English Class 10 - X CBSE SR 3 The Midnight Visitor Material

 INTRODUCTION

'The Midnight Visitor' written by Robert Arthur Jr. is a thrilling story of Ausable, who is a secret agent. He is expecting an important paper. Max, an intruder, enters his room. He wants to get that paper from Ausable. He has a pistol in his hand. Ausable, being quite normal, plays a trick on Max and gets him killed without any fighting or shooting.

CHARACTERS

Mr. Ausable

Ausable was a smart, intelligent man. He was very fat and sloppy, though he was a secret agent. He spoke in an American accent which he had brought from Boston twenty years ago. He could speak French and German but possibly he was a spy who dealt in espionage and danger. He had a very important paper and Max had come to him to pinch that paper. Several men and women had 

risked their lives in the past for that paper. Ausable had a great presence of mind, and was quick-witted and persuasive. He fabricated a story about the balcony and the police to befool Max. The story was so convincing that Max jumped down the window. He did not think for a moment that it might be a false story. In other words, he proved to be quite dangerous for Max though he had a great sense of 

humor when he talked to Fowler.

Mr. 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 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 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.

SUMMARY

This story is about the witty secret agent Ausable. He was with a writer friend Fowler. They planned to spend time in the evening. Then Fowler realized that he is exactly the opposite of what he had imagined about him. Ausable told Fowler that he had been thinking wrong and that very soon he would be looking at a very important report which would change the country’s future. Then both went to his room. But, when they enter the room another guy Max with a gun was standing in the room. He asked them to be comfortable until the reports related to missiles arrived.

This was really an adventurous experience for the Fowler while meeting with a secret agent. Meanwhile, Ausable started with a story about a hypothetical balcony below the window of his room. While this talk was going on, someone was continuously knocking at the door. Ausable said that the police were at the door and came to check on him and his room on a regular basis. Max, pointing his gun towards both of them, said that he would be waiting in the balcony and during this time 

Ausable should send away the police otherwise he would shoot them.

As the doorknob is turned in loud, Max jumps out of the window and they heard a loud scream. The door opens and a waiter comes in. The waiter says that he has brought the wine that Ausable had ordered. He keeps the bottle, tray, and glasses there on the table and leaves. Fowler is surprised after seeing all that. Fowler asked him about the police. Then Ausable replied that there were no police. Fowler again asked about Max, who was waiting in the balcony outside the window. Then Ausable replied that the person would not return as there was no balcony at all.

This shows the quick wit of Ausable as he took advantage of the situation and successfully made Max nervous. Under his nervousness, he jumped out of the window without any thought. He jumped from the top floor of the hotel and hence died. Thus, Ausable outwitted Max and saved himself from a very dangerous situation.