It had no eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It was just a round smooth head – with a school cap on top of it!

Question

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 

It had no eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It was just a round smooth head – with a school cap on top of it! And that’s where the story should 

end. But for Mr. Oliver it did not end here. 

The torch fell from his trembling hand. He turned and scrambled down the path, running blindly through the trees and calling for help. 

He was still running towards the school buildings when he saw a lantern swinging in the middle of the path. 

(i) Who was Mr. Oliver ? Where did he encounter ‘It’ ?

(ii) Where did Mr. Oliver work ? Why did Life magazine describe this place as the ‘Eton of the East’ ?

(iii) Why had Mr. Oliver approached ‘It’ in the first place ?

What had he mistaken it for ? 

(iv) What is lantern ? Who was holding the lantern ? 

Why did Mr. Oliver feel relieved at the sight of the lantern ? 

(v) Briefly describe the meeting between the lantern-bearer and Mr. Oliver. 

State one reason why ‘A Face in the Dark’ could be considered a horror story.

Answer 1

(i) Mr Oliver, a bachelor, was an Anglo Indian teacher in a school outside Simla. He encountered ‘it’ (a figure of a boy) who was sitting alone on a rock as he (Oliver) walked through the pine forest. 

(ii) Mr Oliver was teaching in the school which was run on English Public School lines. ‘Life’ magazine described this place as ‘the Eton of the East’ because the boys from wealthy Indian families studied in the school. They wore blazers, caps and ties. 

(iii) Mr Oliver approached it (the boy) in order to recognise the boy. He had mistaken it (the boy) for one of his school students who, Mr Oliver felt, should not have been there so late in the dark. 

(iv) A lantern is a lamp in a transparent case, often a metal case with glass sides, that has a handle, so that you can carry it outside. Mr Oliver was holding the lantern. He felt relieved at the sight of the lantern swinging in the middle of the path because his own lantern had fallen from his trembling hand on seeing the figure of a boy who was without eyes, ears nose or mouth. 

(v) Mr Oliver feels nervous. He stumbles up to the ‘watchman gasping for breath. He is frightened when he finds that the Watchman has also no eyes, no ears, no features at all – not even an eyebrow. All this makes the story mysterious, strange and supernatural. Mr Oliver had earlier come across a figure of a boy who had no eyes, no ears, no nose and no mouth. And then a similar watchman. This is all frightening and horrible. This makes the story a real horror story.