‘रचना-प्रयोग’ का मुख्य उद्देश्य क्या है?

व्याकरण का व्यावहारिक प्रयोग सिखाना

‘द्वितीयः’ किस प्रकार की संख्या है?

क्रमवाचक (दूसरा)

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.

The Midnight Visitor

Class 10 English · Footprints Without Feet · Chapter 3

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The story in short

Written by Robert Arthur, this is a witty spy story about a secret agent named Ausable, who is unlike the romantic image of a spy: he is fat, lives in a small French hotel room, and seems anything but adventurous. A young writer, Fowler, who has come hoping to see exciting spy action, is disappointed by Ausable’s dull manner. The excitement begins when they return to the room to find an enemy agent, Max, waiting with a pistol, intent on stealing an important secret report. Instead of panicking, Ausable cleverly invents a story about a non-existent balcony outside his window, claiming that the police often enter that way and that he has complained about it. When there is a knock at the door — actually the waiter Ausable had ordered drinks from — the frightened Max believes it is the police and climbs out of the window onto the “balcony” to escape, only to fall, since no balcony exists. Through presence of mind and quick thinking, Ausable defeats his enemy without violence.

The story in 6 beats

1Fowler meets Ausable and feels surprised because the secret agent looks dull and very ordinary.
2As they enter Ausable’s room, they find Max inside with a pistol, waiting for a secret report.
3Ausable stays calm and tells Max about a balcony outside the window and police trouble connected with it.
4Someone knocks at the door, and Ausable says it must be the police he had called for protection.
5Max gets scared, jumps out through the window to the supposed balcony, and falls because no balcony exists.
6The knock comes from a waiter with drinks, and Fowler sees how cleverly Ausable defeats Max.

Presence of mindThe unconventional spyTrick and deceptionSuspense and humourDefeating an enemy without violence

Characters & key ideas

AusableA clever, unglamorous secret agent who outwits his enemy.

FowlerA young writer hoping to witness exciting spy adventures.

MaxThe enemy agent who breaks in to steal a secret report.

The imaginary balconyAusable’s invented story that traps Max.

Presence of mindAusable’s quick thinking that defeats his enemy.

Secret reportThe important document Max wants to steal.

Word meanings · शब्दार्थ

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 (board-style)

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How is the secret agent Ausable described?

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The Midnight Visitor

Visual story

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The story in short

The story in 6 beats

Characters & key ideas

Word meanings · शब्दार्थ

Extra questions & answers (board-style)

READ AND FIND OUT

READ AND FIND OUT

Think about it

Talk about it

Practice quiz · The Midnight Visitor

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