A Question of Trust
Summary Note (পাঠটোৰ সাৰাংশ)
In English: “A Question of Trust” is a clever story about Horace Danby, a 50-year-old man who is seen as a good, honest citizen. However, he is not completely honest. Horace runs a successful business of making locks but has a secret passion for rare and expensive books. To fund this hobby, he commits one safe robbery every year. He plans his robberies meticulously and has never been caught.
This year, he targets a house at Shotover Grange. After two weeks of careful study, he enters the house when the family is away in London and the two servants have gone to the movies. As he is about to break the safe, he is interrupted by a young, pretty lady dressed in red, who presents herself as the wife of the owner. She cleverly tells Horace that she has forgotten the combination to the safe and needs to get her jewels for a party.
Completely deceived by her confident manner and appearance, Horace trusts her. To please her and avoid going to prison, he agrees to open the safe for her. He takes off his gloves and breaks open the safe, leaving his fingerprints everywhere. He happily goes away, thinking he has escaped a difficult situation. However, two days later, he is arrested by the police for the jewel robbery at Shotover Grange. He then realizes he was tricked by another thief. The real lady of the house was a sixty-year-old woman. In prison, Horace becomes an assistant librarian, often getting angry when anyone talks about “honour among thieves.”
In Assamese: “A Question of Trust” হৈছে হোৰেচ ডেনবি নামৰ এজন ৫০ বছৰীয়া ব্যক্তিৰ এক চতুৰ কাহিনী, যাক এজন ভাল, সৎ নাগৰিক হিচাপে জনা যায়। কিন্তু, তেওঁ সম্পূৰ্ণ সৎ নহয়। হোৰেচে তলা বনোৱাৰ এটা সফল ব্যৱসায় চলায়, কিন্তু তেওঁৰ দুৰ্লভ আৰু দামী কিতাপৰ প্ৰতি এক গোপন অনুৰাগ আছে। এই চখ পূৰণ কৰিবলৈ, তেওঁ প্ৰতি বছৰে এটাকৈ আলমাৰি ডকাইতি কৰে। তেওঁ তেওঁৰ ডকাইতিবোৰ অতি সাৱধানেৰে পৰিকল্পনা কৰে আৰু কেতিয়াও ধৰা পৰা নাই।
এই বছৰ, তেওঁ শ্বটঅ’ভাৰ গ্ৰেঞ্জৰ এটা ঘৰক লক্ষ্য হিচাপে লয়। দুসপ্তাহৰ সাৱধান অধ্যয়নৰ পিছত, তেওঁ ঘৰটোত প্ৰৱেশ কৰে যেতিয়া পৰিয়ালটো লণ্ডনলৈ গৈছিল আৰু দুজন চাকৰ চিনেমা চাবলৈ গৈছিল। যেতিয়া তেওঁ আলমাৰিটো ভাঙিবলৈ লৈছিল, তেতিয়া ৰঙা পোছাক পিন্ধা এগৰাকী ধুনীয়া যুৱতীয়ে তেওঁক বাধা দিয়ে, আৰু নিজকে ঘৰৰ মালিকৰ পত্নী বুলি পৰিচয় দিয়ে। তাই চতুৰালিৰে হোৰেচক কয় যে তাই আলমাৰিৰ নম্বৰ পাহৰি গৈছে আৰু এটা পাৰ্টিৰ বাবে তাইৰ গহনাখিনি উলিয়াব লাগে।
তাইৰ আত্মবিশ্বাসী আচৰণ আৰু চেহেৰাত সম্পূৰ্ণৰূপে প্ৰতাৰিত হৈ, হোৰেচে তাইক বিশ্বাস কৰে। তাইক সন্তুষ্ট কৰিবলৈ আৰু কাৰাগাৰলৈ যোৱাৰ পৰা বাচিবলৈ, তেওঁ তাইৰ বাবে আলমাৰিটো খুলি দিবলৈ মান্তি হয়। তেওঁ হাতমোজা খুলি আলমাৰিটো ভাঙি দিয়ে, আৰু সকলোতে তেওঁৰ আঙুলিৰ ছাপ এৰি থৈ যায়। তেওঁ আনন্দ মনেৰে তাৰ পৰা গুচি যায়, ভাবি যে তেওঁ এটা কঠিন পৰিস্থিতিৰ পৰা বাচি গ’ল। কিন্তু, দুদিন পিছত, শ্বটঅ’ভাৰ গ্ৰেঞ্জত গহনা ডকাইতিৰ অপৰাধত পুলিচে তেওঁক গ্ৰেপ্তাৰ কৰে। তেতিয়াহে তেওঁ বুজি পায় যে তেওঁক আন এজনী চোৰে প্ৰতাৰণা কৰিছিল। ঘৰৰ প্ৰকৃত মালকিনগৰাকী আছিল এগৰাকী ষাঠি বছৰীয়া মহিলা। কাৰাগাৰত, হোৰেচ এজন সহায়ক লাইব্ৰেৰীয়ান হয়, আৰু যেতিয়া কোনোবাই “চোৰৰ মাজত সততা”ৰ কথা কয়, তেওঁ খঙত জ্বলি উঠে।
Textual Question Answers (পাঠ্যপুথিৰ প্ৰশ্নোত্তৰ)
Read and Find Out (পঢ়া আৰু বিচাৰি উলিওৱা)
1. What does Horace Danby like to collect?
(হোৰেচ ডেনবিয়ে কি সংগ্ৰহ কৰিবলৈ ভাল পায়?)
Answer: Horace Danby likes to collect rare and expensive books.
2. Why does he steal every year?
(তেওঁ প্ৰতি বছৰে কিয় চুৰি কৰে?)
Answer: He steals every year to get enough money to buy the rare and expensive books he loves.
3. Who is speaking to Horace Danby?
(হোৰেচ ডেনবিৰ লগত কোনে কথা পাতি আছে?)
Answer: A young lady in a red dress, who is also a thief but pretends to be the owner’s wife, is speaking to Horace Danby.
4. Who is the real culprit in the story?
(কাহিনীটোৰ প্ৰকৃত অপৰাধী কোন?)
Answer: The real culprit in the story is the young lady in red who tricked Horace Danby into opening the safe for her.
Think about it (ভাবি চোৱা)
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?
(কাহিনীটো শেষ হোৱাৰ আগতে, তুমি সন্দেহ কৰিবলৈ আৰম্ভ কৰিছিলানে যে মহিলাগৰাকী হোৰেচ ডেনবিয়ে ভবা ব্যক্তিজন নাছিল? যদি হয়, কোন মুহূৰ্তত তুমি এই কথা বুজি পালা, আৰু কেনেকৈ?)
Answer: Yes, I began to suspect when the lady, despite claiming to be the owner’s wife, calmly asked Horace to break open the safe for her instead of calling the police. An actual owner would likely be more alarmed and would not encourage a burglar. Her suggestion that she would have the safe mended later also seemed suspicious.
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?
(মহিলাগৰাকীয়ে কেনেধৰণৰ সূক্ষ্ম উপায়েৰে হোৰেচ ডেনবিক তেওঁ ঘৰৰ মালকিন বুলি ভাবিবলৈ বাধ্য কৰায়? হোৰেচে কিয় সন্দেহ নকৰে যে কিবা ভুল হৈছে?)
Answer: The lady deceives Horace in several subtle ways:
- She walks to the fireplace and straightens the ornaments, acting as if she is familiar with the house.
- She speaks with confidence and firmness.
- She calls the dog by its name, “Sherry.”
- She cleverly invents a story about forgetting the safe’s combination and needing her jewels for a party.
Horace doesn’t suspect her because he is frightened of being caught and is desperate to escape. The lady’s youth, beauty, and confident manner completely fool him.
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 thief?
(“হোৰেচ ডেনবি ভাল আৰু সন্মানীয় আছিল — কিন্তু সম্পূৰ্ণ সৎ নাছিল।” তুমি কিয় ভাবা যে এই বৰ্ণনাটো হোৰেচৰ বাবে উপযুক্ত? তেওঁক কিয় এজন সাধাৰণ চোৰ হিচাপে শ্ৰেণীবদ্ধ কৰিব নোৱাৰি?)
Answer: This description is apt because Horace lives a respectable life as a locksmith, but he has a secret life as a thief. He cannot be categorized as a typical thief because he doesn’t steal for a living or out of greed for money. He steals only once a year, just enough to satisfy his hobby of collecting rare books. He is not a professional criminal but a man led astray by his passion.
4. Horace Danby was a meticulous planner but still he faltered. Where did he go wrong and why?
(হোৰেচ ডেনবি এজন অতি সাৱধান পৰিকল্পনাকাৰী আছিল কিন্তু তথাপিও তেওঁ বিফল হ’ল। তেওঁ ক’ত আৰু কিয় ভুল কৰিলে?)
Answer: Horace faltered in judging the character of the young lady. He was so blinded by her beauty and confidence, and so fearful of going to prison, that he blindly trusted her. His biggest mistake was taking off his gloves to open the safe, leaving his fingerprints everywhere. He went wrong because he panicked and let another thief outsmart him.
Talk about it (কথা পতা)
1. Do you think Horace Danby was unfairly punished, or that he deserved what he got?
(তুমি ভাবানে যে হোৰেচ ডেনবিক অন্যায়ভাৱে শাস্তি দিয়া হৈছিল, নে তেওঁ যি পালে তাৰেই যোগ্য আছিল?)
Answer: Horace Danby deserved what he got. Although he was tricked by another thief, he himself was in the house to commit a crime. He was a thief, and a thief getting caught and punished is justice. The fact that he was outsmarted by another thief is simply ironic, but it does not make him innocent.
2. Do intentions justify actions? Would you, like Horace Danby, do something wrong if you thought your ends justified the means?
(উদ্দেশ্যই কামক ন্যায্য বুলি প্ৰমাণ কৰেনে? তুমি, হোৰেচ ডেনবিৰ দৰে, কিবা ভুল কাম কৰিবা নেকি যদি তুমি ভাবা যে তোমাৰ উদ্দেশ্যই উপায়ক ন্যায্য বুলি প্ৰমাণ কৰে?)
Answer: No, intentions do not always justify actions. Stealing is wrong, regardless of the reason. Horace’s intention was to buy books, which is not a bad aim, but his action of robbing a safe was a crime. While his motive was not as malicious as a typical criminal’s, it does not make the act of stealing right. One should not resort to wrong means to achieve even a good end.
Previous Year HSLC Question Answers
(বিগত বৰ্ষৰ HSLC প্ৰশ্নোত্তৰ)
1. What was people’s opinion about Horace Danby? (HSLC 2023)
(হোৰেচ ডেনবিৰ বিষয়ে মানুহৰ মতামত কি আছিল?)
Answer: People’s opinion about Horace Danby was that he was a good and honest citizen.
2. What led Horace Danby to break open the safe containing jewellery at Shot-over Grange? (HSLC 2023)
(কিহে হোৰেচ ডেনবিক শ্বটঅ’ভাৰ গ্ৰেঞ্জত গহনা থকা আলমাৰিটো ভাঙিবলৈ বাধ্য কৰাইছিল?)
Answer: The young lady, pretending to be the owner’s wife, tricked Horace into breaking open the safe. She told him she needed her jewels for a party but had forgotten the combination, and if he didn’t help her, she would call the police.
3. What was Horace Danby’s hobby? (HSLC 2022)
(হোৰেচ ডেনবিৰ চখ কি আছিল?)
Answer: Horace Danby’s hobby was collecting and reading rare and expensive books.
4. How did the young lady trick Horace Danby? (HSLC 2020)
(যুৱতীগৰাকীয়ে হোৰেচ ডেনবিক কেনেকৈ প্ৰতাৰণা কৰিছিল?)
Answer: The young lady tricked Horace Danby by confidently pretending to be the lady of the house. She made up a convincing story about needing her jewels and forgetting the safe’s combination, thus persuading him to open the safe for her.
5. Who is Horace Danby? What type of a man is he? (HSLC 2020, 2017)
(হোৰেচ ডেনবি কোন? তেওঁ কেনেধৰণৰ ব্যক্তি?)
Answer: Horace Danby is a fifty-year-old locksmith who is considered a good and respectable citizen. However, he is not completely honest, as he robs one safe every year to finance his hobby of buying rare books. He is a meticulous planner but gets easily tricked by the lady in red.
6. Where did Horace Danby go wrong and why, while committing the robbery at Shotover Grange? (HSLC 2015)
(শ্বটঅ’ভাৰ গ্ৰেঞ্জত ডকাইতি কৰোঁতে হোৰেচ ডেনবিয়ে ক’ত আৰু কিয় ভুল কৰিলে?)
Answer: Horace Danby went wrong when he trusted the young lady and agreed to open the safe for her. His biggest mistake was removing his gloves, which left his fingerprints all over the room, leading to his arrest. He did this because he was fooled by her convincing act and was desperate to avoid being caught.
7. Horace gets angry when anyone discusses ‘honour among thieves’. Why? (HSLC 2024)
(যেতিয়া কোনোবাই ‘চোৰৰ মাজত সততা’ৰ কথা কয়, হোৰেচে খং কৰে। কিয়?)
Answer: Horace gets angry because he feels cheated. He, a thief, was tricked and robbed by another thief. The saying “honour among thieves” implies that thieves do not steal from each other, but his own experience proved this to be false, which makes him angry.
Most Important 10 Questions and Answers
(১০টা আটাইতকৈ গুৰুত্বপূৰ্ণ প্ৰশ্নোত্তৰ)
1. Why was Horace Danby not a typical thief?
(হোৰেচ ডেনবি কিয় এজন সাধাৰণ চোৰ নাছিল?)
Answer: Horace Danby was not a typical thief because he was a respectable man with a successful business. He did not steal for a living but only once a year to satisfy his passion for rare books.
2. How did Horace prepare for the robbery at Shotover Grange?
(হোৰেচ ডেনবিয়ে শ্বটঅ’ভাৰ গ্ৰেঞ্জত ডকাইতিৰ বাবে কেনেকৈ প্ৰস্তুতি চলাইছিল?)
Answer: For two weeks, Horace had studied the house at Shotover Grange, its rooms, electric wiring, paths, and garden. He knew when the family would be away and when the servants would go out.
3. What was Horace’s “hay fever” and how did it betray him?
(হোৰেচৰ “হে ফিভাৰ” কি আছিল আৰু ই তেওঁক কেনেকৈ বিশ্বাসঘাতকতা কৰিলে?)
Answer: Horace’s “hay fever” was an allergy to the smell of flowers. It betrayed him because he sneezed loudly due to the flowers in the bowl, which alerted the young lady to his presence in the house.
4. How did the young lady appear when Horace first saw her?
(হোৰেচে প্ৰথমবাৰ দেখিঁতে যুৱতীগৰাকীক কেনেকুৱা লাগিছিল?)
Answer: The young lady was young, quite pretty, and was dressed in red. She appeared confident and calm, and was standing in the doorway with the dog Sherry rubbing against her.
5. Why did Horace feel that he could trust the young lady?
(হোৰেচে কিয় ভাবিছিল যে তেওঁ যুৱতীগৰাকীক বিশ্বাস কৰিব পাৰে?)
Answer: Horace trusted her because she acted with great confidence, as if she were the real lady of the house. She knew the dog’s name and handled the situation calmly, which made her story believable to the frightened Horace.
6. What is the irony in the story “A Question of Trust”?
(“A Question of Trust” কাহিনীটোৰ বিদ্ৰূপ কি?)
Answer: The irony is that Horace Danby, a thief who breaks safes, is outsmarted and robbed by another thief. Furthermore, he is arrested for a robbery that he committed, but from which he got nothing, while the real culprit got away with the jewels.
7. Why did Horace have to go to prison?
(হোৰেচ কিয় কাৰাগাৰলৈ যাবলগীয়া হ’ল?)
Answer: Horace had to go to prison because he had opened the safe at Shotover Grange without wearing gloves, leaving his fingerprints everywhere. The police easily identified him and arrested him for the jewel robbery.
8. What does the phrase “honour among thieves” mean?
(“চোৰৰ মাজত সততা” বাক্যাংশৰ অৰ্থ কি?)
Answer: The phrase means an unwritten code of conduct among criminals that suggests they should not betray or steal from one another.
9. How does the story show that appearances can be deceptive?
(কাহিনীটোৱে কেনেকৈ দেখুৱায় যে বাহ্যিক ৰূপ প্ৰতাৰণামূলক হ’ব পাৰে?)
Answer: The story shows this through both main characters. Horace Danby appeared to be a respectable citizen but was actually a thief. The young lady appeared to be a soft-spoken, kind lady of the house but was, in reality, a clever and ruthless thief.10. What is the central message of the story?
(কাহিনীটোৰ কেন্দ্ৰীয় বাৰ্তা কি?)
Answer: The central message of the story is that one should not trust anyone blindly based on their appearance. It also ironically suggests that there is no such thing as “honour among thieves” and that a criminal will ultimately have to pay for their crimes, one way or another.