for the lady had let him go free as per condition of opening her safe. But on third day he was arrested as his fingerprints were found on the safe.
In fact, the lady in red was not the real mistress but a thief. She posed herself as the mistress of the house she scared Horace by threatening to hand him over to police. She told him that she would let him go free if he opened the safe for her.
She wanted to wear the jewellery in it at a dinner party that evening but had forgotten the code number to open it. To please the lady Horace lighted her cigarette for which he had to remove his gloves. Then he opened the safe bare-handed, left fingerprints on it that led to his arrest.
Question 7.
Write down the character-sketch of Horace Danby. Support your answer with the examples from the text ‘A Question of Trust’.
Answer:
- Horace Danby was a good and respectable citizen.
- He was 50 years old and unmarried. He was looked after by a housekeeper.
- He had two helpers to assist him in his trade. But he was not completely honest. He loved to buy rare, latest and expensive books. He raised money to buy those books by breaking one safe every year.
- The money lasted the whole year. His latest target was the safe at Shotover Grange. He made thorough preparation for his venture. But he had hard luck this time for two reason.
- His hay fever made him sneeze. It attracted a young lady downstairs. She pretended to be the mistress of the house.
- She tricked Horace into submitting to her will. She first made him open the safe without wearing gloves and then reported against him to the police.
- Horace proved timid and careless. His fingerprints left there landed him in prison.
Question 8.
Who is the real culprit in this story, the lady or Horace ? How did he/she manage to rob the safe without leaving a single fingerprint ?
Answer:
The lady is the real culprit in this story. She posed herself as the mistress of the house. She scared Horace by threatening to hand him over to police. She told him that she would let him go free if he opened the safe for her. She wanted to wear the jewellery in it at a dinner party that evening but had forgotten the code number to open it.
Horace Denby who was much scared, lost his presence of mind. To please the lady, he lighted her cigarette for which he had to remove his gloves. Then he opened the safe bare-handed, left his fingerprints that led to his arrest. Thus the lady took away all the jewellery in the safe without even touching it, what to talk of leaving any of her fingerprints on it!
Complete text with hindi translation :
Text (Page-20) : It is said that you must set a thief to catch a thief. But it is also said that there is honour among thieves. Which saying does this story illustrate?
Vocabulary:
- set (सेट) – fix up स्थापित करना;
- illustrate (इलस्ट्रेट) – to explain व्याख्या करना।
अनुवाद : कहा जाता है कि एक चोर का दूसरा चोर ही पता लगा सकता है। पर यह भी कहा जाता है कि चोरों के बीच आपस में ईमान/ सम्मान होता है। यह कहानी किस कहावत की व्याख्या करती है?
Text (Page-20) : Everyone thought that Horace Danby was a good, honest citizen. He was about fifty years old and unmarried, and he lived with a housekeeper who worried over his health. In fact he was usually very well and happy except for attacks of hay fever in summer. He made locks and was successful enough at his business to have two helpers. Yes, Horace Danby was good and respectable-but not completely honest.
Vocabulary:
- attacks (अटैक्स) – fits दौरे
- hay fever (हे फीवर) – fever due to pollen allergy पराग की सुगन्ध से हुआ बुखार;
- enough (इनफ) – sufficient पर्याप्त।
अनुवाद : हर व्यक्ति का यही विचार था कि होरेस डेनबी एक नेक, ईमानदार नागरिक है। वह 50 वर्ष का था और अविवाहित था, तथा वह अपनी एक नौकरानी के साथ रहता था जो उसके स्वास्थ्य का भी ध्यान रखती थी। वास्तव में वह वैसे तो बिल्कुल ठीक-ठाक तथा खुश था पर ग्रीष्म में उसे धूल व फूलों के पराग से एलर्जी से ज्वर हो जाता था। वह ताले बनाता था तथा अपने धंधे में इतना सफल था कि उसने दो सहायक रख लिए थे। जी हाँ, होरेस नेक तथा सम्मानिक व्यक्ति था पर पूरी तरह से ईमानदार नहीं था।
Text (Page-20) : Fifteen years ago Horace had served his first and only sentence in a prison library. Horace loved rare, expensive books. So he robbed a safe every years. Each year he planned carefully just what he would do, stole enough to last for twelve months, and secretly bought the books he loved through an agent.
Vocabulary:
- sentence (सेन्टेंस) – period of imprisonment जेल में सजा की अवधि
- expensive (एक्सपैन्सिव) – costly महंगी
- secretly (सिक्रेटली) – confidentially गुप्त रूप से
- agent (एजेन्ट) – mediator मध्यस्थ
अनुवाद : 15 वर्ष पूर्व होरेस ने अपनी पहली तथा एकमात्र कैद की सजा जेल पुस्तकालय में काटी थी। होरेस को दुर्लभ तथा महँगी पुस्तकों से प्यार था। इस कारण वह वर्ष में एक बार किसी तिजोरी से धन चोरी करता था। हर वर्ष वह बहुत सावधानीपूर्वक योजना बनाता था कि वह क्या करेगा, वह इतना माल लूट लेता था कि 12 माह उसका काम चल जाता था तथा एक एजेंट के माध्यम से वह छिपे तौर से पुस्तकें खरीदता था।
Text (Page-20): Now, walking in the bright July sunshine, he felt sure that this year’s robbery was going to be as successful as all the others. For two weeks he had been studying the house at Shotover Grange, looking at its rooms, its electric wiring, its paths and its garden.
This afternoon the two servants, who remained in the Grange while the family was in London, had gone to the movies. Horace saw them go, and he felt happy in spite of a little tickle of hay fever in his nose. He came out from behind the garden wall; his tools carefully packed in a bag on his back.
Vocabulary :
- robbery (रौबरी) – looting लूटना
- remained (रिमेन्ड) – stayed रहता था
- tickle (टिकल) – sensation सनसनाहट, गुदगुदी
- tools (टूल्स) – equipment औजार
अनुवाद : जुलाई माह की चमकती धूप में चलते हुए उसे निश्चय हुआ कि इस वर्ष की चोरी भी अन्य चोरियों की भाँति सफल रहेगी। दो सप्ताह से वह शॉटओवर रेंज स्थित एक घर का अध्ययन कर रहा था, उसके कमरों को, उसकी बिजली के तारों को, उस तक पहुँचने का रास्ता तथा उससे जुड़ा बगीचा आदि को उसने देख-सुन लिया। उस मध्याह्न दो नौकर जो ग्रेज में परिवार के लंदन जाने के बाद देखभाल के लिए रहते थे, फिल्म देखने चले गए थे। होरेस ने उन्हें जाते देखा और अपनी नाक में एलर्जी की कुछ सनसनाहट के बावजूद उसे खुशी हुई। वह बगीचे की दीवार के पीछे से बाहर निकला, अपने औजारों को जो एक थैले में सावधानीपूर्वक रखे थे, अपनी पीठ पर डाल लिया।
Text (Pages-20-21) : There were about fifteen thousand pounds’ worth of jewels in the Grange safe. If he sold them one by one, he expected to get at least five thousand, enough to make him happy for another year. There were three very interesting books coming up for sale in the autumn. Now he would get the money he wanted to buy them.
Vocabulary :
- worth (वर्थ) – value मूल्य के
- expecting (एक्सपैक्टिंग) – hoping आशा कर रहा था
अनुवाद : ग्रॅज तिजोरी में लगभग 15,000 पौण्ड कीमत के हीरे जवाहरात रखे थे। यदि वह उन्हें एक-एक करके बेचेगा तो कम-से-कम 5,000 पौण्ड तो मिल ही जाएंगे। यह राशि उसे अगले वर्ष तक खुश रखने के लिए पर्याप्त थी। पतझड़ में तीन बहुत रोचक पुस्तकें बाजार में आने वाली थीं। अब वह उन्हें खरीदने के लिए धन जुटा लेगा।
Text (Page-21): He had seen the housekeeper hang the key to the kitchen door on a hook outside. He put on a pair of gloves, took the key, and opened the door. He was always careful not to leave any fingerprints.
Vocabulary :
- hook (हुक) – nail with turned end मुड़ी कील
- gloves (ग्लव्स) – hand cover दस्ताने
- fingerprints (फिंगरप्रिन्ट्स) – marks of fingers अंगुलियों के निशान।
अनुवाद : उसने नौकरानी को चाबी रसोईघर के दरवाजे के बाहर एक कुलावा या हुक पर लटकाते देख लिया था। उसने दस्ताने पहने, चाबी ली तथा दरवाजा खोला। वह अपनी अंगुलियों की छाप न छोड़ने के प्रति सदा सावधान रहता था।
Text (Page-21) : A small dog was lying in the kitchen. It stirred, made a noise, and moved its tail in a friendly way. “All right, Sherry,” Horace said as he passed. All you had to do to keep dogs quiet was to call them by their right names, and show them love.
Vocabulary :
- stirred (स्टर्ड) – moved हिला।
अनुवाद : एक छोटा-सा कुत्ता किचन में लेटा था। वह हिलाडुला, उसने कुछ शोर किया तथा उसने अपनी पूँछ मैत्रीपूर्वक हिलाई। “ठीक है शेरी”, होरेस ने गुजरते हुए कहा । कुत्ते को शांत रखने के लिए उन्हें सही नामों से पुकारना बहुत लाभकारी होता है, तथा उन्हें प्यार दिखाया जाए।
Text (Page-21) : The safe was in the drawing room, behind a rather poor painting. Horace wondered for a moment whether he should collect pictures instead of books. But they took up too much room. In a small house, books were better.
Vocabulary:
- rather (रदार) – comparatively 31921 रूप से
- instead of (इन्स्टैंड ऑफ) – in place of के बदले में
अनुवाद : तिजोरी ड्राईंगरूम में थी, एक घटिया चित्र के पीछे। होरेस को एक क्षण के लिए मन में आया कि वह पुस्तकों के बजाय चित्रों
का संग्रह किया करे। पर चित्रों को रखने के लिए बड़ी जगह की जरूरत होती है। छोटे-से घर में पुस्तकें रखना ही बेहतर है।
Text (Page-21) : There was a great bowl of flowers on the table, and Horace felt his nose tickle. He gave a little sneeze and then put down his bag. He carefully arranged his tools. He had four hours before the servants returned.
Vocabulary:
- bowl (बाउल) – deep pot कटोरा
- sneeze (स्नीज) – छींका।
अनुवाद : मेज पर फूलों का बड़ा-सा कटोरा रखा था होरेस की नाक में सुरसुरी हुई। उसने हल्के-से छींक मारी और फिर अपना थैला रख दिया। उसने सावधानी से अपने औजार व्यवस्थित किए। उसके पास नौकरों के घर लौटने के पूर्व 4 घंटे थे।
Text (Page-21): The safe was not going to be hard to open. After all, he had lived with locks and safes all his life. The burglar alarm was poorly built. He went into the hall to cut its wire. He came back and sneezed loudly as the smell of the flowers came to him again.
Vocabulary :
- burglar alarm (वर्गलर अलार्म) – warning bell for thieves चोरों की चेतावनी देने वाली, चोरों का खतरा बताने वाली घंटी।
अनुवाद : तिजोरी को खोलना कोई कठिन काम न था। आखिरकार सारा जीवन उसने तालों और तिजोरियों के साथ ही गुजारा था। चोरों की सूचना देने वाली घंटी बहुत घटिया थी। वह तार काटने हेतु हाल में गया। वह वापिस लौटा तथा उसको फूलों की गंध पुनः आ जाने से जोरदार छौंक आ गई।
Text (Page-21) : How foolish people are when they own valuable things, Horace thought. A magazine article had described this house, giving a plan of all the rooms and a picture of this room. The writer had even mentioned that the painting hid a safe!
Vocabulary :
- valuable things (वेल्यूएबल थिंग्स) – precious things बहुमूल्य वस्तुएँ
- article (आर्टीकल) – write up लेख
- plan (प्लान) – lay out योजना
- mentioned (मैन्शन्ड) – referred to जिक्र किया था
अनुवाद : लोग भी कितने मूर्ख होते हैं जब उनके पास मुल्यवान चीजें होती हैं, होरेस के मन में आया। किसी पत्रिका में एक लेख ने इस घर की हुलिया छापी थी उसमें सभी कमरों का नक्शा था और इस कमरे का तो चित्र था। लेखक ने यह भी बता दिया था कि पेंटिंग के पीछे तिजोरी रखी है।
Text (Page-21) : But Horace found that the flowers were hindering him in his work. He buried his face in his handkerchief. Then he heard a voice say from the doorway: “What is it? A cold or hay fever?” Before he could think, Horace said, “Hay fever,” and found himself sneezing again.
Vocabulary :
- hindering (हिन्डरिंग) – obstructing रुकावट डाल रहे थे
- buried (बरिड) – hid छिपाया, दफनाया
- doorway (डोरवे) – threshold दहलीज
अनुवाद : पर होरेस ने पाया कि फूल उसके काम में बाधा बन रहे थे। उसने अपना चेहरा रूमाल से ढक लिया। तभी उसको एक आवाज़ दरवाजे से आई : “क्या तकलीफ है ? सर्दी लगी है अथवा पराग की एलर्जी है?” इससे पूर्व कि वह सोच पाता, होरेस ने बोल दिया, “पराग की. एलर्जी” तथा वह पुनः छींकने लगा।
Text (Page-21) : The voice went on : “You can cure it with a special treatment, you know, if you find out just what plant gives you the disease. I think you’d better see a doctor, if you’re serious about your work. I heard you from the top of the house just now.”
Vocabulary :
- cure (क्योर) – to be alright ठीक होना
- treatment (ट्रीटमेंट) – remedy इलाज
- disease (डिज़ीज) – ailment बीमारी
अनुवाद : आवाज पुनः आई । “तुम इस बीमारी को विशेष निदान द्वारा ठीक कर सकते हो, यदि तुम्हें यह पता चल जाए कि कौन-सा पौधा तुम्हें बीमारी देता है। मेरे विचार से तुम किसी डॉक्टर से मिलो यदि तुम अपने काम के बारे में गंभीर हो। मैंने अभी-अभी तुम्हारी छींक को ऊपरी मंजिल से सुना।”
Text (Page-22): It was a quiet, kindly voice, but one with firmness in it. A woman was standing in the doorway, and Sherry was rubbing against her. She was young, quiet pretty, and wasdressed in red. She walked to the fireplace and straightened the ornaments there.
Vocabulary:
- firmness (फर्मनस) – strictness कड़ापन
- fireplace (फायरप्लेस) – hearth अंगीठी आग जलाने का स्थान
- straightened (स्ट्रेटन्ड) – set right ठीक किए, करीने से लगाए
- ornament (ऑर्नामैंट) – jewellery/decorative pieces गहने, सजावट की चीजें
अनुवाद : आवाज बहुत दयाशील थी पर उसमें दृढ़ता थी। एक महिला द्वार पर खड़ी थी और शेरी उससे अपना शरीर रगड़ रहा था। वह युवा और सुन्दर थी, तथा लाल वस्त्र पहने थी। वह अंगीठी के पास गई तथा वहाँ उसने आभूषण ठीक किए।
Text (Page-22): “Down, Sherry,” she said. “Anyone would think I’d been away for a month!” She smiled at Horace, and went on, “However, I came back just in time, though I didn’t expect to meet a burglar.”
Vocabulary :
- burglar (वर्गलर) – thief चोर।
अनुवाद : “नीचे उतरो, शेरी”, वह बोली।”लोगों को भ्रम हो सकता है कि मैं एक माह के लिए गई हुई थी।” उसने होरेस की ओर देखकर मुस्कुरा दिया और बोलना जारी रखा, “पर मैं समय से वापस आ गई, यद्यपि मुझे आशा नहीं थी कि किसी चोर से मिलना पड़ेगा।”
Text (Page-22) : Horace had some hope because she seemed to be amused at meeting him. He might avoid trouble if he treated her the right way. He replied, “I didn’t expect to meet one of the family.”
She nodded, “I see what an inconvenience it is for you to meet me. What are you going to do?”
Horace said, “My first thought was to run.”
“Of course, you could do that. But I would telephone the police and tell them all about you. They’d get you at once.”
Vocabulary:
- amused (एम्यूज्ड) – interested दिलचस्पी लेना
- avoid (अव्यायड) – escape बचना
- treated (ट्रीटिड) – behaved व्यवहार किया
- nodded (नॉडिड) – moved head in one direction हाँ में सिर हिलाया
- inconvenience (इनकन्वीनियेन्स) – trouble असुविधा
.अनुवाद : होरेस को कुछ आशा जगी क्योंकि महिला उससे मिलकर खुश थी। वह संकट से बच सकता है यदि वह महिला से सही ढंग से पेश आए। उसने उत्तर दिया, “मुझे आशा न थी कि परिवार के एक सदस्य से मिलूंगा।”
उसने सिर हिला दिया, “मुझसे मिलकर तुम्हें बहुत असुविधा हुई है। अब तुम क्या करोगे?”
होरेस बोला, “मेरे मन में पहला विचार तो आया कि यहाँ से भाग जाऊँ।”
“हाँ, तुम ऐसा कर सकते थे। पर मैं पुलिस को फोन करके तुम्हारे बारे में बता दूंगी। वे तुम्हें फौरन पकड़ लेंगे।”
Text (Page-23) : Horace said, “I would, of course, cut the telephone wires first and then…” he hesitated, a smile on his face, “I would make sure that you could do nothing for some time. A few hours would be enough.”
Vocabulary :
- hesitated (हेजीटेटिड) – be reluctant हिचकिचाया।
अनुवाद : होरेस बोला, “मैं पहले टेलीफोन के तार काट दूँगा”
और फिर हिचकिचाते हुए चेहरे पर मुस्कुराहट लाकर बोला, “मैं सुनिश्चित करूँगा कि तुम कुछ समय तक कुछ भी न कर सको। मुझे अपने काम के लिए कुछ घंटे पर्याप्त हैं।”
Text (Page-23) : She looked at him seriously. “You’d hurt me?”
Horace paused, and then said, “I think I was trying to frighten you when I said that.”
“You didn’t frighten me.”
Horace suggested, “It would be nice if you would forget you ever saw me. Let me go.”
The voice was suddenly sharp. “Why should I ? You were going to rob me. If I let you go, you’ll only rob someone else. Society must be protected from men like you.”
Vocabulary :
- sharp (शार्प) – shrill तीखी
- protected (प्रोटैक्टिड) – defenced safeguarded सुरक्षित रखना बचाया जाना
अनुवाद : महिला ने उसकी ओर गंभीरतापूर्वक देखा, “तो तुम मुझे चोट पहुँचाओगे?”
होरेस रुक गया तथा फिर बोला, “मैंने शायद जब यह बात कही तो तुम्हें डराने के लिए कही।”
“तुम मुझे डरा नहीं सके।”
होरेस ने सुझाव दिया, “यही ठीक होगा यदि तुम भूल जाओ कि तुमने मुझे कभी देखा था। मुझे जाने दो।”
आवाज में सहसा तीखापन आ गया। “क्यों जाने दूँ? तुम तो मुझे लूटने वाले थे। यदि मैं तुम्हें जाने दूं तो तुम किसी और व्यक्ति को लूटोगे। तुम जैसे लोगों से समाज को बचाना जरूरी है।”
Text (Page-23): Horace smiled. “I’m not a man who threatens society. I steal only from those who have a lot of money. I steal for a very good reason. And I hate the thought of prison.” She laughed, and he begged, thinking that he had persuaded her, “Look, I have no right to ask you for anything, but I’m desperate. Let me go and I promise never to do this kind of thing again. I really mean it.”
Vocabulary:
- threatens (थ्रेटन्स) – intention punish धमकाता, घुडकाता है
- persuaded (परसुयेडिड) – made to agree जिद करके मनवा लेना
- desperate (डेस्पीरेट) – much disappointed, hopeless हताश, निराश
अनुवाद : होरेस हँस दिया। “मैं ऐसा व्यक्ति नहीं जो समाज के लिए खतरा बने। मैं केवल उन्हीं लोगों को लूटता हूँ जिनके पास बहुतसा धन होता है। मैं एक नेक काम के लिए चोरी करता हूँ। और मुझे कारागार के विचार से ही नफरत है।” वह हँस पड़ी तथा होरेस ने विनती की, यह सोचकर कि उसने महिला को राजी करा लिया है। “देखिए, मझे आपसे कुछ मांगने का अधिकार तो नहीं है पर मैं इस समय कुछ भी कर सकता हूँ। मुझे जाने दो और मैं वचन देता हूँ कि मैं इस प्रकार का काम दोबारा नहीं करूंगा। मैं सच कह रहा हूँ।”
Text (Page-23) : She was silent, watching him closely. Then she said, “You are really afraid of going to prison, aren’t you?”
She came over to him shaking her head. “I have always liked the wrong kind of people.”
She picked up a silver box from the table and took a cigarette from it. Horace, eager to please her and seeing that she might help him, took off his gloves and gave her his cigarette lighter.
Vocabulary:
- eager (ईगर) – anxious उतावला
- please (प्लीज) – making happy खुश करना
अनुवाद : वह चुप हो गई तथा उसने होरेस को ध्यानपूर्वक देखा। फिर वह बोली, “तुम सचमुच जेल जाने से डरते हो, हो न ?”
वह सिर हिलाते हुए उसके पास आई। “मैंने सदा ही गलत किस्म के लोगों को पसन्द किया है।” उसने मेज पर से चांदी का एक डिब्बा उठाया तथा उसमें से सिगरेट निकाली। होरेस उसे खुश करने को आतुर था और यह देखकर कि महिला, शायद उसकी मदद कर दे, उसने अपनी दस्ताना उतारा और उसे अपना सिगरेट लाइटर दिया।
Text (Page-23) : “You’ll let me go?” He held the lighter towards her.
“Yes, but only if you’ll do something for me.” “Anything you say.”
“Before we left for London, I promised my husband to take my jewels to our bank; but I left them here in the safe. I want to wear them to a party tonight, so I came down to get them, but…”
Horace smiled. “You’ve forgotten the numbers to open the safe, haven’t you?
“Yes”. Replied the your lady.
अनुवाद : “आप मुझे जाने दोगी न?” उसने लाइटर महिला की ओर बढ़ाया।
“हाँ, पर तभी जब तुम मेरा एक काम कर दो।” “जो कहोगी वह कर दूंगा।”
“लंदन छोड़ने से पूर्व मैंने अपने पति को बोला था कि मेरे जेवर बैंक में रख आओ पर मैं इन्हें इस तिजोरी में ही छोड़ गई। मैं आज रात पार्टी में इन जेवरों को पहनना चाहती हूँ, इसलिए मैं उन्हें लेने आई थी पर…….”
हौरेस हँस दिया। “आप तिजोरी खोलने का नम्बर भूल गई हैं, हैं न?” “ठीक कहते हो।”
Text (Page-23) : “Just leave it to me and you’ll have them within an hour. But I’ll have to break your
safe.”
“Don’t worry about that. My husband won’t be here for a month, and I’ll have the safe mended by that time.”
Vocabulary:
- mended (मैन्डड) – repaired मरम्मत करवा दूँगी।
अनुवाद : “यह काम मुझ पर छोड़ दो और एक घंटे में आपको वे जेवर मिल जाएंगे। पर मुझे आपकी तिजोरी तोड़नी पड़ेगी।” उसकी चिन्ता मत करो। मेरे पति यहाँ एक माह बाद ही आएंगे और उस समय तक मैं तिजोरी की मरम्मत करवा लूंगी।
Text (Page-24): And within an hour Horace had opened the safe, given her the jewels, and gone happily away.
अनुवाद : और एक घंटे के अन्दर होरेस ने तिजोरी खोल दी. उस महिला को जेवरात सौंप दिए और वह खुशी-खुशी वहाँ से चल दिया।
Text (Page-24): For two days he kept his promise to the kind young lady. On the morning of the third day, however, he thought of the books he wanted and he knew he would have to look for another safe. But he never got the chance to begin his plan. By noon a policeman had arrested him for the jewel robbery at Shotover Grange.
अनुवाद : दो दिनों तक उसने उस दयाल, जवान महिला को दिया अपना वचन याद रखा। पर तीसरे दिन प्रात:काल उसे अपनी चाहत की पुस्तकों की याद आई और उसे लगा कि उसे दूसरी तिजोरी तलाशनी पडेगी। पर उसे अपनी योजना पर काम प्रारम्भ करने का अवसर ही नहीं मिला। दोपहर को एक सिपाही उसे शॉटओवर मेंज में जेवरात चुराने के आरोप में बन्दी बनाकर ले गया।
Text (Page-24): His fingerprints, for he had opened the safe without gloves, were all over the room, and no one believed him when he said that the wife of the owner of the house had asked him to open the safe for her. The wife herself, a gray haired, sharptongued woman of sixty, said that the story was nonsense.
अनुवाद : उसकी अंगुलियों के छाप क्योंकि उसने तिजोरी बिना दस्ताने पहने खोली थी, सारे कमरे में बिखरे थे, और किसी भी व्यक्ति ने उसकी बात पर विश्वास नहीं किया जब उसने कहा कि घर के मालिक की पत्नी ने ही उसे तिजोरी खोलने को बोला था। पत्नी खिचड़ी केश वाली तेज तर्रार 60 वर्षीय महिला थी, वह बोली कि कहानी बकवास है।
Text (Page-24): Horace is now the assistant librarian in the prison. He often thinks of the charming, clever young lady who was in the same profession as he was, and who tricked him. He gets very angry when anyone talks about ‘honour among thieves’.
Vocabulary :
- tricked (ट्रिक्ड) – cheated धोखा दिया
- charming (चार्मिंग) – attractive आकर्षक, सम्मोहित करने वाली।
अनुवाद : होरेस अब जेल में पुस्तकालय का कामकाज देखता है। अक्सर उसे उस सुन्दर, चतुर, जवान महिला की याद आती है जो उसके अपने धंधे की थी, और जिसने उसे उल्लू बना दिया। जब भी कोई उससे चोरों के बीच आपसी आत्मसम्मान की बात करता है तो वह बहुत क्रोधित हो जाता है।