Class 10 English — Footprints Without Feet · Chapter 3 NotesThe Midnight Visitor

Fowler, a young writer, follows Ausable down a musty corridor in a gloomy French hotel. Fowler is disappointed because Ausable does not look like a secret agent. Ausable is very fat, speaks with an American accent, and lives in a small room on the sixth floor. Ausable senses Fowler's feelings and tells him that real espionage is not always dramatic. He says that a prosaic telephone call and a dull evening are more common than mysterious figures and pistols. Ausable promises that a very important paper will soon arrive, one that could affect the course of history. This sets the scene for the unexpected events that follow.

• Ausablefat, American accent, unromantic, lives in a small hotel room.
• Fowleryoung writer, romantic, expects adventure and mystery.
• Settinga gloomy French hotel, sixth floor, small room.

When Ausable switches on the light, Fowler gets his first real thrill: a man named Max is standing in the room with a small automatic pistol. Max is slender and has a fox-like face. He demands the report about new missiles that is being brought to Ausable that night. Ausable does not panic. He sits down heavily and complains about the management, saying that someone has entered his room through a balcony for the second time in a month. Max is surprised because he used a passkey, not a balcony. Ausable explains that the balcony belongs to the next apartment and extends under his window. This is the first step in Ausable's clever plan.

• Maxslender, fox-like, armed with a pistol, wants the missile report.
• Ausable mentions a balcony that does not exist.
• Max reveals he used a passkey, not a balcony.

Max tells Fowler to sit down because they have a wait of about half an hour. Ausable corrects him: it is thirty-one minutes until the appointment at twelve-thirty. Max asks who could have learned about the report. Suddenly, there is a knock at the door. Fowler jumps, but Ausable smiles and says it must be the police. He claims he asked them to check on him because the paper is so important. Max becomes nervous. The knocking repeats, and a voice calls out, 'Mr Ausable! Mr Ausable!' Ausable warns Max that if he does not answer, the police will enter anyway because the door is unlocked. Max panics and decides to escape through the window.

• Ausable invents the police to frighten Max.
• Max believes the police are really at the door.
• Max chooses to hide on the 'balcony' outside the window.

Max backs towards the window, swings one leg over the sill, and warns Ausable to send the police away. He keeps his gun pointed at Ausable and Fowler. Then he swings his other leg over and drops to the balcony. As he drops, he screams shrilly. The door opens, and a waiter named Henry enters with a tray, a bottle, and two glasses. He says it is the drink Ausable ordered for when he returned. Fowler is confused and asks about the police. Ausable replies that there were no police, only Henry. Fowler then asks about the man on the balcony. Ausable calmly says that Max will not return because there is no balcony. Max has fallen from the sixth floor.

• Max drops from the window and screams.
• Henry the waiter arrives with drinks, not the police.
• Ausable reveals there is no balcony; Max has fallen.

Ausable is the central character of the story. He is a secret agent, but he does not look or act like one. He is fat, unromantic, and speaks with an American accent. However, he is extremely intelligent and calm under pressure. When Max threatens him with a pistol, Ausable does not panic. Instead, he quickly invents a story about a balcony and uses the waiter's knock to make Max believe the police have arrived. Ausable's presence of mind and his ability to think on his feet save his life and the important report. He is a master of psychological manipulation, using Max's own fear against him.

• Ausablefat, unromantic, but highly intelligent and calm.
• He uses a false story about a balcony to trap Max.
• He turns a simple waiter's knock into a police raid in Max's mind.

Fowler is a young writer who has come to meet Ausable because he wants to experience the life of a secret agent. He is romantic and imaginative, expecting mysterious figures, pistols, and danger. He is disappointed when he first meets Ausable, who seems ordinary and boring. However, during the events of the night, Fowler gets his first authentic thrill. He is a passive observer for most of the story, but his reactions help the reader understand the contrast between romantic expectations and reality. By the end, Fowler learns that real espionage is not like the stories he writes; it requires intelligence and quick thinking, not just drama.

• Fowleryoung, romantic, expects adventure.
• He is disappointed by Ausable's ordinary appearance.
• He learns that real spy work is different from fiction.

The main theme of the story is presence of mind—the ability to think quickly and act calmly in a dangerous situation. Ausable demonstrates this when he faces Max. Instead of fighting or panicking, he uses his wits. He creates a believable story about a balcony and then uses the waiter's knock to make Max believe the police are coming. Ausable's courage is not physical but mental. He stays calm and manipulates the situation to his advantage. The story also contrasts romantic ideas of spying with the reality of espionage, which often involves ordinary settings and clever thinking rather than dramatic action.

• Presence of mindthinking quickly and acting calmly in danger.
• Ausable's courage is mental, not physical.
• The story contrasts romantic spy fiction with realistic espionage.

Robert Arthur uses simple, direct language to tell the story. The narrative is fast-paced and builds suspense. The dialogue is realistic and reveals character. Ausable's wheezy voice and his complaints about the management make him seem ordinary, which makes his cleverness more surprising. The story uses irony: the 'police' are actually a waiter, and the 'balcony' does not exist. The ending is a twist that surprises both Fowler and the reader. The glossary at the end of the chapter helps students understand words like espionage, prosaic, and shrilly.

• Simple, direct language with suspenseful pacing.
• Ironythe police are a waiter; the balcony is imaginary.
• Twist ending surprises the reader.