Q. What made Ray think the visitor was not really a shopper?
Ans. Ray was deaf and dumb, but a good judge of men. His old wise eyes told him that the new visitors to his shop at that late hour, was not a shopper or customer. There was no friendliness in his eyes.
Q. Why do you think he had come to the shop?
Ans. The visitor had not come to the shop to buy anything. Perhaps his intention was to loot the owner of his cash. He was in dire need of money.
Q. How did Ray communicate with him?
Ans. Ray could neither speak nor hear. So he communicated with his customer by writing his message on a notepad. The visitor also wrote his reply on paper.
Q. What do you think the man said to his friend who waited at the door?
Ans. The older man pointed to his ears and shook his head from side to side. Thus he conveyed to his younger companion that the shopowner could neither hear nor speak.
Q. Ray was not a pawnbroker. Why then did he lend money to people in exchange for their old watches and clocks?
Ans. Ray was not a pawnbroker, a person who lends money on security of some item. He did not lend money on interest. He was, however, kind and helpful. He couldn’t say ‘No’ to the needy people.
Q. “The watch was nothing special and yet had great powers.” In what sense did it have ‘great powers’?
Ans. The watch was just ordinary. But it had the power to pull a person out of a bad situation. The older man got the money he needed without hurting Ray. The generous shopkeeper also escaped physical injury. In this sense the watch had great powers.
Q. Do you think the man would ever come back to pick up the watch?
Ans. No, it is very unlikely that the older man would ever come back to pick up his watch. He had, after all, got a price higher than the watch was worth for.
Q. When did “the unfriendly face” of the visitor turn truly friendly?
Ans. The unfriendly face of the visitor turned friendly when he got a fifty dollar note for his ordinary watch. He felt obliged and happy.
