Class X (Footprint without feet) Chap-3 The Midnight Visitor By Robert Arthur

                                             The Midnight Visitor

             By Robert Arthur

Introduction to the lesson

Ausable, a secret agent, is expecting a very important report. Another secret agent, Max, threatens him with a pistol, demanding the report. Does Ausable outwit him?

The story is about a secret agent, Ausable who has spent an evening with a writer named Fowler who had expected that as he would be meeting a secret agent he would be looking into a lot of adventure. But instead, he rather gets bored when he meets Ausable as the things that happened were exactly the opposite of what he had imagined. How Ausable gets rid of his unexpected guest proves his expertise as a secret agent.

 

About the Author

Robert Jay Arthur Jr. (November 10, 1909 – May 2, 1969) was a writer of speculative fiction known for his work with The Mysterious Traveler radio series and for writing The Three Investigators, a series of young adult novels. Arthur was honoured twice by the Mystery Writers of America with an Edgar Award for Best Radio Drama. He also wrote scripts for television such as The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock's TV show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Characters -

Fowler- He is a very young writer. He wrote books related to the romantic aspect of life. Shifting from this genre, he wanted to write a book on the detectives. In his mind, he had formed a picture of a detective like James Bond. According to his imagination, the detective would be young with attractive personality. He assumed a detective to be surrounded by equipment related to the field. For his astonishment when he met Ausable, he felt very devastated.

Ausable- Ausable is the protagonist of the story “The Midnight Visitor” by Robert Arthur. He is a secret agent but his appearance did not match his profession. He was very sharp and had a quick and witty mind to escape any situation with his self-confidence. He was a short and fat man who was quite lazy too. As he was a secret agent, he tricked Max and made him believe that there was a balcony attached to his window even though there was no balcony over there. In this way, he saved his crucial documents from Max.

Max- Max was a slender man, not very tall. His features suggested that he was slightly crafty and cunning like that of a fox. He did not seem very dangerous other than the fact that he was holding a gun. He had come stealthily into A usable is room and wanted the report on the missiles. But, Max was also slightly gullible; he easily fell into the trap set by Ausable. His gullibility probably cost him his life. He was overconfident just because he had a gun pointed at Ausable and Fowler. Max lacked the presence of mind, he was so focused on pointing the gun at both the men that he did not look down for a second to see whether there was a balcony below the window or not. He just blindly believed Ausable. Max proved that he could be easily fooled. This did not make him a very good secret agent.

Themes

The story highlights the theme that wisdom is more powerful than other weapons. Ausable’s intelligence is highlighted in the story. It is also based on the theme that one should not judge a person by merely his appearance. Ausable is fat and lazy but he is the most intelligent of all in the story.

Fowler- He is a very young writer. He wrote books related to the romantic aspect of life. Shifting from this genre, he wanted to write a book on the detectives. In his mind, he had formed a picture of a detective like James Bond. According to his imagination, the detective would be young with attractive personality. He assumed a detective to be surrounded by equipment related to the field. For his astonishment when he met Ausable, he felt very devastated.

Ausable- Ausable is the protagonist of the story “The Midnight Visitor” by Robert Arthur. He is a secret agent but his appearance did not match his profession. He was very sharp and had a quick and witty mind to escape any situation with his self-confidence. He was a short and fat man who was quite lazy too. As he was a secret agent, he tricked Max and made him believe that there was a balcony attached to his window even though there was no balcony over there. In this way, he saved his crucial documents from Max.

Max- Max was a slender man, not very tall. His features suggested that he was slightly crafty and cunning like that of a fox. He did not seem very dangerous other than the fact that he was holding a gun. He had come stealthily into A usable is room and wanted the report on the missiles. But, Max was also slightly gullible; he easily fell into the trap set by Ausable. His gullibility probably cost him his life. He was overconfident just because he had a gun pointed at Ausable and Fowler. Max lacked the presence of mind, he was so focused on pointing the gun at both the men that he did not look down for a second to see whether there was a balcony below the window or not. He just blindly believed Ausable. Max proved that he could be easily fooled. This did not make him a very good secret agent.

Themes 

The story highlights the theme that wisdom is more powerful than other weapons. Ausable’s intelligence is highlighted in the story. It is also based on the theme that one should not judge a person by merely his appearance. Ausable is fat and lazy but he is the most intelligent of all in the story.

The Midnight Visitor-  Summary

The story is about a witty secret agent named Ausable. He was with a writer named Fowler throughout the evening as Fowler was interested in spending time with a secret agent but when he spends time with Ausable he realizes that he is exactly the opposite of what he had imagined and that he was a bore. Ausable then told Fowler that he had been thinking wrong and that soon he would be looking at a report that would change the country’s future. Then Ausable takes Fowler to his room and when they entered the room a guy with a gun named Max was standing in the room. He asked them to be comfortable until the reports about the missiles arrived in 30 minutes as he was there to steal the reports. This was the first adventure out of many that Fowler had expected when he had thought of meeting a secret agent. While they were talking, Ausable started with a story about how a guy had entered from the balcony last month below his room. While this talk was going on, a sudden knock was heard at the door. Ausable said that it must be the police as he wanted them to check on him after sometime because he wanted to make the reports that were coming in extra secure. Max, pointing his gun towards them, said that he would be waiting in the balcony and that Ausable should send away the police otherwise he would shoot them and even take the risk of being caught by the police. As the doorknob is turned, Max jumps out of the window and a loud scream is heard. The door opens and a waiter comes in and says that he has brought the wine that Mr. Ausable had ordered. He keeps the bottle, tray and glasses on the table and leaves. Fowler is surprised and asks him about the police to which Ausable replied that there was no police. Then Fowler asked what about the person who was waiting in the balcony outside the window to which Ausable replied that the person would not return and that there was no balcony there. This shows the quick wit of Ausable as he took advantage of the situation and made Max nervous due to which he jumped out of the window without thinking and looking down. He had jumped from the top floor of the hotel and would have possibly died. This is how Ausable outwitted Max and saved himself from a very dangerous situation.

The Midnight Visitor -Text and Word Meaning

AUSABLE did not fit any description of a secret agent Fowler had ever read. Following him down the musty corridor of the gloomy French hotel where Ausable had a room, Fowler felt let down. It was a small room, on the sixth and top floor, and scarcely a setting for a romantic adventure. Ausable was, for one thing, fat. Very fat. And then there was his accent. Though he spoke French and German passably, he had never altogether lost the American accent he had brought to Paris from Boston twenty years ago. “You are disappointed,” Ausable said wheezily over his shoulder. “You were told that I was a secret agent, a spy, dealing in espionage and danger. You wished to meet me because you are a writer, young and romantic. You envisioned mysterious figures in the night, the crack of pistols, drugs in the wine.” “Instead, you have spent a dull evening in a French music hall with a sloppy fat man who, instead of having messages slipped into his hand by dark-eyed beauties, gets only a prosaic telephone call making an appointment in his room. You have been bored!” The fat man chuckled to himself as he unlocked the door of his room and stood aside to let his frustrated guest enter. “You are disillusioned,” Ausable told him. “But take cheer, my young friend. Presently you will see a paper, a quite important paper for which several men and women have risked their lives, come to me. Some day soon that paper may well affect the course of history. In that thought is drama, is there not?”

Word meanings

Musty- having a stale, mouldy, or damp smell.

Corridor- a long passage in a building from which doors lead into rooms.

Gloomy- dark or poorly lit, especially so as to appear depressing or frightening.

Scarcely- only just; almost not.

Accent- a distinctive way of pronouncing a language, especially one associated with a particular country, area, or social class.

Passably- just well enough; tolerably well

Espionage- spying

Envisioned- imagine as a future possibility; visualize.

Sloppy-  carelessly dressed

Prosaic- : ordinary

Chuckled- : laughed quietly, without opening his mouth

Disillusioned- disappointed in someone or something that one discovers to be less good than one had believed.

As he spoke, Ausable closed the door behind him. Then he switched on the light. And as the light came on, Fowler had his first authentic thrill of the day. For halfway

across the room, a small automatic pistol in his hand, stood a man. Ausable blinked a few times. “Max,” he wheezed, “you gave me quite a start. I thought you were in Berlin. What are you doing here in my room? Max was slender, a little less than tall, with features that suggested slightly the crafty, pointed countenance of a fox. There was about him — aside from the gun — nothing especially menacing. “The report,” he murmured. “The report that is being brought to you tonight concerning some new missiles. I thought I would take it from you. It will be safer in my hands than in yours.” Ausable moved to an armchair and sat down heavily. “I’m going to raise the devil with the management this time, and you can bet on it,” he said grimly. “This is the second time in a month that somebody has got into my room through that nuisance of a balcony!” Fowler’s eyes went to the single window of the room. It was an ordinary window, against which now the night was pressing blackly.  “Balcony?” Max said, with a rising inflection. “No, a passkey. I did not know about the balcony. It might have saved me some trouble had I known.”

Word meanings

Authentic- of undisputed origin and not a copy; genuine.

Halfway- at or to a point equidistant between two others.

Wheezed- spoke breathing noisily and heavily

Slender-  gracefully thin.

Countenance- a person's face or facial expression.

Menacing- suggesting the presence of danger; threatening.

Murmured- say something in a low or indistinct voice.

Missile- : weapons directed by remote control or automatically

Raise the devil- make a noisy disturbance.

Grimly- in a very serious, gloomy, or depressing manner.

Nuisance- a person or thing causing inconvenience or annoyance.

Balcony- a platform enclosed by a wall or balustrade on the outside of a building, with access from an upper-floor window or door.

Inflection- a change in the form of a word (typically the ending) to express a grammatical function or attribute such as tense, mood, person, number, case, and gender.

Passkey- a master key.

“It’s not my balcony,” Ausable said with extreme irritation. “It belongs to the next apartment.” He glanced explanatorily at Fowler. “You see,” he said, “this room used to be part of a large unit, and the next room — through that door there — used to be the living room. It had the balcony, which extends under my window now. You can get onto it from the empty room two doors down — and somebody did, last month. The management promised to block it off. But they haven’t.” Max glanced at Fowler, who was standing stiffly not far from Ausable, and waved the gun with a commanding gesture. “Please sit down,” he said. “We have a wait of half an hour, I think.” “Thirty-one minutes,” Ausable said moodily. “The appointment was for twelve-thirty. I wish I knew how you learned about the report, Max.” The little spy smiled evilly. “And we wish we knew how your people got the report. But no harm has been done. I will get it back tonight. What is that? Who is at the door?” Fowler jumped at the sudden knocking at the door. Ausable just smiled. “That will be the police,” he said. “I thought that such an important paper as the one we are waiting for should have a little extra protection. I told them to check on me to make sure everything was all right.”

Word meanings

Glanced- take a brief or hurried look.

Explanatorily- serving to explain

Stiffly- in a manner that is not relaxed or friendly.

Waved- move to and fro with a swaying motion while remaining fixed to one point.

Commanding- having a position of authority.

Gesture- a movement of part of the body, especially a hand or the head, to express an idea or meaning

Evilly- morally wrong or bad

Max bit his lip nervously. The knocking was repeated. “What will you do now, Max?” Ausable asked. “If I do not answer the door, they will enter anyway. The door is unlocked. And they will not hesitate to shoot.” Max’s face was black with anger as he backed swiftly towards the window. He swung a leg over the sill. “Send them away!” he warned. “I will wait on the balcony. Send them away or I’ll shoot and take my chances!” The knocking at the door became louder and a voice was raised. “Mr Ausable! Mr Ausable!” Keeping his body twisted so that his gun still covered the

fat man and his guest, the man at the window grasped the frame with his free hand to support himself. Then he swung his other leg up and over the window-sill. The doorknob turned. Swiftly Max pushed with his left hand to free himself from the sill and drop to the balcony. And then, as he dropped, he screamed once, shrilly. The door opened and a waiter stood there with a tray, a bottle and two glasses. “Here is the drink you ordered for when you returned,” he said, and set the tray on the table, deftly uncorked the bottle, and left the room. White-faced, Fowler stared after him. “But...” he stammered, “the police...” “There were no police.” Ausable sighed. “Only Henry, whom I was expecting.” “But won’t that man out on the balcony…?” Fowler began. “No,” said Ausable, “he won’t return. You see, my young friend, there is no balcony.”

Word meanings

Hesitate- to be reluctant or wait to act because of fear, indecision, or disinclination

Swiftly- moving or capable of moving with great speed or velocity; fleet; rapid

Sill- the horizontal piece or member beneath a window, door, or other opening.

Shrilly- piercingly; in a high pitch

Deftly- dexterous; nimble; skillful; clever

Uncorked- to draw the cork from

Stammered- to speak with involuntary breaks and pauses, or with spasmodic repetitions of syllables or sounds

Sighed- to let out one's breath audibly, as from sorrow, weariness, or relief

 Question and Answers

Q1. 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. When Ausable says that he had complained to the hotel management earlier as well about someone entering the room from the balcony that was below his room, Max started thinking that had he known there was a balcony, it would have been much easier for him to get to Ausable’s room. Ausable then tells Max that he wanted extra protection for the papers that were supposed to come in that day and that he had informed the police who were knocking on the door, checking on him. This made Max very nervous and he thought that he would wait for the police to go on the balcony. Without realizing, he jumped out of the window and did not realize that there was no balcony. So the way Ausable thinks calmly and quickly makes the story a lot more convincing.

 

Q2. How is Ausable different from other secret agents?

Ans. Ausable is different from other secret agents because he was very fat, lived in a room on the top floor of a gloomy French hotel and could only speak French passibly although he had been living in Paris for over 20 years. His voice still had an American touch to it . He used to receive messages via telephone instead of dark eyed beauties getting him his messages. So he was very different from the way other secret agents are.

 

Q3. Who is Fowler and what is his first authentic thrill of the day?

Ans. Fowler is a young writer who comes to meet Ausable. He is bored sitting with Ausable in a music hall as he had thought that the country’s secret agent would be thrilling and exciting but nothing of that sort happened. After some time when they were coming back to Ausable’s room, Fowler saw a man holding a gun standing in the room. So that is when he feels that the life of a secret agent can be exciting.

 

Q4. How has Max got in?

Ans. Max had got in with a masterkey or passkey.

 

Q5. How does Ausable say he got in?

Ans. Ausable says that he thought that Max had got in through the balcony. He said that it was a nuisance as it was not even his own balcony and that it was the second time somebody had got in using that same balcony.