,Board,Class,Subject,ChunkData,Book | |
0,CBSE,Class10,English,"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 themFootprints without Feet 27 | |
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?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?",jefp105.pdf | |