The Midnight Visitor — Class 10 English
Footprints Without Feet · Chapter 3
Visual story
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Chapter summary
The story in steps
- Fowler meets Ausable and feels surprised because the secret agent looks dull and very ordinary.
- As they enter Ausable’s room, they find Max inside with a pistol, waiting for a secret report.
- Ausable stays calm and tells Max about a balcony outside the window and police trouble connected with it.
- Someone knocks at the door, and Ausable says it must be the police he had called for protection.
- Max gets scared, jumps out through the window to the supposed balcony, and falls because no balcony exists.
- The knock comes from a waiter with drinks, and Fowler sees how cleverly Ausable defeats Max.
Key ideas & terms
- Ausable
- A clever, unglamorous secret agent who outwits his enemy.
- Fowler
- A young writer hoping to witness exciting spy adventures.
- Max
- The enemy agent who breaks in to steal a secret report.
- The imaginary balcony
- Ausable’s invented story that traps Max.
- Presence of mind
- Ausable’s quick thinking that defeats his enemy.
- Secret report
- The important document Max wants to steal.
शब्दार्थ · Word meanings
- romantic
- exciting and adventurous in imagination
- sloppy
- untidy and careless in appearance
- accent
- special way of speaking words
- melancholy
- sad and gloomy
- musty
- stale and slightly damp-smelling
- passkey
- master key opening many locks
- balcony
- platform built out from a wall
- grapevine
- unofficial way news spreads
- wry
- showing dry, twisted humour
- inflection
- change in tone or voice
Extra questions & answers
How is Ausable different from a typical fictional spy?
He is fat, slow, lives in a small hotel room, speaks French with an accent, and seems dull rather than romantic or adventurous.
How did Ausable get rid of Max?
He invented a story about a balcony outside his window; when the waiter knocked, the frightened Max climbed out to escape and fell, as no balcony existed.
Why did Max believe the knock at the door was the police?
Ausable had claimed he had complained to the police about people entering through the balcony, so Max assumed the police had arrived.
What quality of Ausable does the story highlight?
His remarkable presence of mind and quick thinking, which let him defeat a dangerous enemy without any violence.
Why was Fowler disappointed when he met Ausable?
Ausable seemed fat, slow and dull, with a small hotel room — nothing like the exciting, romantic secret agent Fowler had imagined.
What did Ausable and Fowler find on entering the room?
They found Max, an enemy agent, waiting with a pistol, intent on seizing an important report Ausable was expecting that night.
What story did Ausable invent about the window?
He claimed there was a balcony outside it, used before by intruders, about which he had already complained to the hotel management.
Who was really at the door, and why?
It was the waiter, bringing the drinks Ausable had ordered earlier — not the police, as Max feared.
How did Max meet his end?
Believing the police had arrived, he climbed out of the window onto the balcony that did not exist and fell.
What is the central idea of the story?
That presence of mind and quick, clever thinking can defeat a dangerous enemy far more effectively than force or weapons.
READ AND FIND OUT
• How is Ausable different from other secret agents?
Ausable does not resemble the clever, stylish and athletic secret agents Fowler has read about. He is very fat, speaks with an American accent and appears ordinary and carelessly dressed. However, his quick thinking and calmness make him an exceptionally capable secret agent.
• Who is Fowler and what is his first authentic thrill of the day?
Fowler is a young, romantic writer who wants to observe the exciting life of a secret agent. His first authentic thrill comes when he enters Ausable’s room and sees Max standing there with a small automatic pistol.
READ AND FIND OUT
• How has Max got in?
Max has entered Ausable’s room by using a passkey.
• How does Ausable say he got in?
Ausable claims that Max entered through a balcony extending beneath the room’s window. In reality, there is no balcony.
Think about it
1. “Ausable did not fit any description of a secret agent Fowler had ever read.” What do secret agents in books and films look like, in your opinion? Discuss in groups or in class some stories or movies featuring spies, detectives and secret agents, and compare their appearance with that of Ausable in this story. (You may mention characters from fiction in languages other than English. In English fiction you may have come across Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, or Miss Marple. Have you watched any movies featuring James Bond?)
Secret agents in books and films are often shown as young, fit, stylish and confident people who use advanced gadgets, fight skilfully and escape from danger dramatically. Detectives such as Sherlock Holmes are presented as highly observant and intellectually brilliant, while James Bond is usually shown as athletic and elegant. Ausable looks very different: he is fat, speaks with a noticeable American accent and seems physically unimpressive. Yet he proves that intelligence, calmness and presence of mind are more important for a secret agent than appearance or physical strength.
2. How does Ausable manage to make Max believe that there is a balcony attached to his room? Look back at his detailed description of it. What makes it a convincing story?
Ausable invents a detailed story that makes the balcony sound real. He complains that someone has entered through it for the second time in a month and says that it belongs to the neighbouring apartment, which was once part of a larger unit. He explains that the balcony extends beneath his window and can be reached through an empty room two doors away. His irritated tone, precise details and natural manner convince Max that he is describing an actual problem rather than inventing an escape plan.
3. Looking back at the story, when do you think Ausable thought up his plan for getting rid of Max? Do you think he had worked out his plan in detail right from the beginning? Or did he make up a plan taking advantage of events as they happened?
Ausable probably begins forming his plan as soon as he sees Max and notices that Max knows nothing about the room. He first invents the balcony story to create a possible escape route in Max’s mind. When the expected waiter knocks, Ausable quickly claims that the police are at the door. Therefore, he does not appear to have planned every detail from the beginning; he calmly builds his plan step by step and uses the knocking at the door to complete it.
Talk about it
1. In this story, Ausable shows great ‘presence of mind,’ or the ability to think quickly, and act calmly and wisely, in a situation of danger and surprise. Give examples from your own experience, or narrate a story, which shows someone’s presence of mind.
During a school event, a curtain near the stage began to smoke because it was touching a hot light. One student noticed it before anyone panicked. She calmly alerted a teacher, asked the nearby students to move away and switched off the power from a safe distance under the teacher’s direction. The teacher then used the proper fire extinguisher. Her quick observation and calm response prevented a small problem from becoming dangerous.
2. Discuss what you would do in the situations described below. Remember that presence of mind comes out of a state of mental preparedness. If you have thought about possible problems or dangers, and about how to act in such situations, you have a better chance of dealing with such situations if they do arise.
• A small fire starts in your kitchen.
• A child starts to choke on a piece of food.
• An electrical appliance starts to hiss and gives out sparks.
• A bicycle knocks down a pedestrian.
• It rains continuously for more than twenty-four hours.
• A member of your family does not return home at the usual or expected time.
You may suggest other such situations.
If a small kitchen fire starts, I would alert everyone, turn off the heat only if it is safe, keep water away from an oil or electrical fire and call an adult or the fire service. If a child starts choking, I would immediately call a responsible adult and emergency services and follow the instructions of a trained person. If an appliance hisses or sparks, I would not touch it; I would switch off the main electricity supply from a safe place and call an adult or electrician. If a bicycle knocks down a pedestrian, I would stop traffic around the person, avoid moving an injured person unnecessarily and seek medical help. During continuous heavy rain, I would follow official warnings, avoid flooded roads and low-lying areas, keep emergency supplies ready and move to a safer place if advised. If a family member is unexpectedly late, I would call them, contact people who may know where they are, inform another responsible family member and seek help from the police if there is genuine reason for concern. Similar preparedness is useful during earthquakes, gas leaks, severe storms and other emergencies.