 The Midnight Visitor, Explanation, Line by Line, Meaning of Difficult Words, English CBSE Class 10 NCERT Footprints without Feet Chapter 3
THE MIDNIGHT VISITOR
(Explanation and Meaning of difficult words)
Author – Robert Arthur
| Word | Meaning |
| Secret Agent | Detective, Spy |
| Following him | Walking behind |
| Musty | Having stale smell |
| Gloomy | Dark, having less light |
| Let down | Disappointed |
Ausable is a detective whose appearance is not similar to what Fowler had read in stories about other detectives. Fowler was walking behind Ausable in the corridor of a French hotel. The corridor had a smell of dampness and it did not have proper light. Fowler was disappointed.
| Word | Meaning |
| Scarcely | Barely, Just enough |
| Romantic adventure | Normal comfort |
Ausable’s room was on sixth and top floor. The room was just enough for a normal comfort. Ausable was fat, very fat.
| Word | Meaning |
| Accent | Style of speaking |
| Altogether | Completely |
| Passably | Just enough |
Ausable had a peculiar (strange) style of speaking. His spoken French and spoken German was just good enough. His accent continued to be that of an American. Although twenty years ago, Ausable had shifted to Paris from Boston. [Boston is a place in America and Paris is a place in France]
| Word | Meaning |
| Wheezily | Breathing with a sound |
| Espionage | Spying |
Ausable spoke with a sound of breathing in his voice. You are disappointed. Somebody told you that I was a detective. I was working on spying and dangerous things. You wanted to meet me because you are a young and energetic writer.
| Word | Meaning |
| Envisioned | Imagined |
| Mysterious | Strange looking |
| Crack of pistols | Firing from pistols |
Ausable continues to speak.
You had imagined to meet a strange person tonight. You thought that there would be sounds of pistol and wines mixed with drug will be served.
| Word | Meaning |
| Sloppy | Careless, Not serious |
| Prosaic | Ordinary, Conventional |
Ausable continues to speak.
But you spent a boring evening in hall of French hotel. You met a careless and fat person. He did not get paper messages from beautiful ladies. But he made an appointment with someone (Fowler) through an ordinary telephone call to meet in his room.
| Word | Meaning |
| Chuckled | Laughed without a sound |
| Frustrated | Annoyed, Depressed, Unsatisfied |
Ausable continues to speak.
You were bored. The fat man (Ausable) laughed a bit and opened the lock of his door. He stood at the side to allow his annoyed guest to enter first into the room.
| Word | Meaning |
| Disillusioned | Disappointed |
| Take cheer | Be happy |
Assuable told Fowler that Fowler was disappointed. But be happy my dear friend. Very soon you will see that a very important paper is getting delivered to me. Many men and women have risked their life to obtain that paper.
Very soon someday that paper will make a new history. Thinking about this possibility is very exciting. Assuage also entered the room and closed the door. Then he switched on the light.
| Word | Meaning |
| Authentic | Real, Genuine |
| Thrill | Excitement, Action, Surprise |
| Blinked | Shut and opened eyes quickly |
When lights were switched on, Fowler saw the first real action of the day. Because in the middle of the room, a man was standing. He had an automatic pistol in his hand. Ausable blinked his eyes.
| Word | Meaning |
| Give a start | To surprise |
Asuable spoke with sound of breathing. Max, you have surprised me. I thought you were in Berlin. What are you doing in my room?
| Word | Meaning |
| Slender | Thin |
| Less than tall | Not very tall |
| Crafty | Nice, Good looking |
| Countenance | Expression of a face |
| Aside from | Except |
| Menacing | Dangerous |
Max was thin and not very tall person. His features and face indicated that he was clever like a fox. Except the gun, he did not look dangerous.
| Word | Meaning |
| Murmur | Speak in a low voice, Whisper |
Max spoke in low voice. The report about some new missile will be delivered to you tonight. I want to take that report from you. The report will be safer with me. [Max had come to steal that report from Asuable]
| Word | Meaning |
| Raise the devil | Take up the problem |
| Grimly | Seriously |
Asuable went toward a chair that had arm-rests.. He sat down in that chair with a jerk. Ausable seriously told that he will raise the problem with the management of the hotel. You can be sure about it.
| Word | Meaning |
| Nuisance | Troublesome, Problematic |
Today, second time in a month, a person has entered into my room through that troublesome balcony. Fowler turned his eyes towards the only window of the room. It was an ordinary window. Through window he could see darkness of the night.
| Word | Meaning |
| Inflection | Way of speaking |
| Rising inflection | Speak loudly |
| Passkey | Master key |
Max spoke very loudly ‘Balcony’. I came using a master key. I did not know about balcony. If I knew about balcony, it would have been less troublesome to come into the room.
| Word | Meaning |
| Irritation | Feeling angry or annoyed |
| Explanatorily | While explaining |
| Glanced | Looked |
With great annoyance, Asuable told that it was not his balcony. The balcony was for the next room. He looked at Fowler while explaining.
Please understand that this room was a part of a big flat. These two rooms were connected through a door. The next room was the living room. That living room had a balcony. That balcony is up to my room.
There is an empty room after two rooms. Anyone can come to the balcony from that room. The hotel management had promised that they would stop that entry to my balcony. But till now they have not done.
| Word | Meaning |
| Commanding | Ordering |
| Gesture | Signal |
| Stiffly | Straight, Not bending |
Max looked at Fowler. Near Ausable, Fowler was standing straight. Max pointed the pistol to Fowler, and ordered him to sit down. Max said that probably they would need to wait for half an hour.
Ausable angrily said that they would need to wait for thirty one minutes. The appointment was fixed for twelve-thirty. Ausable asked Max how he came to know about the report.
| Word | Meaning |
| Evilly | Wickedly, Naughtily |
Max smiled wickedly. Max wanted to know how people of Ausable got the report. But no damage has been done yet. I will get back the report tonight. Max asked who had come to the door. Somebody was knocking the door.
Fowler was surprised to listen to knocking at the door. Ausable smiled and said that police was at the door. I thought that I should take some extra precaution and protection for a very important paper. I had told police to come to my room. This is to ensure that everything was OK.
Max became nervous. He bit his lips. The knock on the door came once again. Ausable asked max what he would do. If I did not open the door, they will surely come in. The door is not locked. And police will surely shoot.
| Word | Meaning |
| Backed | Moved back |
| Swiftly | Quickly |
| Sill | Bottom portion of a window |
Max became very angry. His face became black because of anger. He quickly moved towards window. He put his one leg over the sill of window. He gave a warning to Ausable to send police back. Max said he will wait in the balcony. If police do not go back I will shoot them to take the report.
Now the door was being knocked more loudly. Somebody call out the name of Mr Ausable.
| Word | Meaning |
| Grasped | Held, Caught |
Max kept his gun pointed towards Ausable (the fat man) and Fowler (his guest). Now his body was slightly bent. He caught frame of the window with his other hand. Then he put his other leg also over the window sill.
| Word | Meaning |
| Screamed | Shouted |
| Shrilly | Very loudly |
The knob of the door started turning. [Meaning that somebody was opening the door] Quickly Max released his hand and body from the window and he jumped on the balcony. While jumping in the balcony he shouted very loudly.
| Word | Meaning |
| Deftly | Skillfully |
| Uncorked | Opened |
The door opened. A waiter came in the room. He had a tray, two glasses and a bottle of wine with him. He put these on the table. He told Ausable that he had brought the drink Ausable had ordered while he was coming to room. The waiter went out of the room.
| Word | Meaning |
| Stammered | Speak with pause |
Face of the Fowler had become white because of fear. But what about the police? Ausable replied that he had not called police. Only Henry the waiter had come. I expected him to come any moment.
Fowler said would the man in the balcony come in. Ausable said that the man would never come back. Please understand my friend that there is no balcony. [Max had fallen to the ground from sixth floor]
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