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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.
Fifteen years ago, Horace had served his first and only sentence in a prison library. He loved rare, expensive books. So he robbed a safe every year. 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.
Explanation:
The story, "A Question of Trust," written by Victor Canning revolves around the protagonist named Horace Danby. While discussing Horace's character in the initial lines of the paragraph, the narrator states unequivocally that he is not a good, honest person,contrary to what people were thinking about him.
Horace Danby was a \(50\)-year-old man who was unmarried and lived with his housekeeper. The housekeeper used to worry about Horace's health most of the time. Its because although Horace looked healthy, he always had hay fever attacks during the summer every year. He used to make locks and used to earn a profit that was enough for him to hire two helpers for his work.
Unlike a viral fever, hay fever is caused by an allergy but has the same symptoms as a viral fever, like a runny nose, itchy eyes, congestion, sneezing, and sinus congestion. Also, hay fever might lead to a loss of smell. Allergy rhinitis triggered by pollen from specific seasonal plants is known as "hay fever" because it is most common during the haying season (the season for cutting, drying, and storing grass as fodder).
As previously stated, everyone assumed he was a good and honest man, but no one knew he had served a sentence in the prison library before 15 years. Horace loved books and had a habit of buying rare and valuable books. So he required more money to buy those expensive books. Every year, he would steal enough to last him a year, then spend the rest on books through a secret agent.
Meaning of difficult words:
S. No. | Words | Meaning |
1. | Safe | Refers to a cupboard or a metal box used for keeping valuable things like jewellery, documents etc. |
2. | Sentence | The punishment given to someone who has been found guilty |
Reference:
National Council of Educational Research and Training (2008). Honeydew. A Question of Trust - Victor Canning (pp 20-24). Published at the Publication Division by the Secretary, National Council of Educational Research and Training, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi.
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