THE MIDNIGHT VISITORS
The midnight Visitor
Answer the following:
1. 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?
Ans) Ausable creates a detailed description of how his office was part of a bigger apartment and how the next room had a direct connection with a balcony. His statement that somebody else 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 sound even more convincing.
2. 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?
Ans) No, I don’t think that he had worked out his plan in detail earlier. He took
advantage of events as they occurred. Ausable made up a story about the balcony because he knew the waiter was to arrive with the drinks later. So when the waiter arrived with the drinks, he told Max that he called the police for extra protection. All these things made Max desperate. He became restless and without looking below, he jumped out of the window.
3) Was there a balcony outside the window? Give instances from the text in support of
your answer.
Ans) No, actually there was no balcony outside the window. Ausable had tricked
Max about the balcony. When Max dropped himself to the balcony, he screamed. He fell down to the ground from the sixth floor. In the end, Ausable told Fowler, “No, he won’t return.”
4) Describe Ausable.
Ausable was a secret agent. He was a fat and sloppy fellow. He did not have
romantic or a mysterious personality. He could speak French and German
passably and had an American personality which he had brought to Paris from
Boston twenty years ago.
Answer the following questions in 100-120 words:
1. Pride before a fall befits Max, who said: “I will get it back tonight.” Was he successful?
What lesson can be learnt from this?
Ans) Max was a spy who was overconfident and proud about himself. His pride blinded him, and he thought that wielding a gun would give an edge over the seemingly slow Ausable. However, despite this apparent pride and confidence, Max was utterly unsuccessful. Ausable outwitted him without lifting a finger. Max, in fact, jumped to his own death by taking Ausable’s words at face value. Thus, one learns that one should not be proud and must pay attention to the
fine details before attempting to do anything.
2. At the beginning of the story, Fowler felt disappointed with Ausable. Do you think
Fowler had the same feeling towards the end of the story? Give reasons for your
answer.
Ans) At the beginning of the story, Fowler felt disappointed with Ausable because he
did not at all look like a secret agent of his imagination. He spent the evening spent with him quite boring. But when Max entered Ausable’s room with a gun, there was some action. Ausable was not at all perturbed. He immediately made up a story about the balcony outside his window. When the waiter knocked at the door, Ausable told Max that it would be the police. He told him that he had called the police for the security of that important paper. Hearing this, Max jumped outside the window to the balcony. But there was no balcony. He fell down from the sixth floor and died. Thus, Fowler was thrilled and impressed with Ausable.
3. Write a character sketch of the secret Agent Ausable.
Ans) Ausable was a secret agent. He was a fat and sloppy fellow. In his appearance,
he did not seem to be a mysterious figure. He came to Paris from Boston twenty
years ago. He could speak French and German passably. He had not lost the
American accent. Ausable was a very intelligent person with a great presence of
mind. He did not lose his mind in a difficult situation when he faced a man with
a pistol in his hand. He made up a story about the balcony. He made Max nervous by telling him about the police. He got Max killed without any fighting and shooting. Fowler who was disappointed to meet him at the beginning of the story was impressed with him at the end of the story.
Answer the following:
1. 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?
Ans) Ausable creates a detailed description of how his office was part of a bigger apartment and how the next room had a direct connection with a balcony. His statement that somebody else 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 sound even more convincing.
2. 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?
Ans) No, I don’t think that he had worked out his plan in detail earlier. He took
advantage of events as they occurred. Ausable made up a story about the balcony because he knew the waiter was to arrive with the drinks later. So when the waiter arrived with the drinks, he told Max that he called the police for extra protection. All these things made Max desperate. He became restless and without looking below, he jumped out of the window.
3) Was there a balcony outside the window? Give instances from the text in support of
your answer.
Ans) No, actually there was no balcony outside the window. Ausable had tricked
Max about the balcony. When Max dropped himself to the balcony, he screamed. He fell down to the ground from the sixth floor. In the end, Ausable told Fowler, “No, he won’t return.”
4) Describe Ausable.
Ausable was a secret agent. He was a fat and sloppy fellow. He did not have
romantic or a mysterious personality. He could speak French and German
passably and had an American personality which he had brought to Paris from
Boston twenty years ago.
Answer the following questions in 100-120 words:
1. Pride before a fall befits Max, who said: “I will get it back tonight.” Was he successful?
What lesson can be learnt from this?
Ans) Max was a spy who was overconfident and proud about himself. His pride blinded him, and he thought that wielding a gun would give an edge over the seemingly slow Ausable. However, despite this apparent pride and confidence, Max was utterly unsuccessful. Ausable outwitted him without lifting a finger. Max, in fact, jumped to his own death by taking Ausable’s words at face value. Thus, one learns that one should not be proud and must pay attention to the
fine details before attempting to do anything.
2. At the beginning of the story, Fowler felt disappointed with Ausable. Do you think
Fowler had the same feeling towards the end of the story? Give reasons for your
answer.
Ans) At the beginning of the story, Fowler felt disappointed with Ausable because he
did not at all look like a secret agent of his imagination. He spent the evening spent with him quite boring. But when Max entered Ausable’s room with a gun, there was some action. Ausable was not at all perturbed. He immediately made up a story about the balcony outside his window. When the waiter knocked at the door, Ausable told Max that it would be the police. He told him that he had called the police for the security of that important paper. Hearing this, Max jumped outside the window to the balcony. But there was no balcony. He fell down from the sixth floor and died. Thus, Fowler was thrilled and impressed with Ausable.
3. Write a character sketch of the secret Agent Ausable.
Ans) Ausable was a secret agent. He was a fat and sloppy fellow. In his appearance,
he did not seem to be a mysterious figure. He came to Paris from Boston twenty
years ago. He could speak French and German passably. He had not lost the
American accent. Ausable was a very intelligent person with a great presence of
mind. He did not lose his mind in a difficult situation when he faced a man with
a pistol in his hand. He made up a story about the balcony. He made Max nervous by telling him about the police. He got Max killed without any fighting and shooting. Fowler who was disappointed to meet him at the beginning of the story was impressed with him at the end of the story.
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