(V)

TEXTUAL QUESTIONS
How is Ausable different from other secret agents ?
Ans. Most of the secret agents are mysterious people. They have pistols in their hands. But Ausable
is quite different from them. Though fat in body, he looks quite ordinary in his appearance.
Who is Fowler and what is his first authenticthrill of the day ?
roomy
Ans. owler is a writer. has come to meet Ausable who is a secret agent. In Ausable's
he has his first authentic thrill of the day. There is a man with a pistol in his hand. He
of the
threatensto kill Ausable.But Ausableremainscalm. He at once makes up the story
jumps on
balcony.There is a knock at the door.Ausablesays 1 could be the police.The man
thrilling.
to the balcony to hide himself.But there is no balcony.Nothing could be more
How has Max got in ?
the room.
Ans. Maxhad a passkeywith him. He unlockedthe room with it. Thus he entered
How does Ausable say he got in ?
outside the window.
Ans. Ausablesays that Max must have entered his room through the balcony
attached to his
How does Ausable manage to make Max believe that there is a balcony
story
room ? Look back at his detailed descriptionof it. What makes it a convincing
Ans. Ausablemakes Max believe that there is a balcony below the window of
that the
t once earlier also, a man had entered his room through the balcony. He says
balconybelongs to the next apartment. It ext nds under the window of his room. In this
way' he gives a vivid description of the alcony, caring all this, Ma,y is fully convinced about
the story of the balcony.
THE MIDNIGHTVISIT 9
 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. Ausable is an extremely intelligent.secret agent. When he enters his room, he finds there
a man with a pistol in his hand. But he •remains calm. He immediately invents the story of
the balcony. He makes Mai believe that there is a balcony below the window of his room.
Ausable knows that the waiter will knock at the door in a short while. When this happens
he says it could be the police. Max gets frightened. He jumps on to the balconyto hide
himself. Thus we see how Ausable takes advantage of the events as they happen. He had
not made his plan beforehand.