Footprints Without Feet - Class X
Reprint 2025-26
This story explores the themes of trust, deception, and the consequences of our actions. It's a crime story with a twist, teaching us about the moral implications of dishonesty.
In this interactive lesson, we'll explore Victor Canning's story about Horace Danby, a respectable businessman with an unusual hobby - robbing safes once a year to fund his passion for rare books. What happens when one burglar meets another? Let's find out!
The title of this story is "A Question of Trust." It is said that you must set a thief to catch a thief. But it is also said that there is honour among thieves. Which saying does this story illustrate?
Let's think about the concepts of trust and honor, especially when it comes to those who operate outside the law. Can thieves trust each other? Is there really such a thing as "honor among thieves"?
In pairs or individually, discuss or reflect on the following questions:
1. What does it mean to trust someone?
2. Have you ever trusted someone who later betrayed your trust? How did it make you feel?
3. Do you think people who commit crimes can be trusted in other aspects of life?
Read these sentences taken from the story:
"You could do that. But I would telephone the police."
The words could and would are examples of modal auxiliaries. Modal auxiliaries are helping verbs that express attitudes like ability, possibility, permission, and obligation.
1. Horace _____ easily open the safe as he was an expert with locks.
2. The young lady said she _____ call the police if Horace tried to run away.
3. You _____ be more careful with your fingerprints when committing a crime.
4. Horace thought that no one _____ discover his carefully planned robberies.
5. If you had hay fever, you _____ take medication before entering a room with flowers.
In the story, Horace says: "If I let you go, you'll only rob someone else."
This is an example of a conditional sentence using "if". We can also use "unless" which means "if not".
1. If Horace hadn't taken off his gloves,
2. Unless the young woman had tricked him,
3. If the young woman had really been the owner's wife,
4. Horace would have bought new rare books
5. Unless Horace had suffered from hay fever,