Class 10 English Notes Chapter 3 (The Midnight Visitor) – Foot Prints Without Feet Supp. Reader Book

Detailed Notes with MCQs of Chapter 3 from your 'Footprints Without Feet' book, 'The Midnight Visitor' by Robert Arthur. This is an interesting story, quite different from the usual spy thrillers, and it often appears in exams due to its clever plot and characterisation. Pay close attention to these notes.

Chapter 3: The Midnight Visitor - Detailed Notes for Exam Preparation

1. Author: Robert Arthur

2. Genre: Short Story (Spy Fiction / Thriller with a twist)

3. Characters:

• Ausable:

  • Profession: A secret agent (spy).
  • Appearance: Contrary to the stereotypical image of a spy, Ausable is extremely fat, sloppy, and lives in a small, gloomy room on the sixth and top floor of a French hotel. He speaks French and German passably, with an American accent (having moved to Paris from Boston 20 years ago).
  • Personality: Highly intelligent, quick-witted, resourceful, calm under pressure, possesses a great presence of mind. He uses his brain rather than physical prowess. He understands situations and people quickly.
  • Role: Protagonist. He outsmarts his rival using sheer intellect.

• Fowler:

  • Profession: A writer, specifically interested in writing about spies and secret agents.
  • Personality: Romantic, imaginative (initially), easily disillusioned, observant (though initially misled by appearances). He seeks excitement and danger associated with espionage.
  • Role: Observer/Narrator's perspective. The reader experiences the events largely through Fowler's eyes. His initial disappointment and later astonishment highlight Ausable's unique character.

• Max:

  • Profession: Another secret agent, a rival of Ausable.
  • Appearance: Slender, not very tall, features suggest a crafty, fox-like appearance. Carries a small automatic pistol.
  • Personality: Overconfident, somewhat menacing, but ultimately gullible and easily outsmarted. He relies on conventional methods (like a pistol and sneaking into a room) rather than superior intelligence.
  • Role: Antagonist. He represents the conventional threat that Ausable overcomes unconventionally.

4. Setting:

• Ausable's hotel room on the sixth (top) floor of a French hotel in Paris.
• The room is described as small and gloomy ("musty corridor," "gloomy French hotel").
• The time is night ("midnight visitor").

5. Plot Summary:

• Introduction & Disappointment: Fowler, a writer, meets Ausable, a secret agent. Fowler feels let down because Ausable doesn't fit his romantic image of a spy – he's fat, lives in a simple hotel room, and receives messages via ordinary telephone calls, not mysterious signals.
• Arrival at the Room: Ausable takes Fowler to his room on the top floor. As Ausable switches on the light, they find Max standing in the room, holding a pistol.
• The Confrontation: Max demands the important report concerning some new missiles that Ausable is expecting to receive that night. He has entered using a passkey (or claims he did).
• Ausable's Clever Story: Remaining calm, Ausable expresses annoyance not at Max, but at the hotel management regarding a non-existent balcony below his window. He concocts a story on the spot:
  • He claims this is the second time someone has entered his room from the balcony.
  • He states the balcony belongs to the next apartment and extends under his window.
  • He mentions he has complained to the management about it previously and they haven't fixed it.
• The Knocking: Suddenly, there is loud knocking at the door. Ausable, without hesitation, identifies it as the police, whom he says he had called for extra protection for the important papers.
• Max's Reaction: Max becomes nervous. He doesn't want to be caught by the police. Seeing the 'balcony' as his only escape route, he points his gun at Ausable and Fowler and backs towards the window.
• The 'Escape': Max warns them to send the police away or he'll shoot. He then swings his leg over the windowsill and drops onto the 'balcony'. A loud scream is heard.
• The Reality: The door opens, and it's not the police, but Henry, the waiter, whom Ausable had ordered drinks from earlier. He brings the drinks Ausable ordered.
• The Resolution: Fowler is stunned. Ausable explains there is no police. When Fowler asks about Max on the 'balcony', Ausable calmly replies that Max won't return, as there is no balcony. Max has simply fallen from the sixth floor to the ground below.
• Fowler's Realisation: Fowler finally understands Ausable's brilliance. Ausable defeated his enemy using his sharp mind and a fabricated story, without firing a shot or engaging in physical combat.

6. Themes:

• Appearance vs. Reality: The central theme. Ausable looks nothing like a spy but is highly effective. Max looks more like a conventional spy but is easily fooled. The 'balcony' appears real to Max but is fictional. The 'police' knocking is actually just a waiter.
• Wit and Presence of Mind: The story highlights the power of intelligence and quick thinking over brute force or conventional weapons. Ausable's calmness and ability to invent a convincing story under pressure save him and Fowler.
• The Nature of Espionage: It suggests that real spy work might rely more on intelligence, manipulation, and psychological tactics than on physical action and glamour.

7. Important Points for Exams:

• Ausable's physical description and how it contrasts with his profession.
• Fowler's initial feelings and how they change.
• The reason Max was in Ausable's room (to get the report on missiles).
• The details of the balcony story Ausable invented.
• The source of the knocking at the door (the waiter, Henry).
• The actual fate of Max (falling from the 6th floor window).
• The specific details Ausable uses to make his stories convincing (complaining to management, mentioning the next apartment).
• Ausable's accent (American, despite living in Paris for 20 years).

8. Key Vocabulary:

• Espionage: Spying
• Passably: Adequately, fairly well
• Wheezily: Breathing with a whistling sound, with difficulty
• Authentic thrill: Real excitement
• Passkey: A master key
• Missiles: Projectile weapons
• Countenance: Facial expression
• Inflection: Change in tone or pitch of voice
• Balcony: A platform enclosed by a wall or railing on the outside of a building
• Deftly: Skillfully and quickly

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):

1. Why was Fowler initially disappointed with Ausable?
   a) Ausable was rude to him.
   b) Ausable did not speak French well.
   c) Ausable did not fit the romantic image of a secret agent.
   d) Ausable refused to share details about his work.

2. Where was Ausable's room located in the hotel?
   a) On the ground floor near the entrance.
   b) On the second floor overlooking the garden.
   c) On the sixth and top floor.
   d) In the basement for security.

3. What weapon was Max carrying when he confronted Ausable?
   a) A knife
   b) A rifle
   c) An automatic pistol
   d) A silenced revolver

4. What important item did Max want from Ausable?
   a) Money
   b) Secret codes
   c) A report concerning new missiles
   d) A list of other secret agents

5. What story did Ausable invent to explain a possible entry point into his room?
   a) A secret passage behind the wallpaper.
   b) A loose floorboard leading to the room below.
   c) A balcony belonging to the next apartment under his window.
   d) A dumbwaiter shaft connected to the kitchen.

6. Who did Ausable claim was knocking at the door?
   a) The hotel manager
   b) The police
   c) Room service with his dinner
   d) Another secret agent arriving

7. Who was actually knocking at the door?
   a) The police chief
   b) Max's accomplice
   c) Henry, the waiter
   d) Fowler's editor

8. How did Max leave Ausable's room?
   a) He was arrested by the police.
   b) He escaped through the main door when the waiter arrived.
   c) He jumped out of the window onto the non-existent balcony.
   d) Ausable shot him.

9. What quality of Ausable is most highlighted in the story?
   a) His physical strength
   b) His linguistic skills
   c) His quick thinking and presence of mind
   d) His knowledge of weapons

10. The main theme of 'The Midnight Visitor' revolves around:
    a) The dangers faced by writers.
    b) The inefficiency of hotel security.
    c) The contrast between appearance and reality.
    d) The importance of international relations.

Answer Key for MCQs:

1. c
2. c
3. c
4. c
5. c
6. b
7. c
8. c
9. c
10. c

Make sure you understand not just the plot, but why Ausable did what he did, and how Fowler's perception changed. That understanding is key to answering analytical questions in your exams. Study these notes well. Any questions?