Who wrote The Midnight Visitor?

It was written by Robert Arthur.

Was there really a balcony outside the window?

No. Ausable invented the balcony to trick Max, who jumped out to escape and fell to his death.

What is the main theme of the story?

That presence of mind and intelligence are more powerful than weapons or the glamorous image of a spy.

CBSE Class 10 Footprints · Chapter 3

The Midnight Visitor

Robert Arthur

A plump, unglamorous secret agent outwits an armed rival with pure presence of mind

Summary

Ausable is a secret agent who is nothing like the romantic spy the young writer Fowler imagined — he is fat, lives in a small French hotel room, and seems dull. Fowler is disappointed until they enter the room and find Max, a rival agent, waiting with a pistol to steal an important report.

Ausable stays calm and invents a clever story: he complains that the hotel management has promised to fix a balcony that anyone can climb onto from the room below, and that this is the second time someone has entered through it. When a knock comes at the door, Ausable claims it is the police he had called.

Frightened of being caught, Max climbs out of the window onto the 'balcony' to escape — but there is no balcony, and he falls to his death. The knock was only the waiter bringing drinks. Ausable's quick thinking, not weapons or action, wins the day.

Key points to remember

Ausable: an overweight, ordinary-looking but extremely clever and calm secret agent.
Fowler: a young, romantic writer eager to see exciting spy adventures.
Max: a rival agent who enters with a pistol to steal a report.
The trick: Ausable invents a non-existent balcony and a fake police visit.
Climax: Max jumps out to escape and falls, as there was no balcony.
Theme: intelligence and presence of mind defeat brute force and weapons.
The knock at the door was only the waiter, not the police.
The story overturns the glamorous Hollywood image of a spy.

Important questions (board pattern)

6 marksHow did Ausable manage to get rid of Max?
How to answer: Explain the invented balcony story, the fake call to police, the knock, and Max jumping to his death — all through presence of mind.
3 marksHow was Ausable different from the spy Fowler had imagined?
How to answer: Contrast Fowler's romantic image with Ausable's fat, ordinary, unexciting reality.
2 marksWho was at the door, and how did this help Ausable?
How to answer: It was the waiter with drinks, but Ausable used the knock to make Max believe the police had arrived.
3 marksWhat is the message of The Midnight Visitor?
How to answer: Quick thinking and intelligence are far more effective than guns, glamour or physical action.
3 marksWhy was Fowler's opinion of Ausable changed by the end?
How to answer: He witnessed Ausable's cool, brilliant handling of real danger and saw that true skill is mental, not theatrical.

Common exam traps

There was NO balcony — Ausable invented it; this is the crux of the trick.
The knock was the waiter, not the police — don't write that police actually came.
Ausable never fires a gun or fights — he wins purely by wit.
Don't confuse the agents: Ausable is the hero, Max is the intruder.

Frequently asked questions

Who wrote The Midnight Visitor?: It was written by Robert Arthur.
Was there really a balcony outside the window?: No. Ausable invented the balcony to trick Max, who jumped out to escape and fell to his death.
What is the main theme of the story?: That presence of mind and intelligence are more powerful than weapons or the glamorous image of a spy.