1. Unit at a glance
- The unit contains only one prose story, “A Question of Trust” by Victor Canning; no poem is present.
- It is a crime story that questions the saying “there is honour among thieves”.
- The central character is Horace Danby, a respectable locksmith who robs safes once a year to buy rare books.
- The plot turns on a single act of misplaced trust during a burglary at Shotover Grange.
- The story uses irony to show how a careful criminal is outwitted by another thief.
- The ending leaves Horace in prison, reflecting on the absence of “honour among thieves”.
2. Prose
Summary
Horace Danby, a fifty-year-old locksmith who appears respectable, secretly robs one safe every year to buy rare books. While robbing the safe at Shotover Grange, he is confronted by a young, well-dressed woman who claims to be the owner’s wife. Pretending she has forgotten the safe combination, she persuades Horace to open it for her jewels. He removes his gloves to help her, gives her the jewels, and leaves. Two days later he is arrested; his fingerprints are found everywhere. The woman, herself a thief, had tricked him. Horace is now assistant librarian in prison and realises there is no honour among thieves.
Setting
Shotover Grange, a wealthy house whose family is in London; the action takes place on a July afternoon in the drawing room and kitchen.
Main characters
- Horace Danby: fifty-year-old unmarried locksmith who steals once a year for rare books.
- The young woman in red: clever thief who poses as the lady of the house and deceives Horace.
- Sherry: the friendly household dog that does not raise an alarm.
Sequence of key events
- Horace studies the house for two weeks and enters after the servants leave.
- He disables the alarm and begins opening the safe.
- The young woman appears; Horace believes she is the owner’s wife.
- She asks him to open the safe for her jewels; he removes his gloves and succeeds.
- He gives her the jewels and departs, keeping his promise for two days.
- Police arrest him on the third day because his fingerprints are found; the real owner’s wife denies the story.
3. Poem
No poem is included in the unit text.
4. Themes and messages
The writer shows that criminals cannot trust one another. Horace believes the young woman will keep her word because both are thieves, yet she betrays him; the text ends with his anger “when anyone talks about ‘honour among thieves’”. The story also illustrates that even careful planning fails when emotion (his desire to avoid prison) overrides caution.
5. Literary devices
- Irony: title “A Question of Trust” and Horace’s final realisation about honour among thieves.
- Irony of situation: Horace, who always wears gloves to avoid fingerprints, removes them to help the woman who is robbing him.
- Imagery: “bright July sunshine”, “great bowl of flowers”, “quiet, kindly voice, but one with firmness in it”.
6. Vocabulary
- hay fever: allergy causing sneezing and a runny nose
- sentence: period of imprisonment
- agent: person who buys or sells for someone else
- culprit: guilty person
- meticulous: very careful and precise
7. Exam pitfalls
- Assuming Horace is completely honest; the text clearly states he is “not completely honest”.
- Thinking the young woman is the real owner; the story reveals she is another thief.
- Forgetting that Horace removes his gloves only when the woman asks for a light.
- Confusing the ending: Horace is arrested for the Shotover Grange robbery, not for his earlier thefts.