Class 10 || English SR || Ch. 05. FOOTPRINTS WITHOUT FEET

 Ch. 05. FOOTPRINTS WITHOUT FEET

Can a man become invisible? This is the story of a scientist who discovers how to make himself invisible. Does he use, or misuse, his discovery?

 

READ AND FIND OUT

• How did the invisible man first become visible?

• Why was he wandering the streets?

THE two boys started in surprise at the fresh muddy imprints of a pair of bare feet. What was a barefooted man doing on the steps of a house, in the middle of London? And where was the man?

As they gazed, a remarkable sight met their eyes. A fresh footmark appeared from nowhere!

Further footprints followed, one after another, descending the steps and progressing down the street. The boys followed, fascinated, until the muddy impressions became fainter and fainter, and at last disappeared altogether.

The explanation of the mystery was really simple enough. The bewildered boys had been following a scientist who had just discovered how to make the human body transparent.

Griffin, the scientist, had carried out experiment after experiment to prove that the human body could become invisible. Finally he swallowed certain rare drugs and his body became as transparent as a sheet of glass — though it also remained as solid as glass.

Brilliant scientist though he was, Griffin was rather a lawless person. His landlord disliked him and tried to eject him. In revenge

Griffin set fire to the house. To get away without being seen he had to remove his clothes. Thus it was that he became a homeless wanderer, without clothes, without money, and quite invisible — until he happened to step in some mud, and left footprints as he walked!

He escaped easily enough from the boys who followed his footprints in London. But his adventures were by no means over. He had chosen a bad time of the year to wander about London without clothes. It was mid-winter. The air was bitterly cold and he could not do without clothes. Instead of walking about the streets he decided to slip into a big London store for warmth.

Closing time arrived, and as soon as the doors were shut Griffin was able to give himself the pleasure of clothing and feeding himself without regard to expense. He broke open boxes and wrappers and fitted himself out with warm clothes. Soon, with shoes, an overcoat and a wide-brimmed hat, he became a fully dressed and visible person.

In the kitchen of the restaurant he found cold meat and coffee, and he followed up the meal with sweets and wine taken from the grocery store. Finally he settled down to sleep on a pile of quilts.

If only Griffin had managed to wake up in good time all might have been well. As it was, he did not wake up until the assistants were already arriving next morning. When he saw a couple of them approaching, he panicked and began to run. They naturally gave chase. In the end he was able to escape only by quickly taking off his newlyfound clothes. So once more he found himself invisible but naked in the chill January air.

This time he decided to try the stock of a theatrical company in the hope of finding not only clothes but also something that would hide the empty space above his shoulders. Shivering with cold he hurried to Drury Lane, the centre of the theatre world.

He soon found a suitable shop. He made his way, invisible, upstairs and came out a little later wearing bandages round his forehead, dark glasses, false nose, big bushy side-whiskers, and a large hat. To escape without being seen, he callously attacked the shopkeeper from behind, after which he robbed him of all the money he could find.

 

READ AND FIND OUT

• Why does Mrs Hall find the scientist eccentric?

• What curious episode occurs in the study?

• What other extraordinary things happen at the inn?

Eager to get away from crowded London he took a train to the village of Iping, where he booked two rooms at the local inn.

The arrival of a stranger at an inn in winter was in any case an unusual event. A stranger of such uncommon appearance set all tongues wagging. Mrs Hall, the landlord’s wife, made every effort to be friendly. But Griffin had no desire to talk, and told her, “My reason for coming to Iping is a desire for solitude. I do not wish to be disturbed in my work. Besides, an accident has affected my face.”

Satisfied that her guest was an eccentric scientist, and in view of the fact that he had paid her in advance, Mrs Hall was prepared to excuse his strange habits and irritable temper. But the stolen moneydid not last long, and presently Griffin had to admit that he had no more ready cash. He pretended, however, that he was expecting a cheque to arrive at any moment.

Shortly afterwards a curious episode occurred. Very early in the morning a clergyman and his wife were awakened by noises in the study. Creeping downstairs, they heard the chink of money being taken from the clergyman’s desk.

Without making any noise and with a poker grasped firmly in his hand, the clergyman flung open the door.

“Surrender!”

Then to his amazement he realised that the room appeared to be empty. He and his wife looked under the desk, and behind the curtains, and even up the chimney. There wasn’t a sign of anybody. Yet the desk

had been opened and the housekeeping money was missing.

“Extraordinary affair!” the clergyman kept saying for the rest of the day.

But it was not as extraordinary as the behaviour of Mrs Hall’s furniture a little later that morning.

The landlord and his wife were up very early, and were surprised to see the scientist’s door wide open. Usually it was shut and locked, and he was furious if anyone entered his room. The opportunity seemed too good to be missed. They peeped round the door, saw nobody, and decided to investigate. The bedclothes were cold, showing that the scientist must have been up for some time; and stranger still, the clothes and bandages that he always wore were lying about the room.

All of a sudden Mrs Hall heard a sniff close to her ear. A moment later the hat on the bedpost leapt up and dashed itself into her face. Then the bedroom chair became alive. Springing into the air it charged straight at her, legs foremost. As she and her husband turned away in terror, the extraordinary chair pushed them both out of the room and then appeared to slam and lock the door after them.

Mrs Hall almost fell down the stairs in hysterics. She was convinced that the room was haunted by spirits, and that the stranger had somehow caused these to enter into her furniture.

“My poor mother used to sit in that chair,” she moaned. “To think it should rise up against me now!”

The feeling among the neighbours was that the trouble was caused by witchcraft. But witchcraft or not, when news of the burglary at the clergyman’s home became known, the strange scientist was strongly suspected of having had a hand in it. Suspicion grew even stronger when he suddenly produced some ready cash, though he had admitted not long before that he had no money.

The village constable was secretly sent for. Instead of waiting for the constable, Mrs Hall went to the scientist, who had somehow mysteriously appeared from his empty bedroom.

“I want to know what you have been doing to my chair upstairs,” she demanded. “And I want to know how it is you came out of an empty room and how you entered a locked room.”

The scientist was always quick-tempered; now he became furious.

“You don’t understand who or what I am!” he shouted. “Very well —

I’ll show you.”

Suddenly he threw off bandages, whiskers, spectacles, and even nose. It took him only a minute to do this. The horrified people in the bar found themselves staring at a headless man!

Mr Jaffers, the constable, now arrived, and was quite surprised to find that he had to arrest a man without a head. But Jaffers was not easily prevented from doing his duty. If a magistrate’s warrant ordered a person’s arrest, then that person had to be arrested, with or without his head.

There followed a remarkable scene as the policeman tried to get hold of a man who was becoming more and more invisible as he threw off one garment after another. Finally a shirt flew into the air, and the constable found himself struggling with someone he could not see at all. Some people tried to help him, but found themselves hit by blows that seemed to come from nowhere.

In the end Jaffers was knocked unconscious as he made a last attempt to hold on to the unseen scientist.

There were nervous, excited cries of “Hold him!” But this was easier said than done. Griffin had shaken himself free, and no one knew where to lay hands on him.

H.G. WELLS

Q. Write the Main Theme of the lesson ‘Footprints without Feet’                              Or Q. Write the summary of the lesson ‘Footprints without Feet’ Ans.  Footprint without feet is an interesting story about a brilliant scientist Griffin who discovered how to make human body invisible. For this he took some rare drugs and became invisible.  Griffin was a brilliant but he was not true scientist because he misused his discovery.   Griffin  His landlord did not like him and wanted to try him out. Griffin set fire to his landlord’s house and took off his clothes and became invisible. He chose a bad time because it was very cold. He becomes a naked wonderer in winter.  At night, he slopped into a big London store. He wore warm clothe, enjoyed cold meat, coffee, sweet and wine in the store. He lies down on the pill of quilt and fell asleep. Next morning he was seen by two assistants of store. They wanted to catch him. He ran hare and there for escaping. He took off his newly found clothes to escape. This was second time when he took of his clothes to run away. He went to theatrical company. He enters easily and stole clothe from there. He attacked the shopkeeper form behind and robbed by taking all his money he could have. He went to the Iping Village. He stayed at an inn of Mrs. Hall. He told Mrs. Hall that he did not want to be disturbed in his work. He wanted solute. Mrs. Hall tried to be friendly with him but he checks her. The stolen money did not last long.  A curious episode took place in clergyman’s study room. He and his wife heard noise in the study room. They entered in the room but the room was empty. They could not find the thief anywhere but the housekeeping money was missing. One day, the landlord and his wife woke up early in the morning. They saw the scientist’s room is wide open. They went inside to investigate at that time the hat on the bed push dashed itself into her face. They were pushed out of the room by a bedroom chair.  Mrs. Hall was convinced that the room was hunted by the spirits. The neighbors founded the Griffin suspected. Mrs. Hall saw the Griffin is coming out of his empty room. She asked him how he had entered the locked room and how he had come out of the empty room. griffin again became angry so he throws off the badges, hat whiskers glasses and false nose and  became a headless man. The people at the bar were horrified to see a headless man. They sent for Mr. Jaffers the village constable. Mr. Jaffers duty was to catch the Griffin the man with or without head so he tried to get hold of Griffin but could not do so as. Griffin hit the people who helped the Mr. Jaffers.  Griffin was becoming more and more invisible by taking off his clothes one by one. He knocked and constable unconscious and ran away. It shows that the Griffin was a lawless person.   Q. Comment the Griffin was a lawless person. Or Give the character sketch of Griffin. Ans. Griffin was a brilliant scientist but he was not true scientist because he misused his discovery. He discovered how to make human body invisible. He proved it by taking some rare drugs. His landlord did not like him. He wanted to try him out. He set fire to his landlord’s house. This was his first lawless task. He took off his clothes and became invisible. He entered into a big London store. He wore warm clothe, enjoyed cold meat, coffee, sweet and wine in the store. He lies down on the pill of quilt and fell asleep. Next morning he was seen by two assistants of store. They wanted to catch him. He took of his clothes again to run away. He went to theatrical company and stole clothe from there. He attacked the shopkeeper form behind and robbed the shopkeeper. This was his third law less task.  He went to the Iping Village. He stayed at an inn of Mrs. Hall who tried to be friendly with him but he checks her.  He entered in clergyman’s study room and stole his housekeeping money rather the room was empty. This was his fourth lawless task. The landlord and his wife woke up early in the morning. They saw the scientist’s room wide open. They went inside to investigate but a hat on the bed push dashed itself into her face and bedroom chair pushed them out. Mrs. Hall saw the Griffin coming out of his empty room. She asked him how he had entered in the locked room and how he had come out of the empty room.  He become angry and throws off the bandges, hat whiskers glasses and false nose. He became a headless man now. The people at the bar were horrified to see a headless man. They sent for Mr. Jaffers the village constable. Mr. Jaffers duty was to catch the Griffin, the man with or without head so he tried to get hold of Griffin but could not do so as. Griffin hit the people who helped the Mr. Jaffers. Griffin was becoming more and more invisible by taking off his clothes one by one. He knocked and constable unconscious and ran away. It shows that the Griffin was a lawless person. It shows the Griffin was a lawless person.

 

Q. 1. How did the invisible man first become visible? Ans. Griffin was completely invisible in cold winter until he happened to step in some mud, which caused him to leave footprints as he walked.  His footprints were seen by two boys, who followed him as long as the prints were visible. On getting rid of them, he went into a big London store to put on some warm clothes. After the store was shut, he got dressed by putting on shoes, an overcoat and a wide-brimmed hat. This made him visible to the people who came to work at the store the next day. Q. 2. Why was he wandering the streets? Ans.  Griffin was a lawless person. His landlord disliked him and tried to get rid of him. In revenge, he set fire to the house. He removed his clothes to run away without being seen. This was why he had become a homeless wanderer—without clothes and money. Q. 3. Why does Mrs Hall find the scientist eccentric? Ans.  The arrival of a stranger at an inn in winter was a strange occurrence in addition, the stranger had an uncommon appearance. In spite of Mrs Hall’s attempts to be friendly, he would respond in a cold manner. He told her that he had no desire to talk, and that all he wanted was solitude. He did not wish to be disturbed in his work. For all these reasons she regarded him as an eccentric scientist.   Q. 4. What curious episode occurs in the study? Ans.  A clergyman and his wife were awakened by noises in the study very early in the morning. Creeping downstairs, they heard the chink of money being taken from the clergyman's desk. He and his wife looked under the desk and behind the curtains, and even up the chimney. There wasn't a sign of anybody. Yet the desk had been opened and the housekeeping money was missing. Q. 5. What other extraordinary things happen at the inn? Ans.  The landlord and his wife surprised to see the scientist's door open. Usually it is shut and locked and he becomes furious if anyone enters his room. The opportunity seems too good to be missed. They peep round the door, seeing nobody and decide to investigate. The bedclothes were cold, showing that the scientist must have been up for some time. All of a sudden Mrs. Hall heard a sniff close to her ear. A moment later the hat on the bed post leapt up and dashed itself into her face. Then the bedroom chair became alive. Springing into the air it charged straight at her, legs foremost. As she and her husband turned away in terror, the extraordinary chair pushed them both out of the room and then appeared to slam and lock the door after them. Mrs. Hall almost fell down the stairs in hysterics. She was convinced that the room was haunted by sprits and the stranger had somehow caused these to enter into the furniture. Q. 6. “Griffin was rather a lawless person.” Comment. Ans.  It is rightly said that Griffin was a lawless person. He was not a law abiding citizen. A person who follows law and order of the country can not think of damaging other's property. But Griffin set fire to the house and became a homeless wanderer. He also robbed a shopkeeper of all the money he could find. He stole the housekeeping money from the clergyman's desk. Griffin also attacked Mrs. Hall when she entered his room. All these activities and instances prove that he was really a lawless person.   Q. 7. How would you assess Griffin as a scientist? Ans.  After repeated experiments, Griffin had discovered how to make the human body transparent. This was a big achievement. However, he misused his discovery for personal gains and for hurting others. Thus, though he can be termed as a brilliant scientist, he was not a noble one.

 

Think about it

1. “Griffin was rather a lawless person.” Comment.

2. How would you assess Griffin as a scientist?

 

Talk about it

1. Would you like to become invisible? What advantages and disadvantages do you foresee, if you did?

2. Are there forces around us that are invisible, for example, magnetism? Are there aspects of matter that are ‘invisible’ or not visible to the naked eye? What would the world be like if you could see such forces or such aspects of matter?

3. What makes glass or water transparent (what is the scientific explanation for this)? Do you think it would be scientifically possible for a man to become invisible, or transparent? (Keep in mind that writers of science fiction have often turned out to be prophetic in their imagination!)

 

Suggested reading

• The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

• ‘As Far As the Human Eye Can See’ by Isaac Asimov

• It Happened Tomorrow (ed.) Bal Phondke