Who is Fowler and what is his first authentic thrill of the day?
Fowler was a writer and had come to meet Ausable. His first authentic thrill of the day came when he saw a man in Ausable’s room who was pointing a pistol towards Ausable and himself.
“Ausable did not fit any description of a secret agent Fowler had ever read.” What do secret agents in books and films look like, in your opinion? Discuss in groups or in class some stories or movies featuring spies, detectives and secret agents, and compare their appearance with that of Ausable in this story. (You may mention characters from fiction in languages other than English. In English fiction you may have come across Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, or Miss Marple. Have you watched any movies featuring James Bond?)
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?
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?
How does Ausable say he got in?
How is Ausable different from other secret agents?
How has Max got in?
Why is Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki?
What does Horace Danby like to collect?
How did the invisible man first become visible?
How did a book become a turning point in Richard Ebright’s life?
What kind of a person is Mme Loisel — why is she always unhappy?
Why is the lawyer sent to New Mullion? What does he first think about the place?
Why is Bholi’s father worried about her?
Why was the twentieth century called the ‘Era of the Book’?
Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?
What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?
Who is speaking to Horace Danby?
Did you begin to suspect, before the end of the story, that the lady was not the person Horace Danby took her to be? If so, at what point did you realise this, and how?
What was the cause of Matilda’s ruin? How could she have avoided it?
Is the narrator as rich as Tricki’s mistress?
Why is Bholi’s father worried about her?
How did Bholi’s teacher play an important role in changing the course of her life?
If you were caught in a situation like this, how would you have dealt with it?
Why does he steal every year?
What does Horace Danby like to collect?
The course of the Loisels’ life changed due to the necklace. Comment.