The Hack Driver Class 10 Summary, Explanation, Question Answers

The Hack Driver Class 10 Summary, Explanation with Video, Question Answers from Footprint Without Feet Book

Class 10 English (Footprints without feet book)

Chapter – The hack driver

By-Sinclair Lewis

Theme of the Lesson

The plot centres on an innocent attorney and a crafty manipulator who also happens to be a crucial witness. Its central message is that one should not rely solely on appearances because they are frequently deceptive.
Oliver Lutkins was served with a summons at New Mullion by a junior law firm clerk. At the train station, he ran into a hack driver by the name of Bill, who offered to assist him in his search for Lutkins. He persuaded the attorney to hire him. In addition, he takes the attorney to Fritz, Gustaf’s, and other places. Even Oliver’s mother, who had threatened to hit them, is brought along. He came back disheartened. Later, the attorney learned that Bill was actually Lutkins and felt humiliated.

The Hack Driver Summary

The Hack Driver Summary – The narrator of the story explains that after completing his graduation he started working with a famous law firm in the city. He was working as an assistant clerk there. He was not very happy with his job of serving summons because sometimes he had to face harsh situations while serving them. One day, he got the task of serving summons to Oliver Lutkins who was a key witness in some case. He lived in a small town named New Mullion.
The narrator was very excited to visit a small and beautiful town but his excitement ended by the dull appearance of the town. He saw a hack driver standing at the platform who was very cheerful and nice. He went up to him and enquired about Oliver Lutkins as he was new to the town and wanted to find him. The driver told him that Oliver was a nasty man who owed debt to many people. He also cunningly extracted information from the lawyer that he needed Lutkins for some court case.
A deal was cracked between both- he decided to hire Bill’s hack and go on a search for Lutkins. Bill somehow traps the lawyer in his story and they visit different places in search of Lutkins. He always asks the lawyer stay behind. They go to Fritz’s to catch Lutkins while playing poker. But he tells them that he has gone to Gustaff for a shave. At Gustaff’s they weren’t able to meet him and were told that someone saw him at the pool room. Here also somebody said that he left the poolroom after buying cigarettes.
Bill described Lutkins as a cunning man and guessed that he must have gone to gray’s for a shave. In the afternoon, Bill offered him to buy lunch from his wife as it would be less costly than at the restaurant. They had lunch at wade’s hill which was a very beautiful place. By that time the clerk was totally impressed by Bill’s nice and cheery nature. He had even started comparing village people to city people. Later on, they went to search for Lutkins at his mother’s house on the basis of information derived from one of his friends.
There the lady was horrible and they hurriedly left the place as she was about to attack them with a hot iron rod. At last, the lawyer had to leave without serving summons to Lutkins. Next day he was scolded badly by his chief and was again sent to New Mullion with a companion who knew Lutkins. Upon reaching the station, the clerk happily pointed out that Bill was such a helpful person to him search Lutkins.
At this time, the truth was revealed by his companion that the hack driver was none other than Lutkins himself. The clerk felt so bad and ashamed of how he had been fooled by a villager.

The Hack Driver Summary in Hindi

कहानी के नैरेटर बताता है कि ग्रेजुएशन की पढ़ाई पूरी करने के बाद उन्होंने शहर की एक प्रसिद्ध लॉ फर्म के साथ काम करना शुरू कर दिया।
वह वहां सहायक क्लर्क के पद पर कार्यरत था। वह सम्मन तामील करने के अपने कार्य से बहुत खुश नहीं थे क्योंकि कभी-कभी उन्हें उनकी सेवा करते समय कठोर परिस्थितियों का सामना करना पड़ता था।
एक दिन, उन्हें ओलिवर लुटकिन्स को सम्मन देने का काम मिला, जो किसी मामले में एक प्रमुख गवाह था। वह न्यू मुलियन नाम के एक छोटे से शहर में रहता था।
एक छोटे और सुंदर शहर की यात्रा करने के लिए कथाकार बहुत उत्साहित था लेकिन शहर की नीरस उपस्थिति से उसका उत्साह समाप्त हो गया।
उसने प्लेटफॉर्म पर एक हैक ड्राइवर को खड़ा देखा जो बहुत खुशमिजाज और अच्छा था। वह उसके पास गया और ओलिवर लुटकिंस के बारे में पूछताछ की क्योंकि वह शहर में नया था और उसे ढूंढना चाहता था।
ड्राइवर ने उसे बताया कि ओलिवर एक बुरा आदमी था जिस पर कई लोगों का कर्ज था। उसने चालाकी से वकील से जानकारी भी निकाली कि उसे किसी कोर्ट केस के लिए लुटकिंस की जरूरत है।
दोनों के बीच एक सौदा हो गया था- उसने बिल के हैक को किराए पर लेने और लुटकिंस की खोज पर जाने का फैसला किया। बिल किसी तरह वकील को अपनी कहानी में फंसा लेता है और वे लुटकिंस की तलाश में अलग-अलग जगहों पर जाते हैं।
वह हमेशा वकील से पीछे रहने को कहता है। वे पोकर खेलते हुए लुटकिंस को पकड़ने के लिए फ्रिट्ज के पास जाते हैं। लेकिन वह उन्हें बताता है कि वह गुस्ताफ के पास दाढ़ी बनाने गया है।
गुस्ताफ में वे उससे नहीं मिल पाए और उन्हें बताया गया कि किसी ने उन्हें पूल रूम में देखा है। यहां भी किसी ने कहा कि वह सिगरेट खरीदकर पूलरूम से निकला था।
बिल ने लुटकिन्स को एक चालाक आदमी के रूप में वर्णित किया और अनुमान लगाया कि वह दाढ़ी के लिए ग्रे के पास गया होगा।
दोपहर में, बिल ने उसे अपनी पत्नी से दोपहर का भोजन खरीदने की पेशकश की क्योंकि यह रेस्तरां की तुलना में कम खर्चीला होगा।
उन्होंने वेड की पहाड़ी पर दोपहर का भोजन किया जो एक बहुत ही खूबसूरत जगह थी। उस समय तक क्लर्क बिल के अच्छे और खुशमिजाज स्वभाव से पूरी तरह प्रभावित हो चुका था ।
उसने गाँव के लोगों की तुलना शहर के लोगों से करना भी शुरू कर दिया था। बाद में, वे उसके एक मित्र से प्राप्त जानकारी के आधार पर लुटकिंस की माँ के घर पर उसकी खोज करने गए।
वहाँ महिला भयानक थी और वे जल्दी से वहाँ से चले गए क्योंकि वह उन पर लोहे की गर्म छड़ से हमला करने वाली थी।
अंत में, वकील को लुटकिन्स को सम्मन दिए बिना ही वापस जाना पड़ा। अगले दिन उनके मुखिया ने उन्हें बुरी तरह डांटा और फिर से लुटकिंस को जानने वाले एक साथी के साथ न्यू मुलियन भेज दिया।
स्टेशन पहुँचने पर, क्लर्क ने खुशी-खुशी इशारा किया कि बिल लुटकिन्स को खोजने में उनके लिए एक मददगार व्यक्ति था।
इस दौरान उनके साथी ने इस सच्चाई का खुलासा किया कि हैक करने वाला कोई और नहीं बल्कि खुद लुटकिन्स थे। क्लर्क को बहुत बुरा लगा और शर्म आ रही थी कि कैसे उसे एक ग्रामीण ने मूर्ख बनाया है।

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The Hack Driver Class 10 Video Explanation

The Hack Driver Explanation

Passage – AFTER graduating with honours, I became a junior assistant clerk in a magnificent law firm. I was sent, not to prepare legal briefs, but to serve summons, like a cheap private detective. I had to go to the dirty and shadowy corners of the city to seek out my victims. Some of the larger and more self-confident ones even beat me up. I hated this unpleasant work, and the side of city life it revealed to me.
I even considered fleeing to my hometown, where I could have been a real lawyer right away, without going through this unpleasant training period.

Word meaning
Magnificent: glorious, majestic
Legal briefs: A written legal document
Summons: court order
Detective: investigator
Shadowy: dark, dim
Unpleasant: horrible

Explanation of the above passage – The narrator gives his introduction that after completing his graduation with honours, he got selected for a job of junior assistant clerk in a very famous law firm. But instead of preparing legal papers like a lawyer, he had to deliver the court orders to various people whom he had referred to as his victims. He said so because in many of the cases he had to face very awkward situations where he was beaten up by them.
They did so in order to avoid court orders as they had to then comply with them. So, the narrator says that he hated his job. He hated it to the extent that he sometimes thought of running away to his hometown where he could work as a real lawyer and not as a mere clerk.

Passage – So I rejoiced one day when they sent me out forty miles in the country, to a town called New Mullion, to serve summons on a man called Oliver Lutkins. We needed this man as a witness in a law case, and he had ignored all our letters.

town

Word meaning
Rejoiced: happiness, joy
Witness: viewer, observer

Explanation of the above passage – One day, the narrator was very happy to know that he had to visit a place which was forty miles away from the place where he lived. He says that the town which he had to visit was New Mullion. He had to visit this place in order to serve summons (court orders) to a man named Oliver Lutkins. Oliver Lutkins was a witness or observer in some case and the firm needed him for that case but he had constantly been neglecting the letters sent by the law firm.

Passage – When I got to New Mullion, my eager expectations of a sweet and simple country village were severely disappointed. Its streets were rivers of mud, with rows of wooden shops, either painted a sour brown, or bare of any paint at all. The only agreeable sight about the place was the delivery man at the station. He was about forty, red-faced, cheerful, and thick about the middle. His working clothes were dirty and well-worn, and he had a friendly manner. You felt at once that he liked people.

Word meaning
Eager: impatient
Expectation: belief, supposition
Disappointed: upset
Agreeable: pleasing, nice

Explanation of the above passage – When the narrator reached New Mullion, his excitement about visiting a village was washed off. It happened so because the village was not as per his expectations. The streets were in a bad condition as they were full of mud. The shops were also very dull. Everything he saw was full of dullness making him sad. But then he saw a delivery man who was about forty years old and was very cheerful.
It seemed to the narrator that he was very friendly with other people. This made him like the delivery man and he refered him as the only person in the village who made him feel nice.

Passage – “I want,” I told him, “to find a man named Oliver Lutkins.”
“Lutkins? I saw him around here about an hour ago. Hard fellow to catch though — always up to something or other. He’s probably trying to start up a poker game in the back of Fritz’s shop. I’ll tell you, boy — is there any hurry about locating Lutkins?”

Word meaning
Poker game: a type of card game.

Explanation of the above passage – The narrator went up to this cheerful delivery man and told him that he was searching for a man named Oliver Lutkins. The delivery man quickly repeated the name of the person being searched by the clerk. He then told him that he saw Lutkins an hour ago. He also told him that it was not easy to find him as he was always upto something. Then he told him that Lutkins could be found at Fritz’s shop where he played a card game known as poker. He also inquired him about the urgency of finding Lutkins.

poker

Passage – “Yes. I want to catch the afternoon train back to the city.” I was very important and secret about it.
“I’ll tell you what. I’ve got a hack. I’ll get it out and we can drive around together and find Lutkins. I know most of the places he hangs out.”

Word meaning
Hack: A horse drawn vehicle, horse cart
Hangs out: To spend time doing nothing in particular

Explanation of the above passage – The clerk narrator replied that it was very urgent to find Lutkins as he had to go back to the city by the afternoon train. To this the delivery man said that he had a horse cart and he would help him in finding Lutkins.
He knew all those places where Lutkins spent his free time.

Passage – He was so open and friendly that I glowed with the warmth of his affection. I knew, of course, that he wanted the business, but his kindness was real. I was glad the fare money would go to this good fellow. I managed to bargain down to two dollars an hour, and then he brought from his house nearby a sort of large black box on wheels. He remarked, “Well, young man, here’s the carriage,” and his wide smile made me into an old friend. These villagers are so ready to help a stranger. He had already made it his own task to find Oliver Lutkins for me.

Word meaning
Glowed: Here, it means impressed
Affection: love and care for someone
Bargain: to negotiate the price of something
Black box on wheels: refers to the horse cart

Explanation of the above passage – The clerk was impressed by the friendly and caring behavior of the delivery man. He says that though he knew that he was trying to earn some money from him but he accepted his offer because he was a very nice man. It was because of his nice and friendly behaviour that he accepted the offer but he cracked the deal at two dollars per hour.
Later on, the delivery man brought his horse cart and offered him to sit. The clerk thought of the kindness and the helpful nature of the villagers who helped a stranger and took his problem as his own.

Passage – He said, “I don’t want to interfere, young fellow, but my guess is that you want to collect some money from Lutkins. He never pays anybody a cent. He still owes me fifty cents on a poker game I was fool enough to play with him. He’s not really bad, but it’s hard to make him part with his money. If you try to collect from him, in those fancy clothes, he’ll be suspicious and get away from you. If you want I’ll go into Fritz’s and ask for him, and you can keep out of sight behind me.”

Word meaning
Owes: be in a debt/ an obligation to pay money
Suspicious: doubtful

Explanation of the above passage – The delivery man started a conversation with the clerk and enquired if he had to take back his money from Lutkins. He also told him that Lutkins never paid back his debts. He too had to take back fifty cents from him which he had won in the poker game. The delivery man regretted being a fool who played with Lutkins though he was aware of his nature of nonpayment of money.
Later on he suggested that he not to come in front of Lutkins because his fancy clothes could make Lutkins doubt him and could give him a chance to run away. So he told him to stay behind him at Fritz’s shop.

Passage – I loved him for this. By myself, I might never have found Lutkins. With the hack driver’s knowing help, I was sure of getting my man. I took him into my confidence and told him that I wanted to serve the summons on Lutkins — that the man had refused to be a witness, when his information would have quickly settled our case. The driver listened earnestly. At the end, he hit me on the shoulder and laughed,”Well, we’ll give Brother Lutkins a little surprise.”

Word meaning
Hack Driver: the one drives a horse cart or hack
Confidence: trust, belief
Earnestly: sincerely

Explanation of the above passage – As the hack driver was working hard for him, he told him the truth behind his search. He told him that Lutkins was a witness in a very important case but he was not helping them out by giving them the details. That information of Lutkins could help them in solving the case quickly. The driver heard all this seriously and then hit on the clerk’s shoulder and said that they would surprise Lutkins by catching him and fulfilling the clerk’s purpose.

Passage – “Let’s start, driver.”
“Most folks around here call me Bill or Magnuson. My business is called ‘William Magnuson Fancy Carting and Hacking’.”
“All right, Bill. Shall we proceed to Fritz’s”.
“Yes, Lutkins is just as likely to be there as anywhere. Plays a lot of poker. He’s good at deceiving people.” Bill seemed to admire Lutkins’ talent for dishonesty. I felt that if he had been a policeman, he would have caught Lutkins respectfully, and jailed him with regret.

Word meaning
Proceed: to begin
Deceiving: cheating
Admire: praise, appreciate
Regret: to be sorry

Explanation of the above passage – They start their search for Lutkins. On their way, the hack driver introduced himself as Bill or Magnuson and said that his business was called “William Magnuson Fancy carting and Hacking”. The clerk replied in a very friendly way that now he and bill should begin their search mission. Bill also told him that Lutkins was fond of playing poker and also praised his ability to cheat others.
This made the clerk imagine about Bill that had he been a policeman, he would have caught Lutkins in a very respectful manner. Not only this, he would have felt bad to put that man in jail.

Passage – Bill led me into Fritz’s. “Have you seen Oliver Lutkins around today? Friend of his looking for him,” said Bill cheerily.
Fritz looked at me, hiding behind Bill. He hesitated, and then admitted, “Yes, he was in here a little while ago. Guess he’s gone over to Gustaff’s to get a shave.”
“Well, if he comes in, tell him I’m looking for him.”

Word meaning
Cheerily: happy
Hesitated: be in two minds, stall

fritzs shop

Admitted: confess

Explanation of the above passage – Bill took the clerk to Fritz’s shop and enquired about Oliver Lutkins. He tried to appear natural by saying that his friend had come to meet him. He did this to make Fritz tell the truth about Lutkins. At first Fritz was confused but then he said that Lutkins was there a few hours ago, but he left for Gustaff’s shop where he had gone for a shave. After getting the information, Bill asked Fritz to convey a message to Lutkins that he was looking for him.

Passage – We drove to Gustaff’s barber shop. Again Bill went in first, and I lingered at the door. He asked not only the Swede but two customers if they had seen Lutkins. The Swede had not. He said angrily, “I haven’t seen him, and don’t care to. But if you find him you can just collect that dollar thirty-five he owes me.” One of the customers thought he had seen Lutkins walking down Main Street, this side of the hotel.

Word meaning
Lingered: waited around
Swede: a native or inhabitant of Sweden, or a person of Swedish descent.

Explanation of the above passage – Next they went to Gustaff’s shop. Here also Bill went inside the shop first and the clerk waited for him outside. They had to face the anger of the hair dresser because Lutkins had not paid his thirty five dollars. But one of the customers told them that he had seen Lutkins in the main street near the hotel.

Passage – As we climbed back into the hack, Bill concluded that since Lutkins had exhausted his credit at Gustaff’s he had probably gone to Gray’s for a shave. At Gray’s barber shop we missed Lutkins by only five minutes. He had just left — probably for the poolroom. At the poolroom it appeared that he had just bought a pack of cigarettes and gone out. So we pursued him, just behind him but never catching him, for an hour till it was past one o’clock. I was hungry. But I had so enjoyed Bill’s rough country opinions about his neighbours that I scarcely cared whether I found Lutkins or not.

Word meaning
Concluded: draw the judgement
Exhausted: used up, finished
Poolroom: A place to play pool, a betting shop
Scarcely: hardly

Explanation of the above passage – When they were about to climb the hack again, Bill guessed that Lutkins may have gone to Gray’s barber shop as his credit limit with Gustaff had ended. But when they reached Gray’s shop, they came to know that Lutkins left the place just five minutes ago..They decided to visit the poolroom (A betting shop), someone told them that he had left after buying cigarettes.
So their attempts to catch him were all in vain. Almost an hour had passed. It was one o’clock in the afternoon and the clerk was hungry. But Bill’s cheerfulness and his knowledge of the villagers was so delightful for him that he hardly bothered to find Lutkins.

Passage – “How about something to eat?” I suggested. “Let’s go to a restaurant and I’ll buy you lunch.”
“Well, I ought to go home to the wife. I don’t care much for these restaurants — only four of them and they’re all bad. Tell you what we’ll do. We’ll get the wife to pack up a lunch for us — she won’t charge you more than half a dollar, and it would cost you more for a greasy meal in a restaurant — and we’ll go up to Wade’s Hill and enjoy the view while we eat.

Word meaning
Greasy meal: oily food

bill wife

Explanation of the above passage – The clerk asked Bill about having lunch. He offered to buy lunch for both of them from the restaurant. Bill replied that there were only four restaurants and none of them were good. He said that he would get food from his wife. Bill also suggested the clerk to buy a food parcel from his wife as he had to pay only half a dollar, which was far less than the price of the restaurant meal which was oily and non tasty. He also suggested that they both go up the Wade’s hill which was a nice place to view while they had their lunch.

Passage – I know that Bill’s helpfulness to the Young Fellow from the City was not entirely a matter of brotherly love. I was paying him for his time; in the end I paid him for six hours (including the lunch hour) at what was then a very high price. But he was no more dishonest than I. I charged the whole thing to the firm.
But it would have been worth paying him myself to have his presence. His cheerful country wisdom was very refreshing to a country boy like me who was sick of the city. As we sat on the hilltop, looking over the pastures and creek which slipped among the trees, he talked of New Mullion, and painted a picture in words of all the people in it.
He noticed everything, but no matter how much he might laugh at people, he also understood and forgave their foolishness. He described the minister’s wife who sang the loudest in church when she was most in debt. He commented on the boys who came back from college in fancy clothes. He told about the lawyer whose wife could never succeed in getting him to put on both a collar and a tie on the same day. He made them all live. On that day I came to know New Mullion better than I did the city and to love it better.

Word meaning
Pastures: grassland
Creeks: a stream or minor tributary

nature

Explanation of the above passage – The narrator says that he knew that Bill was not helping him because of his helping nature but because he was earning from him. He was getting paid for the six hours he spent with the clerk, even the lunch hour during which they were sitting idle on a hilltop. He was comfortable with this because his law firm would bear all his expenses. So, he felt it to be dishonesty on his own part. Anyways he was happy to get the company of such a cheerful person like Bill.
While they were sitting on the hilltop, they saw the beautiful grasslands and the streams flowing through them. For the clerk they were very beautiful as he was also a villager and did not like the city life much. Bill told him everything about New Mullion. He explained everything and everyone in such a way that he felt like everything had happened in front of his own eyes. Bill told him about the minister’s wife who would sing so loudly in the church whenever she was under debt (liability to pay off your credit or loans).
This means that she prayed to god for her problems. Then there were some college boys who would dress in such a fancy way and the lawyer’s wife who always failed in her attempt to make her husband wear both the collar and the tie on the same day. The narrator says that Bill’s knowledge of his village fellows was so good that it made him love the small town of New Mullion. He says that now he knew almost everything about this place whereas he was not much aware of the city he was living in.

Passage – Bill didn’t know about colleges and cities, but he had travelled around a lot of the country, and had had a lot of jobs. From his adventures he had brought back a philosophy of simplicity and laugher. He strengthened me.

We left that peaceful scene of meadows and woods, and resumed our search of Oliver Lutkins. We could not find him. At last Bill cornered a friend of Lutkins and made him admit what he guessed,“Oliver’s gone out to his mother’s farm, three miles north.” We drove out there, laying plans.

Word meaning
Adventures; exploit or event
Philosophy: ideology, beliefs
Meadows: field, pasture
Resumed: restart
Cornered: forced into a place or situation

Explanation of the above passage – Bill knew nothing about colleges and cities may be because he never got the chance to visit these places. But he knew everything about the villages and small towns as he had done different types of jobs at these places. He got his ideology of simplicity and cheerful nature as a gift by exploiting these places. He tried to build faith in the narrator that they would surely catch Lutkins. Both of them left the beautiful fields and restarted their search mission.
At last,Bill forced one of Lutkin’s friends to admit that Lutkin had ran away to his mother’s house which was three miles away from New Mullion. So, both of them prepared to drive to Lutkin’s mother in order to find him.

Passage – “I know Oliver’s mother. She’s a terror,” Bill sighed. “I took a trunk out there for her once, and she almost took my skin off because I didn’t treat it like a box of eggs. She’s about nine feet tall and four feet thick and quick as a cat, and she sure can talk. I’ll bet Oliver heard that somebody’s chasing him, and he’s gone on there to hide behind his mother’s skirts. Well, we’ll try her. But you’d better let me do it, boy. You may be great at literature and law, but you haven’t had real training in swearing.”

Explanation of the above passage – Bill told him that he knew Oliver’s mother because once he took the delivery of a trunk for her. She treated him very badly as she was angry for not taking proper care of her trunk. He described her physical appearance that she was nine feet tall, four feet thick and compared her quickness to that of a cat.
He added that the Lutkins must have come to know that they were searching for him that is why he had run to his mother’s place in order to hide himself. He also suggested that the narrator should let him deal with the mother as he doubted that the clerk would not be able to extract the truth from the lady’s mouth.

Passage – We drove into a poor farmyard; we were faced by an enormous and cheerful old woman. My guide bravely went up to her and said, “Remember me? I’m Bill Magnuson, the carter and hackman. I want to find your son, Oliver.”
“I don’t know anything about Oliver, and I don’t want to,” she shouted.

Word meaning
Enormous: huge

Explanation of the above passage – When they reached the farmland they found a heavily built cheerful old lady. Bill went upto her with guts and introduced himself by saying that he was Bill Magnuson and also told her that he was searching for her son Oliver. To this the lady replied by shouting that she knew nothing about him.

Passage – “Now, look here. We’ve had just about enough nonsense. This young man represents the court in the city, and we have a legal right to search all properties for this Oliver Lutkins.”
Bill made me sound very important, and the woman was impressed. She retired into the kitchen and we followed. She seized an iron from the old-fashioned stove and marched on us shouting. “You search all you want to — if you don’t mind getting burnt first.” She shouted and laughed at our frightened retreat.

Word meaning
Represents: Be appointed to act on behalf of or speak for someone
Retired: Here, went inside
Seized: grabbed, snatched
Frightened: afraid or anxious
Retreat: pull back

Explanation of the above passage – Bill got a bit strict with the lady and said that they had been through tough and confusing things and then introduced her to the clerk by saying that he was a person appointed by the city court. He also said that they had got the legal right to search her house to find Oliver Lutkins.
The clerk was happy as he was getting due importance from Bill and even the lady seemed impressed by him. She went into the kitchen and both of them followed her. To their shock, she took out a hot iron from the stove and threatened them to burn. She laughed when they stepped back due to fear.

Passage – “Let’s get out of here. She’ll murder us,” Bill whispered. Outside, he said, “Did you see her smile? She was laughing at us.” I agreed that it was pretty disrespectful treatment. We did, however, search the house. Since it was only one storey high, Bill went round it, peering in at all the windows.
We examined the barn and stable; we were reasonably certain that Lutkins was not there. It was nearly time for me to catch the afternoon train, and Bill drove me to the station.

Word meaning
Whispered: murmured
Disrespectful: rude, impolite
Examined: to look or consider a person or place
Barn: outhouse, shelter
Stable: A place where horse is tied up

Explanation of the above passage – The reaction of the lady was so horrible that Bill murmured to the clerk to leave the place. He agreed that the behavior of the woman was very rude. Yet they managed to search the whole house including the outhouse and the stable (a place where horse is tied). As it was a single storeyed building, they managed to search the whole of it and could not find Lutkins. As the clerk was getting late for his train, therefore, Bill took him to the station.

Passage – On the way to the city I worried very little over my failure to find Lutkins. I was too busy thinking about Bill Magnuson. Really, I considered returning to New Mullion to practise law. If I had found Bill so deep and richly human, might I not grow to love Fritz and Gustaff and a hundred other slow-spoken, simple, wise neighbours? I pictured an honest and happy life beyond the strict limits of universities and law firms. I was excited. I had found a treasure. I had discovered a new way of life.

Explanation of the above passage – While the narrator was heading back towards the city he did not regret his failure in delivering summons to Lutkins, rather he was happy. He was still thinking about Bill Magnuson and felt like going back to New Mullion and start his practice there. He felt a certain kind of attachment with all the villagers such as Fritz and Gustaff whom he considered humble speakers and wise neighbours.
He imagined a life which was honest, simple and joyous which was not experienced by him in the boundaries of his university or law firm. He was so happy that he felt as if he had got some kind of treasure and had found a new way of life.

Passage – But if I did not think much about Lutkins, the office did. I found them all upset. Next morning the case was coming up in the court, and they had to have Lutkins. I was a shameful, useless fool. That morning my promising legal career almost came to an end before it had begun.

Word meaning
Shameful: disgraceful
Promising: hopeful

Explanation of the above passage – Though the narrator was not so worried about finding Lutkins but his firm was. The people there got very upset on hearing that he was not able to serve the summons. He was insulted by being called shameful and useless. He felt that it was his last day in the office as his career was about to end.

Passage – The Chief almost murdered me. He hinted that I might do well at digging ditches. I was ordered back to New Mullion, and with me went a man who had worked with Lutkins. I was rather sorry, because it would prevent my loafing all over again with Bill.

Word meaning
Hinted: suggest
Digging: to till
Ditches: a drain or trench
Loafing: spend time in idle way

Explanation of the above passage – The narrator’s chief was very angry with him. He treated him so badly that the clerk felt as if he would murder him. Not only this, he also suggested to him that he was better for the job of tilling a drain or something. He was again sent to New Mullion with a man who had worked with Lutkins. The clerk was feeling bad not for what happened but because he would miss the chance to be with Bill.

Passage – When the train arrived at New Mullion, Bill was on the station platform, near his cart. Strangely enough, that old tigress, Lutkins’ mother was there talking and laughing with Bill, not quarrelling at all. From the train steps I pointed Bill out to my companion and said, “There’s a fine fellow, a real man. I spent the day with him.”
He helped you hunt for Oliver Lutkins?”
“Yes, he helped me a lot.”
“He must have; he’s Lutkins himself.”

Word meaning
Companion: associate, partner
Hunt: search for

Explanation of the above passage – When both the narrator and his new partner reached New Mullion station they saw Bill on the platform. But to his (narrator’s) surprise, Bill was talking and laughing with Lutkin’s mother, whom the narrator compared to a tigress for her rude behavior. He then told his partner that it was Bill, a nice man who helped him search for Lutkins. But he was surprised by the answer given by the companion that the man who helped him find Lutkins was none other than Lutkins himself.

The HAck Driver

(Source: NCERT)

Passage – What really hurt me was that when I served the summons, Lutkins and his mother laughed at me as though I were a bright boy of seven. With loving kindness they begged me to go with them to a neighbour’s house for a cup of coffee.
“I told them about you and they’re anxious to look at you,” said Lutkins joyfully. “They’re about the only folks in the town that missed seeing you yesterday.”

Word meaning
Begged: To request
Anxious: concerned, worried
Folks: people

Explanation of the above passage – The thing that pinched the narrator a lot was that both the mother and son were laughing at him when he served Lutkins with the summons. Not only this, they requested him to join them for a coffee at a neighbor’s house because they were the only people left in the village who had not seen him yesterday when he was searching for Lutkins though Lutkins was riding with him in the hack.

The Hack Driver Question/ Answer

Q1-When the lawyer reached New Mullion, did ‘Bill’ know that he was looking for Lutkins? When do you think Bill came up with his plan for fooling the lawyer?

A1- No, Bill didn’t know anything about the lawyer. It was a matter of chance that he went himself to Bill and enquired about Oliver Lutkins. Bill at once came up with the plan of fooling the lawyer when he was enquired by the lawyer about Lutkins because as per the story he was a very cunning man who had to pay off many people therefore we can say that he was ready with a plan to befool him.

Q2-Lutkins openly takes the lawyer all over the village. How is it that no one lets out the secret? (Hint: Notice that the hack driver asks the lawyer to keep out of sight behind him when they go into Fritz’s.) Can you find other such subtle ways in which Lutkins manipulates the tour?

A2- Lutkins (Bill) was a very cunning man who cooked up a story for lawyer that Lutkins will run away if he saw a man dressed like lawyer enquiring about him. So, he suggested him to stay behind. It was Lutkins, who used to go into the various shops first, due to this no one could able to answer the real truth as he would come up with another story for the villager or may take them into his confidence. Even when they went to search Lutkin at his mother’s place he described his mother as very horrible and there also he introduced himself as bill the hack driver to his mother and informed her about the lawyer who was searching for Lutkins. This made his mother to help him out as she knew not to disclose anything to the lawyer.

Q3- Why do you think Lutkins’ neighbours were anxious to meet the lawyer?

A3-Lutkins took the lawyer all across the town in search of Lutkins himself. He was able to fool a lawyer with his cooked up stories about Lutkins and other villagers. All this must have become a talk of the town as how a man can fool the other man in his own search. Everyone had seen this happening. So, the Lutkins’ neighbours were keen to see him as they missed to see this that day.

Q4-After his first day’s experience with the hack driver the lawyer thinks of returning to New Mullion to practise law. Do you think he would have reconsidered this idea after his second visit?

A4- Yes, he may have reconsidered his idea of practicing his law at New Mullions. He had taken this decision because he was impressed by the noble and friendly nature of Bill. He found that the villagers were nice, innocent and kind. They were far better than the city people who were not so simple and humble.

Q5- Do you think the lawyer was gullible? How could he have avoided being taken for a ride?

A5- Gullible is a person who easily trusts other people. Yes, the lawyer was very gullible as he was taken away with whatever he was told by the hack driver. He never thought of cross checking it. The lawyer could have checked everything himself by going to the people himself but he let Bill to do this. He was so impressed by Bill’s friendliness and cheerfulness that he never crosschecked with what he was told by the Bill and made it easy for the hack driver to fool him.

Important Videos Links

CBSE Class 10 English Syllabus as Per Term 2 From Footprints Without Feet Book

The Making of a Scientist Chapter 6	The Necklace Chapter 7
The Hack Driver Chapter 8	Bholi Chapter 9