EnglishCBSE Class 10 · A Question of Trust

A Question of Trust: Summary and Irony, Class 10

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

In A Question of Trust, Horace Danby, a respectable lock-maker who robs one safe every year to buy rare books, is tricked by a young lady in red who persuades him to open the safe without gloves and take out the jewels. He is arrested by noon on the third day. The irony is that a thief is trusted and betrayed by another thief.

Notice the irony: Horace the thief trusts the lady, takes his gloves off, and is betrayed by another thief.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand A Question of Trust: Summary and the Irony of the Ending

A respectable man with a secret. Everyone thinks Horace Danby is a good, honest citizen. He is about fifty, unmarried and lives with a housekeeper. He makes locks and runs a successful business. His only trouble is hay fever in summer. His secret: he loves rare, expensive books, so he robs one safe every year, stealing enough to last twelve months and buying books through an agent. Fifteen years ago he served his first and only sentence, working in a prison library.

The plan. This July, after two weeks of studying Shotover Grange, he goes while the family is in London and the two servants are at the movies. The safe holds about fifteen thousand pounds' worth of jewels; he expects to get at least five thousand by selling them, enough for three interesting books coming up in the autumn.

Inside the house. Wearing gloves to leave no fingerprints, he takes the kitchen key from a hook, calms the dog Sherry by name and finds the safe behind a poor painting. A magazine article had even printed a plan of the house and mentioned the hidden safe. He cuts the weak alarm wire and has four hours. But a bowl of flowers sets off his hay fever.

The lady in red. A young, pretty woman in red asks, in a firm and kindly voice, whether he has a cold or hay fever. She acts like the lady of the house. She tells him she may call the police, then softens when he begs her to let him go because he steals only from the rich and hates the thought of prison.

The trap. She says she promised her husband to take her jewels to the bank but forgot, and she needs them for a party. She has forgotten the numbers. Horace takes off his gloves, opens the safe, gives her the jewels and leaves happily.

The twist. For two days he keeps his promise. On the third morning, thinking of books, he plans another robbery, but by noon he is arrested, since his fingerprints are all over the room. The real wife, a grey-haired, sharp-tongued woman of sixty, says his story is nonsense. Horace becomes assistant librarian in the prison and gets angry when anyone mentions honour among thieves.

Irony. A man who prides himself on careful planning is fooled; the thief is robbed by another thief; and the saying about honour among thieves proves false.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

How foolish people are when they own valuable things
Horace Danby: Noting that a magazine had printed the plan of the house and the hidden safe.
Ironic, because Horace himself is soon foolish.
Society must be protected from men like you.
The lady in red: When Horace asks her to let him go.
Ironic: she is herself a thief.
I steal only from those who have a lot of money.
Horace Danby: Defending himself to the lady.
Shows his self-justification.

A Question of Trust: Summary and the Irony of the Ending: key facts

Sequence: Respectable lock-maker
Annual theft for books
Plans Shotover Grange
Meets lady in red
Opens safe without gloves
Arrested by noon on third day; Use for a short summary.
How she traps him: Acts like the lady of the house
Threatens police
Softens at his plea
Asks for help with the safe
He removes gloves; Her steps in order.
Three ironies: A thief robbed by a thief
Honest-looking man is a thief, a charming lady is a thief
Honour among thieves proves false; Key ironies for 40-50 word answers.
Horace in prison: First sentence fifteen years ago, in a prison library | Now assistant librarian in the prison; A circle: back to the prison library.

How to answer A Question of Trust: Summary and the Irony of the Ending questions

Use this for summary, plot, character or irony questions.

1Present Horace: respectable, with a secret love of books and an annual theft.
2Describe the plan and his entry into Shotover Grange.
3Describe how the lady in red wins his trust.
4Explain how he is trapped: gloves off, fingerprints, arrest.
5Close with the irony of honour among thieves.

A Question of Trust: Summary and the Irony of the Ending in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Trusting a stranger

Suppose a man at a railway station is told by a polite stranger that her wallet is in a locked bag and asks him to hold her phone and open the zip. He does, and soon discovers his own wallet is missing.

What lesson from the story does this repeat?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

A charming stranger wins trust quickly.
He drops his guard to help her.
He pays for it.

Answer: It repeats Horace's mistake: trusting a pleasant stranger without question can be costly.

Memory hook: Charm is not proof of honesty.

Tricks to remember A Question of Trust: Summary and the Irony of the Ending

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

L-P-S-T-A
Lock-maker, Plan, Stranger, Trap, Arrest.
Use it when: The five stages of the story.
Gloves off
He takes his gloves off to give her a light, and to open the safe.
Use it when: To recall the mistake that gets him caught.
Honour among thieves
The saying he cannot bear to hear.
Use it when: To recall the final irony.

A Question of Trust: Summary and the Irony of the Ending: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Horace's secret · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

What was Horace Danby's secret?
(a) He robbed one safe every year to buy rare books (b) He was a spy (c) He owned a jewellery shop (d) He had escaped from prison

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

He loved rare, expensive books and robbed a safe every year to pay for them (1 mark).

Answer: (a)

Example 2: Why a bowl of flowers · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level

How did the bowl of flowers trouble Horace? Answer in 30-40 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

It set off his hay fever (1).
His sneezing made him easy to notice (1).

Answer: The big bowl of flowers in the drawing room set off Horace's hay fever. He sneezed loudly and buried his face in his handkerchief, which hindered his work and let the lady in red hear him from the top of the house.

Example 3: How she wins him · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

How does the lady in red win Horace's trust? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Calm, kindly manner like the lady of the house (1).
Threat followed by a softening (1).
Asks his help, so he feels trusted (1).

Answer: The young lady acts calmly like the lady of the house and shows concern about his hay fever. She threatens to call the police, then softens when he begs. She asks him to help open the safe because she has forgotten the numbers, making Horace feel trusted and eager to please.

Example 4: The fingerprints · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Why is Horace arrested even though he had been so careful? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Always wore gloves before (1).
Took them off for the lady (1).
Fingerprints all over the room (1).

Answer: Horace had always worn gloves to avoid fingerprints, but he took them off to give the lady a light and opened the safe without them. His fingerprints were all over the room, no one believed his story and the real wife called it nonsense, so he was arrested for the robbery.

Example 5: Irony and the title · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Explain the irony in the story and say why the title A Question of Trust suits it, in 100-120 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Irony of events (2).
Question of trust (2).
Link to honour among thieves (1).
Expression (1).

Answer: The story is full of irony. Horace thinks how foolish people are who own valuable things, yet he himself is foolish enough to trust a stranger. A burglar who plans carefully is robbed by a charming thief who is in his own profession. The woman who says that society must be protected from men like him is a thief herself. The title fits because trust is the issue: Horace trusts the lady, believing she is the owner, and loses his freedom. The saying about honour among thieves proves false, which is why he is angry when it is repeated. Trust must be given carefully, even to a pleasant person.

Where students lose marks in A Question of Trust: Summary and the Irony of the Ending

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Calling Horace innocent
He is a thief who robs a safe every year.
Wrong working
Horace was an honest man falsely arrested.
Right working
Horace was respectable but not honest; he had come to rob the safe himself, and he is caught because the lady tricked him into removing his gloves and left him to take the blame.
Do this: Show both sides.
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.
Mistake: Missing the gloves
The gloves are the cause of his arrest.
Wrong working
Horace was caught because the servants returned.
Right working
He was caught because his fingerprints were all over the room after he opened the safe without gloves.
Do this: Mention the gloves.
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.
Mistake: Wrong identity of the culprit
The lady in red is the real thief.
Wrong working
The real wife stole her own jewels.
Right working
The lady in red was a clever thief posing as the owner's wife.
Do this: Name her as a thief in the same profession.
Usually costs: 2 marks.
Mistake: No irony in the answer
The question asks for it.
Wrong working
Horace is arrested at the end.
Right working
A thief who plans carefully is tricked by another thief, and honour among thieves proves false.
Do this: State the irony in one sentence.
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.

Exam tips

Use L-P-S-T-A to order the story.
Mention the gloves and the fingerprints to explain the arrest.
State clearly that the lady in red is the thief.
Name at least two ironies when asked.
Quote honour among thieves to end an answer.

Practice questions on A Question of Trust: Summary and the Irony of the Ending

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
The dog in the Grange was named
(a) Sherry (b) Squeezer (c) Guess (d) Custard
Hint
Horace calls it by name.
Answer
(a)
Q2 · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level
Where was the safe in the house, and how did Horace know about it? Answer in 30-40 words.
Hint
Behind a painting; a magazine article.
Answer
The safe was in the drawing room, hidden behind a rather poor painting. Horace knew about it because a magazine article had described the house, with a plan of the rooms, and had even mentioned the hidden safe.
Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
The lady says that society must be protected from men like Horace. What is ironic about this? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
She is a thief too.
Answer
The lady speaks like a respectable owner who wishes to protect society from thieves, but she is herself a thief in the same profession. She uses the words to win Horace's trust and lower his guard. The irony is revealed at the end when he is arrested and she escapes with the jewels.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
How does the saying honour among thieves apply, in an ironic way, to Horace's experience? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
He was tricked by a fellow thief.
Answer
Horace was tricked by a charming lady who was a thief like him, and he lost his freedom because he trusted her. The saying that there is honour among thieves, meaning that they do not cheat one another, proves false in his case, so it reminds him of his humiliation.
Q5 · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Do you think Horace is a hero or a victim? Support your view with evidence from the story in 100-120 words.
Hint
He is a thief, but also a person who is tricked.
Answer
Horace is neither a hero nor only a victim. He is a thief, even though he appears respectable. He robs a safe every year to buy rare books, and justifies himself by saying he steals only from the rich. This makes it hard to admire him. But he is also a victim, since a clever woman exploits his fear of prison and his eagerness to please, and he is arrested for the robbery of the safe he had come to rob, while the lady escapes with the jewels. His fate is a mixture of justice and irony: he is punished for his crime, but only because a cleverer thief tricked him into leaving his fingerprints.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.What is Horace's profession?Show answer
He makes locks.
2.What does he buy with the stolen money?Show answer
Rare, expensive books.
3.What is the name of the house?Show answer
Shotover Grange.
4.What is Horace's health problem?Show answer
Hay fever.
5.What does the lady in red wear?Show answer
Red.
6.What job does Horace get in prison?Show answer
Assistant librarian.

A Question of Trust: Summary and the Irony of the Ending: frequently asked questions

Who is the real culprit in the story?

The young lady in red, a thief posing as the owner's wife.

What is the irony of the story?

A thief is tricked by another thief, and honour among thieves proves false.

Why is the story called A Question of Trust?

Horace trusts the lady and is betrayed; the story asks whom we should trust.

Which questions come from this chapter?

Extracts on the lady and the safe, 40-50 word answers on irony and a long answer on character or theme.