NCERT Class 10 English Book Foot Prints Without feet Supp. Reader

The NCERT Class 10 English Book Footprints Without Feet is an essential supplementary reader prescribed by CBSE for the academic session 2025-26, featuring ten captivating stories that develop critical thinking and literary appreciation among students.

This carefully curated anthology introduces Class 10 students to diverse narrative styles, ranging from science fiction and mystery to heartwarming tales of redemption and moral awakening. Each story in Footprints Without Feet has been selected not merely for entertainment value but to cultivate essential comprehension skills, vocabulary development, and ethical reasoning that prove invaluable in board examinations and beyond.

Published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), this supplementary reader complements the main textbook First Flight, together forming the complete English Language and Literature curriculum. Students appearing for CBSE Board examinations should note that questions from this book typically carry 10 marks, making thorough preparation absolutely essential. You can access comprehensive resources for the main textbook through the CBSE 10th Class English Book PDF section.

NCERT Class 10 English Book Footprints Without Feet – Complete Chapter Index

The supplementary reader comprises ten thoughtfully arranged chapters, each presenting unique themes, memorable characters, and valuable life lessons. Understanding the structure and sequence helps students plan their study schedule effectively for the CBSE 2025-26 examinations.

Each chapter builds upon different literary elements—some focus on plot twists and suspense, others emphasise character development and moral complexity. This variety ensures students develop a well-rounded understanding of English literature while preparing for examination questions that test both factual recall and analytical interpretation.

Detailed Chapter Summaries and Analysis

Below you will find comprehensive summaries of all ten chapters from the NCERT Class 10 English Book Footprints Without Feet supplementary reader. Each summary includes key themes, character analysis, and important points for examination preparation.

Chapter 1: A Triumph of Surgery

This heartwarming story by James Herriot revolves around Tricki, an overindulged Pekingese dog belonging to the wealthy and doting Mrs Pumphrey. Her excessive pampering—which includes cream cakes, chocolates, and multiple meals daily—transforms the once-healthy pet into an obese, listless creature unable to walk properly. When Tricki’s condition deteriorates alarmingly, the worried owner summons veterinary surgeon Mr Herriot, who immediately recognises that the dog suffers not from any disease but from gross overfeeding.

Rather than prescribing medicines, Mr Herriot insists on hospitalising Tricki, knowing that removing him from Mrs Pumphrey’s excessive care is the only cure. At the surgery, Tricki receives no food initially, only water. Within days, the dog begins showing interest in other animals, starts eating regular portions, and transforms into an active, healthy pet. Mrs Pumphrey, meanwhile, sends eggs, wine, and brandy for her “suffering” pet—all of which Mr Herriot and his partners consume themselves, enjoying an unexpected bounty.

Important Quote: “He had never had a satisfying bellyful in his life.” This line reveals how Tricki, despite constant feeding, was nutritionally starved due to inappropriate diet choices.

Chapter 2: The Thief’s Story

Narrated in first person by Hari Singh, a fifteen-year-old experienced thief, this story by Ruskin Bond explores the transformative power of trust and kindness. Hari approaches Anil, a struggling young writer, with the deliberate intention of robbing him. Using flattery and feigned innocence, he convinces Anil to employ him as a cook and helper, despite having no actual cooking skills.

Anil, aware of Hari’s incompetence and likely suspicious of his background, nonetheless treats him with genuine warmth and trust. He teaches Hari to read and write, shares meals with him, and gives him money for daily purchases—knowing fully that Hari skims a rupee daily from the shopping money. This unconditional acceptance gradually affects Hari, who begins enjoying the stability and respect he has never experienced before.

When Anil receives six hundred rupees from a publisher, Hari sees his opportunity. That night, he steals the money from under Anil’s pillow and heads to the railway station, planning to escape to Lucknow. However, standing on the platform as rain soaks the notes, Hari experiences a profound internal conflict. He realises that stealing the money means losing Anil’s trust—and more importantly, losing the opportunity to become educated and respectable.

Hari returns and slips the wet notes back under the mattress. The next morning, Anil hands him a fifty-rupee note, promising regular payments as Hari’s writing improves. The damp note reveals that Anil knows about the theft, yet he says nothing, demonstrating how trust, when maintained despite betrayal, can inspire genuine transformation.

Chapter 3: The Midnight Visitor

This spy thriller by Robert Arthur subverts genre expectations through its protagonist, Ausable—a secret agent who defies every stereotype. Unlike the suave, athletic spies of popular fiction, Ausable is overweight, speaks with an American accent despite living in Paris, and conducts business from a shabby hotel room. His companion, a young writer named Fowler, struggles to hide his disappointment at meeting such an unglamorous figure.

The story’s tension escalates when Max, a rival agent, appears in Ausable’s room brandishing a pistol, demanding a crucial report about new missiles. Ausable remains remarkably calm, complaining about a non-existent balcony outside his window through which Max allegedly entered. He describes this “balcony” so convincingly—claiming it belongs to the adjacent office and has been a security nuisance—that Max, despite his professional skepticism, believes it exists.

When a knock sounds at the door, Ausable claims it is the police, whom he always summons for protection when carrying important documents. Panicked, Max decides to escape via the fictional balcony. He swings out the window and falls six floors to his death—there never was a balcony. The knock was merely a waiter delivering drinks. Ausable’s quick thinking and masterful lying eliminated a dangerous enemy without violence.

Chapter 4: A Question of Trust

Victor Canning’s story introduces Horace Danby, a fifty-year-old locksmith who leads a respectable life running a successful business. However, Horace harbours a secret passion: he loves rare, expensive books. To finance this hobby, he commits exactly one carefully planned burglary each year, stealing enough to purchase books for the next twelve months. He has successfully executed fifteen such robberies without ever being caught.

This year, Horace targets Shotover Grange while its owners are away in London. Having studied the house meticulously, he knows the safe combination and believes the robbery will proceed flawlessly. However, hay fever from the flowers causes him to sneeze repeatedly, and a young woman suddenly appears, catching him mid-crime.

The woman claims to be the owner’s wife, returned unexpectedly. She appears neither frightened nor threatening, speaking to Horace with friendly charm. She mentions that she desperately needs her jewels for a party but has forgotten the safe combination. Playing on Horace’s embarrassment and desire to escape, she convinces him to open the safe for her—without gloves, leaving fingerprints everywhere.

Two days later, police arrest Horace for the robbery. The real owner’s wife proves to be a grey-haired woman of sixty—the young woman was herself a clever thief who used Horace’s skills while framing him completely. When Horace protests his innocence, nobody believes him; his criminal record and fingerprints condemn him. Now in prison, Horace assists the warden with locks but becomes furious whenever anyone mentions “honour among thieves.”

Chapter 5: Footprints Without Feet

Adapted from H.G. Wells’ classic novel “The Invisible Man,” this title story follows Griffin, a brilliant but lawless scientist who discovers the secret of invisibility. Griffin is not a sympathetic character—even before his discovery, he was eccentric, short-tempered, and prone to illegal behaviour. When his landlord tries to evict him, Griffin sets fire to the house to prevent anyone from discovering his experiments.

Wandering London invisibly has initial appeal, but Griffin quickly discovers its drawbacks. Without clothes, he is freezing; without a visible form, he cannot eat at restaurants or stay at hotels. He resorts to theft, robbing a theatrical costume shop for bandages, dark glasses, a false nose, and an overcoat to create a visible disguise. He also steals money to survive, showing how his scientific achievement brings no genuine freedom—only a different form of imprisonment.

Eventually, Griffin arrives in the village of Iping, checking into an inn run by Mrs Hall. His strange appearance—completely bandaged face, dark glasses, wearing a hat indoors—arouses curiosity, but his payment of advance rent buys temporary tolerance. However, Griffin’s stolen money runs out, and his increasingly erratic behaviour frightens the villagers. When Mrs Hall confronts him about unpaid bills and strange occurrences, Griffin loses his temper and reveals his invisibility, throwing off his bandages to terrify everyone.

The village constable, Mr Jaffers, attempts to arrest Griffin for burglary, but how can one arrest someone invisible? In the ensuing chaos, Griffin escapes, his identity exposed, his refuge destroyed. For building a progressive foundation in English literature, younger students can explore the NCERT Class 7 English Book An Alien Hand supplementary reader.

Chapter 6: The Making of a Scientist

This biographical narrative chronicles the childhood