Summary of “The Midnight Visitor”#
“The Midnight Visitor” introduces Ausable, a secret agent who does not fit the typical description of a spy, being fat and speaking with an American accent despite living in Paris. He is accompanied by Fowler, a writer who expected a thrilling, romantic adventure involving mysterious figures and danger, but instead feels let down by Ausable’s ordinary appearance and prosaic activities. Ausable takes Fowler to his small room on the top floor of a gloomy French hotel.
Upon entering the room, Fowler experiences his first authentic thrill of the day when he sees a man named Max standing in the room with a pistol. Max is another secret agent, described as slender, less than tall, with foxy features. He is there to take a very important report concerning new missiles that is expected to be delivered to Ausable that night.
Ausable reacts calmly, sitting down and complaining loudly about someone getting into his room through a balcony for the second time that month. Fowler looks at the window, noting it’s an ordinary window with no apparent balcony. Max confirms he entered with a passkey and was unaware of any balcony. Ausable elaborates on his fabricated story about the balcony belonging to the next apartment and extending under his window, explaining it could be accessed from an empty room two doors down.
Max tells them he expects the report around twelve-thirty. Suddenly, there is a loud knocking at the door. Ausable claims it is the police he had arranged to check on him for extra protection for such an important paper. This makes Max nervous. Ausable states that if he doesn’t answer, the police will enter anyway as the door is unlocked, and they won’t hesitate to shoot.
Max, increasingly panicked by the knocking and raised voice from outside, backs towards the window, warns Ausable to send them away, and swings his leg over the sill, threatening to wait on the balcony. As the doorknob turns, Max pushes off to drop onto the supposed balcony and screams shrilly as he falls.
The door opens, revealing a waiter with a tray, a bottle, and two glasses – the drink Ausable had ordered. Fowler, confused, asks about the police. Ausable explains there were no police, only the waiter he was expecting, named Henry. He then confirms to Fowler that the man (Max) will not return because, as Ausable reveals, there is no balcony.
Questions and Answers#
Here are the questions from the chapter and their answers, drawn from the provided sources:
Read and Find Out#
- How is Ausable different from other secret agents? Ausable is different because he does not fit any description of a secret agent Fowler had ever read. He is fat. He also has an American accent from Boston, which he hasn’t lost, even though he speaks French and German passably. Fowler finds him a sloppy fat man rather than a mysterious figure.
- Who is Fowler and what is his first authentic thrill of the day? Fowler is a writer who wished to meet Ausable because he was a secret agent and Fowler was young and romantic, envisioning mysterious figures and danger. His first authentic thrill of the day is when, after Ausable switches on the light in his room, Fowler sees a man (Max) standing halfway across the room with a small automatic pistol in his hand.
- How has Max got in? Max says he got in using a passkey.
- How does Ausable say he got in? Ausable initially says someone got into his room through that nuisance of a balcony. He elaborates by saying the balcony belongs to the next apartment and extends under his window, and could be accessed from an empty room two doors down.
Think About It#
- 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? Ausable manages to make Max believe there is a balcony by immediately complaining loudly and specifically about it as soon as he sees Max. He states it is the second time in a month somebody has used it to get into his room. He gives a detailed, albeit false, description: saying it is not his balcony but belongs to the next apartment, that his room used to be part of a large unit with the next room (the former living room) having the balcony, and that it extends under his window and can be reached from an empty room two doors down. He also mentions the management promised to block it off but hasn’t. This detailed, somewhat irritated, and casual tone, combined with presenting it as an ongoing problem he’s complaining about to Fowler, makes the story sound plausible and convinces Max.
- 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? The sources do not explicitly state when Ausable thought up his plan. However, the speed and confidence with which he invents the balcony story immediately upon seeing Max suggest he is making up the plan taking advantage of events as they happened. He uses the unexpected presence of Max and the eventual knocking at the door (which turns out to be the waiter he was expecting) as opportunities to construct his deception, rather than having a pre-planned method for dealing with intruders that relies on a non-existent balcony.
Talk About It#
- 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. The sources define ‘presence of mind’ as the ability to think quickly, and act calmly and wisely, in a situation of danger and surprise. The provided texts do not contain personal anecdotes or additional stories demonstrating presence of mind.
- 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. The sources list various hypothetical situations to discuss (e.g., small fire, child choking, electrical appliance sparking, bicycle knocking down pedestrian, continuous rain, family member not returning home). The sources do not provide answers or suggested actions for these specific scenarios. This question is intended for reflection and discussion by the reader.