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IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS
 About the
Author

RUSKIN BOND (BORN 19 MAY 1934) IS AN INDIAN AUTHOR OF

BRITISH DESCENT. HE LIVES WITH HIS ADOPTED FAMILY IN
LANDOUR, MUSSOORIE, INDIA. THE INDIAN COUNCIL FOR CHILD
EDUCATION HAS RECOGNISED HIS ROLE IN THE GROWTH OF
CHILDREN'S LITERATURE IN INDIA. HE WAS AWARDED THE
SAHITYA ACADEMY AWARD IN 1992 FOR OUR TREES STILL GROW
IN DEHRA, HIS NOVEL IN ENGLISH. HE WAS AWARDED THE
PADMA SHRI IN 1999 AND THE PADMA BHUSHAN IN 2014.
 The Thief ’s Story
I was still a thief when I met Anil. And though only 15, I was an experienced and
fairly successful hand. Anil was watching a wrestling match when I approached
him. He was about 25 — a tall, lean fellow — and he looked easy-going, kind and
simple enough for my purpose. I hadn't had much luck of late and thought I might
be able to get into the young man’s confidence. “You look a bit of a wrestler
yourself,” I said. A little flattery helps in making friends. “So do you,” he replied,
which put me off for a moment because at that time I was rather thin. “Well,” I
said modestly, “I do wrestle a bit.” “What’s your name?” “Hari Singh,” I lied. I
took a new name every month. That kept me ahead of the police and my former
employers. After this introduction, Anil talked about the well-oiled wrestlers who
were grunting, lifting and throwing each other about. I didn’t have much to say.
Anil walked away. I followed casually. “Hello again,” he said. I gave him my
most appealing smile. “I want to work for you,” I said. “But I can’t pay you.”
• Lean- thin
Flattery- excessive and insincere praise
Modestly- in an unassuming manner; without vanity or arrogance.
Employers- a person or organization that employs people.
Grunting- make a low, short guttural sound.
Appealing- attractive or interesting.
•
I thought that over for a minute. Perhaps I had misjudged my man. I asked, “Can you feed me?” “Can
you cook?” “I can cook,” I lied again. “If you can cook, then maybe I can feed you.” He took me to his
room over the Jumna Sweet Shop and told me I could sleep on the balcony. But the meal I cooked that
night must have been terrible because Anil gave it to a stray dog and told me to be off. But I just hung
around, smiling in my most appealing way, and he couldn’t help laughing. Later, he patted me on the
head and said never mind, he’d teach me to cook. He also taught me to write my name and said he
would soon teach me to write whole sentences and to add numbers. I was grateful. I knew that once I
could write like an educated man there would be no limit to what I could achieve. It was quite pleasant
working for Anil. I made the tea in the morning and then would take my time buying the day’s
supplies, usually making a profit of about a rupee a day. I think he knew I made a little money this
way but he did not seem to mind.
• Misjudged- form a wrong opinion or conclusion about.
Balcony-a platform enclosed by a wall or balustrade on the outside of a building, with access from
an upper-floor window or door.
Terrible- extremely bad or serious.
Patted- touch quickly and gently with the flat of the hand.
Pleasant- giving a sense of happy satisfaction or enjoyment.
Supplies- a stock or amount of something supplied or available for use.
Anil made money by fits and starts. He would borrow one week, lend the next. He kept worrying
about his next cheque, but as soon as it arrived he would go out and celebrate. It seems he wrote
for magazines — a queer way to make a living! One evening he came home with a small bundle of
notes, saying he had just sold a book to a publisher. At night, I saw him tuck the money under the
mattress. I had been working for Anil for almost a month and, apart from cheating on the
shopping, had not done anything in my line of work. I had every opportunity for doing so. Anil had
given me a key to the door, and I could come and go as I pleased. He was the most trusting person
I had ever met. And that is why it was so difficult to rob him. It’s easy to rob a greedy man
because he can afford to be robbed, but it’s difficult to rob a careless man — sometimes he doesn’t
even notice he’s been robbed and that takes all the pleasure out of the work. Well, it’s time I did
some real work, I told myself; I’m out of practice. And if I don’t take the money, he’ll only waste
it on his friends. After all, he doesn’t even pay me.
Fits and Starts- not working on something consistently
Borrow- take and use (something belonging to someone else) with the intention of returning it.
Lend- grant to (someone) the use of (something) on the understanding that it will be returned.
Queer- strange; odd.
Bundle- a collection of things or quantity of material tied or wrapped up together.
Tuck- push, fold, or turn (the edges or ends of something, especially a garment or bedclothes) so as to hide or secure them.
Line of work- the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
Anil was asleep. A beam of moonlight stepped over the balcony and fell on
the bed. I sat up on the floor, considering the situation. If I took the money, I
could catch the 10.30 Express to Lucknow. Slipping out of the blanket, I
crept up to the bed. Anil was sleeping peacefully. His face was clear and
unlined; even I had more marks on my face, though mine were mostly scars.
My hand slid under the mattress, searching for the notes. When I found
them, I drew them out without a sound. Anil sighed in his sleep and turned
on his side, towards me. I was startled and quickly crawled out of the room.
When I was on the road, I began to run. I had the notes at my waist, held
there by the string of my pyjamas. I slowed down to a walk and counted the
notes: 600 rupees in fifties! I could live like an oil-rich Arab for a week or
two.

Beam- a ray or shaft of light.

Crept- move slowly and carefully in order to avoid being heard or noticed.
Drew- pull or drag
Sighed- emit a long, deep audible breath expressing sadness, relief, tiredness.
Startled- feeling or showing sudden shock or alarm.
When I reached the station I did not stop at the
ticket office (I had never bought a ticket in my
life) but dashed straight to the platform. The
Lucknow Express was just moving out. The
train had still to pick up speed and I should
have been able to jump into one of the
carriages, but I hesitated — for some reason, I
can’t explain — and I lost the chance to get
away.
When the train had gone, I found myself standing alone on the deserted platform. I had no idea where to spend the night. I had
no friends, believing that friends were more trouble than help. And I did not want to make anyone curious by staying at one of
the small hotels near the station. The only person I knew really well was the man I had robbed. Leaving the station, I walked
slowly through the bazaar. In my short career as a thief, I had made a study of men’s faces when they had lost their goods. The
greedy man showed fear; the rich man showed anger; the poor man showed acceptance. But I knew that Anil’s face when he
discovered the theft, would show only a touch of sadness. Not for the loss of money, but for the loss of trust. I found myself in
the maidan and sat down on a bench. The night was chilly — it was early November — and a light drizzle added to my
discomfort. Soon it was raining quite heavily. My shirt and pyjamas stuck to my skin, and a cold wind blew the rain across my
face.
Dashed- Quickly ran towards something
Carriages- any of the separate sections of a train that carry passengers.
Hesitated- pause in indecision before saying or doing something.
Deserted- (of a place) empty of people.
Curious- eager to know or learn something.
Robbed- take property unlawfully from (a person or place) by force or threat of force.
Bazaar- market
Maidan- a park
I went back to the bazaar and sat down in the shelter of the clock tower. The clock showed midnight. I felt for the notes. They were damp from the
rain. Anil’s money. In the morning he would probably have given me two or three rupees to go to the cinema, but now I had it all. I couldn’t cook
his meals, run to the bazaar or learn to write whole sentences any more. I had forgotten about them in the excitement of the theft. Whole
sentences, I knew, could one day bring me more than a few hundred rupees. It was a simple matter to steal — and sometimes just as simple to be
caught. But to be a really big man, a clever and respected man, was something else. I should go back to Anil, I told myself, if only to learn to read
and write. I hurried back to the room feeling very nervous, for it is much easier to steal something than to return it undetected. I opened the door
quietly, then stood in the doorway, in clouded moonlight. Anil was still asleep. I crept to the head of the bed, and my hand came up with the notes.
I felt his breath on my hand. I remained still for a minute. Then my hand found the edge of the mattress and slipped under it with the notes. I
awoke late next morning to find that Anil had already made the tea. He stretched out his hand towards me. There was a fifty-rupee note between
his fingers. My heart sank. I thought I had been discovered. “I made some money yesterday,” he explained. “Now you’ll be paid regularly.” My
spirits rose. But when I took the note, I saw it was still wet from the night’s rain. “Today we’ll start writing sentences,” he said. He knew. But
neither his lips nor his eyes showed anything. I smiled at Anil in my most appealing way. And the smile came by itself, without any effort.

Shelter- a place giving temporary protection from bad weather or danger.

Clock Tower- a tower, typically forming part of a church or civic building, with a large clock at the top.
Midnight- twelve o'clock at night.
Damp- slightly wet.
Cinema- a theatre where films are shown for public entertainment.
Hurried- done in a hurry; rushed.
Undetected- not detected or discovered.
Clouded- make or become less clear or transparent.
 • The story has a simple plot with an important message.

• There is a small time thief who befriends a struggling author; in the

plans of making a steal.

• Anil; the struggling author is a good fellow who wants to teach Hari
Singh how to read and write.

Story at a
• Gradually, Anil develops trust in Hari Singh. But Hari Singh has been
waiting for the right moment to do what he is best at.

Glance • After stealing money from Anil, Hari Singh tries to go away forever.
But some inner voice stops him from doing so.

• He returns to Anil because he wants to live a life of respect.

• Anil does not show that he knew about the incident and accepts
Hari Singh with open arms.

• Thus, a well intentioned person reforms a teenager who had

diverted from the correct path.
 1.What was the name of the thief ?

(A) Anil (B) Ajit Singh

(C) Hari Singh (D) Chander

2. How old was the thief ?

(A) 10 years (B) 15 years
(C) 16 years (D) 14 year
MULTIPLE
CHOICE 3. How old was Anil?
(A) 20 years (B) 21 years

QUESTIONS (C) 22 years (D) 25 years

4. Who is the narrator of the story ?

(A) Hari Singh (B) Anil
(C) Ruskin Bond (D) none of these

5. What did Anil do for a living?

(A) wrote articles for magazines (B) wrestling
(C) acting (D) business
6. What was Anil doing when the thief boy met him?
(A) writing an article (B) watching a match
(C) playing cricket (D) going on the road

7. Anil lived in a room in a shop named :

(A) Jumna Sweet Shop (B) Ganesh Sweet Shop
(C) Ganga Sweet Shop (D) Shah Sweet Shop

8. What did the boy ask Anil?

(A) to give him some money (B) to employ him
(C) to give him a lift (D) to tell him the way

9. What did Anil do to the food cooked by the boy the first day?
(A) ate it with enjoy (B) put it in the cupboard
(C) threw it to a stray dog (D) asked the boy to eat it all

10. What did Had Singh want from Anil?

(A) help (B) shelter
(C) money (D) work
Reference to
the Context
1.“You look a bit of a wrestler yourself”, I said. A little flattery
helps in making friends.
(a)Who was the speaker? Who was he trying to flatter?
(b) Why did the speaker want to befriend the listener?
(c) Find the antonym of ‘criticism’ in the extract.
(d) What is the opposite of ‘friends’?
2. Well, it’s time I did some real work, I told myself; I’m out of
practice.
(a) What ‘real work’ is the speaker talking about?
(b) Why does the speaker say ‘I’m out of practice’?
(c) Give a synonym of ‘practice’.
 1.Why did the thief change his name every month?
How did he rob people?

2. The thief had to reason himself for justifying his

robbing Anil. What were the reasons?
Short
Answer 3. How did the thief steal the money from Anil? Why

Type of could he not escape from there?

Questions. 4. What made the thief think that Anil had forgiven
him?

5. Why did the thief smile in his most appealing way at

the end of the story? How was this smile different from
the previous one?
 1.Money can’t make a man as much as education can. Elucidate the statement
with reference to the lesson ‘The Thief’s Story’.
Value points
a)true in almost all aspects of life.
b) money cannot buy us knowledge; civilised thinking, skills and abilities to
achieve our dreams.
Extrapolation c) education lays the platform for all to act upon our goals according to our
abilities.
d) education enables us to keep up with the fast moving world.
e) Just as in the story ‘A Thief s Story’, Hari Singh prioritised the chance of
being literate over a few hundred rupees, we must understand that education
can help us to achieve whatever we desire.