The Midnight Visitor notes

Chapter 3 The Midnight Visitor
DISCUSS - POST READING
Read and Find Out (Page 14)
1. How is Ausable different from other secret agents?

(or)
What great qualities made Ausable a successful secret agent?
(or)
How was Ausable different from other secret agents?
(or)
How is Ausable different from other secret agents? How does he deal with Max?
Ans Ausable is different from other secret agents in more ways than one. He has a small room
in the musty corridor of a gloomy French hotel. It was on the sixth and top floor and it was
scarcely the setting for a romantic adventure. He was extremely fat. In spite of living in Paris for
over twenty years, he spoke French and German with difficulty and had an American accent.
Instead of getting messages passed secretly to him by beautiful girls, he got only a routine
telephone call making an appointment. In these ways, he was different from the conventional
notion of a secret agent.
He dealt with Max by inventing some stories and convincing Max to act on them, so that he
could get rid of Max permanently.
2. Who is Fowler and what is his first authentic thrill of the day?
Ans Fowler is a writer and he had come to meet Ausable. His first authentic thrill of the day
came when he saw a man in Ausable's room pointing a pistol towards Ausable and himself.
Page 15
3. How has Max got in?

Ans Max had got into the room using a passkey or master key.
4. How does Ausable say he got in?
Ans Ausable said that he thought Max had got into the room through the balcony. He said that
it was the secondtime in a month that somebody had got into his room this way.
(To be given in the notepad)

Think About It (Page 18)
1. "Ausable did not fit any description of a secret agent Fowler had ever read." What do secret
agents in books and films looklike, in your opinion? Discuss in groups or in class some stornes or
movies featuring spies, detectives and secret agents, and compare their appearance with that
7
other than
of Ausable in this story. (You may mention characters from fiction in languages
Hercule Poirot, or Miss
English. In English fiction you may have come across Sherlock Holmes,
Marple. Have you watched any movies featuring James Bond?)
handsome'. They are
Ans Secret agents in fiction are projected like ideal men, Tall dark and a pipe (like
usually well-built and keep beautiful women for company. They would smoke
Sherlock Holmes) or a cigar and execute death-defying stunts (like James Bond).
Movies based
detective in countering villains. However,
on James Bond show hi-tech gadgets which assist the
character named Feluda
there are some exceptions to this appearance of a secret agent also. A
was a tall athletic figure who
was created by Satyajit Ray, the famous Bengali filmmaker. Feluda
relied on his superb analytical ability and observation skill.
attached to his room?
2. How does Ausable manage to make Max believe that there is a balcony
Look back at his detailed description of it. What makes it a convincing story?
Ans Ausable creates a detailed description of how his office was parta bigger apartment and
somebody else
how the next room had a direct connection with a balcony. His statement that.
also broke into his office through that balcony earlier made it a convincing story. Ausable's
ability to think quickly and calmly in a situation of panic makes it convincing.
rid of Max?
3. Looking back at the story, when do you think Ausable thought up his plan for getting
up a
Do you think he had worked out his plan in detail right from the beginning? Or did he make
plan taking advantage of events as they happened?
of
Ans No, Idon't think that he had worked out his plan in detail earlier. He took advantage
the room and as
events as they happened. Ausable made up a story of the balcony outside
there was a knock at the door, he said that it would be the police. All these made Max
desperate. He became restless and without seeing below, jumped out of the window.
and act
4. In this story, Ausable shows great 'presence of mind', or the ability to think quickly
calmly and wisely, in a situation of danger and surprise. Give examples from your own
discuss)
experience, or narrate a story, which shows someone's presence of mind. (Only to
Ans This story refers to the play 'If1 Were You'. Gerrard was held hostage by a criminal. He
However, Gerrard treated the criminal as a guest and trapped him with his confidence
managed to convince the criminal to run away as the police is behind him. He told the criminal
through
to run through the exit door, which was actually a cupboard door. The criminal exited
the door and was trapped in the cupboard. (Only to discuss)
5. 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 sityations, vpu have a better chance of
dealing with such situations if they do arise.
1. Asmall fire starts in your kitchen.

2. Achild starts to choke on a plece of food.
3. An electrical appllance starts to hiss and gives out sparks.
4. A bicycle knocks down a pedestrian.
5. It rains continuously for more than twenty-four hours.
6. A member of your family does not return home at the usual or expected time.
8
Ans You may suggest other such situations.
1. If a blanket is available, it should be put

over the fire to shut out the air. If the fire is not
due to an electrical problem, water can be
thrown on it. If it is due to a short-circuit,
electricity must be disconnected immediately from everything in the kitchen before
taking any other measure.
2. The child's back must be thumped slowly until the piece of food
stuck vomited out.
is
However, in case it continues, the child should be given trained medical aid
immediately.
3. Electricity to the appliance should be
immediately
socket, the plug must be removed from the socket.disconnected.
If it is plugged into a
Later on the appliance may be got
repaired by an authorised person.
4 First aid should be given to the
pedestrian at once. Public help may also be
necessary. Depending on the seriousness of the injury, the affected person asked, may be
if
shifted to hospital.
5. Flooding may be caused by a heavy
downpour. So all
various possessions should be taken, besides informingnecessary precautions for saving
the concerned authorities to
take preventive action.
6. A family member not returning home at the usual
time should be enquired for at the
place he or she was expected to visit. If he or she was with friends, these
friends' families should be contacted. If there is no friends or the
result from these enquiries, as a last
resort, the lcical police may be informed.
EXTRA QUESTION
Q. Ausable was a clever secret agent. Do you agree with the

statement? Justify your answer.
Ans. Ausable did not look at all like the conventional image of a
secret agent. He was short and
very fat. Besides, he spoke French and German which
lacked fluency as well as the right accent;
the American accent was quite palpable in his speech.
However, Ausable had a very sharp and
active mind because he invented two stories, one about a
non-existent balcony outside his
hotel window and another about the police arriving to give extra
documents he was about to receive.
security to some important
He was an intelligent man and a clever secret agent to be able to
invent such stories on the spur
of the moment in the face of imminent danger in the form of Max, a rival
secret agent.

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Chapter 3 The Midnight Visitor

DISCUSS - POST READING

Read and Find Out (Page 14)

1. How is Ausable different from other secret agents?

3. How has Max got in?

(To be given in the notepad)

1. Asmall fire starts in your kitchen.

1. If a blanket is available, it should be put

Q. Ausable was a clever secret agent. Do you agree with the

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