READ AND FIND OUT 

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Q1. How is Ausable different from other secret agents?

Answer: Ausable is different from other secret agents in his appearance and behaviour. He is fat and sloppy, and he has a distinct American accent that he has never lost. He lives in a small, gloomy room and gets a “prosaic telephone call” instead of messages from dark-eyed beauties. He does not fit the typical, glamorous description of a secret agent from books and films.

Q2. Who is Fowler and what is his first authentic thrill of the day?

Answer: Fowler is a young writer who is meeting Ausable to learn about the life of a secret agent. His first authentic thrill of the day is when he enters Ausable’s room and finds a man with a small automatic pistol standing in the room.

READ AND FIND OUT

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Q1. How has Max got in?

Answer: Max has a passkey, so he uses it to get into the room.

Q2. How does Ausable say he got in?

Answer: Ausable says that Max got in through the balcony. He claims that it is the second time in a month that someone has got into his room from the balcony, which belongs to the next apartment.

Think about it

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Q1. “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.

Answer: In books and films, secret agents are usually portrayed as tall, handsome, athletic, and sophisticated individuals, like James Bond. They are shown in glamorous settings, wearing expensive suits and performing daring stunts. They are often surrounded by beautiful women and have exotic gadgets.

Ausable is the complete opposite. He is fat, speaks with a common American accent, and his room is small and shabby. This contrast is the central point of the story, making it a clever subversion of the typical spy genre.

Q2. 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?

Answer: Ausable makes Max believe there is a balcony by giving a detailed and convincing story about it. He claims that his room used to be part of a larger unit, and the adjacent room had a balcony that now extends under his window. He also says that someone had used it to get in last month and that he had complained to the management, who promised to block it off. This detailed and seemingly logical explanation, combined with his irritated tone and the knocking at the door, makes the story believable for Max.

Q3. 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?

Answer: Ausable did not have a pre-planned strategy. He is a man of great presence of mind, and he makes up the plan by taking advantage of the events as they happen. His quick thinking is activated by the sudden knock at the door, and he cleverly turns the situation to his advantage. He invents the story of the police and the balcony on the spot, knowing that Max’s nervousness will make him act irrationally.

Talk about it

Q1. In this story, Ausable shows great ‘presence of mind, or the ability to think quickly, and act calmly and wisely, in a situation of danger and surprise. Give examples from your own experience, or narrate a story, which shows someone’s presence of mind.

Answer: This is a personal question and the answer will vary depending on the student’s experience.

Q2. Discuss what you would do in the situations described below. Remember that presence of mind comes out of a state of mental preparedness. If you have thought about possible problems or dangers, and about how to act in such situations, you have a better chance of dealing with such situations if they do arise.

Answer: This is an interactive activity for a classroom setting and does not have a single written answer.