A Question of Trust

1.0About the Author

Victor Canning

Victor Canning was a prolific British writer who was at the peak of his fame during the last quarter of the 20th century. He was an introvert personality and hardly gave consent to any newspaper interview. His family could not afford their familial expenses, so Canning worked as a clerk at the age of 16 in an education office, and later he started selling short stories to Boy's Magazine. His first novel 'Mr. Finchley Discovers His England' was accepted by Hodder and Stoughton. Canning's next book 'Panther's Moon' was filmed as Spy Hunt and at this stage he was able to write one suspense novel within a year. After his death his last book 'Table Number Seven' was completed by his wife Adria and his sister Jean. 'The Rainbird Pattern' was his masterpiece.

Central Idea

'A Question of Trust' was written by Victor Canning. This story is about a thief, Horace Danby who was a good citizen as per the opinion of his society people. He was an unmarried fifty-year-old man who used to work as a locksmith and was a successful businessman having two paid employees to assist him. Although he was a respectable man, he was not completely honest and this fact is later revealed in the narration of the story. He was fond of rare and expensive books and used to purchase them. To fulfill this hobby, he had to rob a safe once in a year and then spent the money in buying the expensive books covertly through an agent. He was a master mind to chalk out a well-devised plan for any burglary.

This time he had his eyes on a house at Shot over Grange and he carefully studied its rooms, electric wiring, its paths and the garden for two weeks. During his burglary attempt at this big house, a lady thief cheated on him who claimed herself to be the owner of that house. Horace broke the safe as per the request of this lady as he wanted to get rid of that situation being caught by the owner lady of the house. Finally, Horace ended up in a prison only to regret with the thought that a man should not trust any stranger because that lady was just a thief not the owner of that house.

2.0An Unusual Thief

Horace Danby was a reputed person in the society. He was an unmarried and successful old businessman. He was living with a housekeeper who was highly concerned about his health. Danby was suffering from the seasonal fever. The secret fact that he was not a completely honest man was not known to anyone in the world. It was difficult to accept that in the age of fifty this man used to plan perfect home burglaries but only once in a year (ethics in thieves). He also served for a year in a prison library around fifteen years ago but this fact was also kept secret from the world. He was actually in the habit of buying expensive books and for that he used to do home burglary. He was in connection with a book agent who supplied him all his desired books.

This year he targeted a big bungalow Shot over Grange for robbery and he studied it closely. The owner was out for his trip and the two servants were also not at home as they went to watch a movie. Danby entered into it from the garden side and managed to cut wire of the burglary alarm after entering into the house. He came into the house with all the tools to break the safe as it was expected to have fifteen thousand pound's jewels in it. He was so adept at this work of robbery that he wore his gloves and took the keys of the house from the peg at the kitchen door. He found a dog in the Kitchen and he handled the dog by calling him 'Sherry' and the dog started wagging his tail.

This whole attempt to a new burglary was just for buying three new expensive books from his agent. The map of this house was shown in a magazine because it was an epitome of an artistic creation. Danby found it very foolish that people show the maps of their houses in the public magazines. Before breaking into this house he was suffering from fever and there in the drawing room, he found a pot of flowers which just irritated his nose and he sneezed.

The same moment he found that a voice asked him, "What is it? A cold or hay fever?" and without thinking that someone else was also in the house, he replied, "Hay Fever". He found a pretty lady in the red dress and she asked that question.

3.0Honour Among Thieves

The conversation between the lady and Danby was really funny as the lady said that if he tried to run, she would call the police. Danby replied sharply that after cutting the telephone wires, he would run because he got to need only small time to vanish from there. Right at this reply, the lady replied, "You'd hurt me?" At this reply, Danby was amused and told her that he is not a cunning thief rather a thief of honour who only stole things from the rich people.

The lady said that he was afraid of going prison. Further she extended her interest in him more by saying that she likes the wrong people. She also took a cigarette, and Danby to pose himself more courteous lighted her cigarette. The lady told him that she would not inform the police if he would do a favour to her. Danby was ready to do anything for her. She made a story that she forgot to take the jewels to safe and now she needed these to wear for a party that night. Danby thought that she forgot the number of the safe and this was very easy task for him. He opened the safe without wearing gloves under this impression that the lady was the owner of the house. After two days, he was caught up by the police in the charge of home burglary as there were his fingerprints on the safe. Now, he understood that lady was a thief. Resultantly, Danby was working as the librarian in the prison and never liked if someone talked about, 'Honor Among the Thieves' he never liked it.

4.0Lets Recall

Horace Danby was a reputed person in the society but he used to steal from houses for buying expensive books.
He was a successful businessman and had two helpers to assist him in his business.
He had a rule in life to loot only rich people once in a year and that is also for the purpose of buying expensive books.
He saw a map of a grand house in a public magazine and later kept watch on that house for some days to break into it.
He broke into the house and found a lady in the house which was not at all expected by him.
The lady enticed him and asked for a favour to open the safe as she wanted to use the jewels for a party that night as she was posing as the owner of the house.
She asked for this favour and promised to let Horace go from there without any police complaint as she was posing herself as the owner of that house.
Horace opened that safe with his naked hands and after two days of this incident he was caught up by the police in the case of robbery.
Horace worked as an assistant librarian in the prison and used to get irritated if anyone talked ever in favour of the 'honour among the thieves'.

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