The Open Window

Textual Questions and Exercises

Q1. Why had Framton Nuttel come to the “rural retreat”?

 Ans. Framton Nuttel had come to the “rural retreat” to undergo a nerve cure.
Q2. Why had his sister given him letters of introduction to people living there?

Ans. His sister had given him letters of introduction to people living there as he did not know anyone there. She knew that he would not speak to anybody and his nerves would be worse from moping. That is why she gave him letters of introduction to all the people she knew there.
Q3. What had happened in the Sappleton family as narrated by the niece?

Ans. The niece told Nuttel that about three years ago Mrs. Sappleton’s husband and her two younger brothers had gone for their day’s shooting through the open French window. They never came back. In crossing the moor to their favourite shooting spot, they were all engulfed in a piece of bog. It was a wet summer and places that were safe in other years gave way suddenly without warning. Their bodies were never recovered.

Q4. What did Mrs Sappleton say about the open window?

Ans. Mrs. Sappleton said that she hoped Framton did not mind the open window. She told him that her husband and her brothers would be coming home directly from their shooting, and they always came that way.
Q5. The horror on the girl’s face made Framton swing around in his seat. What did he see?

Ans. When Framton turned around, he saw a silhouette of three men and dog in the evening light. Then a hoarse voice was heard shouting at the dog.
Q6. What was the girl’s explanation for his lightning exit?

Ans. The girl said that the spaniel was the reason for his lightning exit. She said that he had a horror of dogs. She explained that he was once hunted into a cemetery somewhere on the banks of the Ganges by a pack of dogs. He had to spend the night in a newly dug grave, with the creatures snarling, grinning and foaming just above him.

Q7. Is this a mystery story? Give a reason for your answer.

Ans. While explaining the mystery behind the open French window, theevents narrated by Mrs. Sappleton’s niece manage to create a sense of foreboding. Later, when the three men approach the open window, the reader (like Framton) can only logically conclude that they were ghosts. Hence, one can say that this story does contain elements of the mysterious.