A Retrieved Reformation (An edited version of ‘A Retrieved Reformation’ by O. Henry)

About the passage

A.  Read to understand

Answer these questions with reference to the context.

1. ’With that act, Ralph D. Spencer passed away and Jimmy Valentine took his place.’

a) What does ‘that act’ refer to?

Ans. ‘That act’ refers to Jimmy valentine throwing off his coat and pulling up his shirt sleeves to resume his previous occupation of breaking the safe.

b) What led to ‘that act’?

Ans. Annabel turns to Ralph D. Spencer, begging him to do something to save the little girl, at least to try. This led to ‘that act’.

c) In what sense did Ralph D. Spencer ‘pass away’?

Ans. Ralph D. Spencer passed away when Jimmy begins to crack the safe and settles back into his true identity in order to save Agatha’s life.

2. ‘I don’t know that it makes much difference, now.’

a) Who said this and to whom?

Ans. Ralph Spencer said this to the detective, Ben Price

b) What does ‘it’ refer to?

Ans. ‘it’ refers to people discovering that Ralph Spencer was in fact Jimmy Valentine, a skilled safecracker.

c) Why did he say this?

Ans. Jimmy uses his criminal skills for good—despite the risk it poses to his false identity—and it is in this moment that he is truly redeemed. He said so because he was certain that Annabel’s love is lost.

B. Answer these questions.

1. How did Ben Price guess that the burglaries were done by Jimmy Valentine?

Ans. Ben Price guessed that the burglaries were done by Jimmy Valentine because there were neat jobs of safe-burglary with no clue and he was the only burglar with the skills and the tools to do such a clean job.

2. How did Jimmy get information about Annabel and the town?

Ans. Jimmy collared a boy that was loafing on the steps of the bank and began to ask him questions about Annabel and the town, feeding him coins at intervals. This how he got information about Annabel and the town.

3. What happened to Agatha at the bank?

Ans. Agatha was accidently locked in the new vault at the Elmore Bank while playing with her elder sister, May.

4. Ben Price never handled petty criminals. How do you know this?

Ans. Ben Price never handled petty criminals. We know this from the line:

“The losses mounted and were now high enough to bring the matter up into Ben Price’s class of work.”

5. Why did Spencer show ‘a courteous but not too intelligent interest in the safe’?

Ans. Spencer showed ‘a courteous but not too intelligent interest in the safe’ because he himself was a skilled safecracker and knew everything about it. However, he showed some interest in the inner workings of the safe to please Mr. Adams, his future father-in-law.

6. Why do you think Ben Price pretended not to recognize him?

Ans. Ben Price pretended not to recognize him because he witnesses Valentine’s reformation and wanted to give him a chance to enjoy his new life.

Discuss and write

1. ‘Sorry, we couldn’t make it sooner….’ Who is the ‘we’ the speaker could be referring to?

Ans. In my opinion ‘we’ the speaker could be referring to Mike Dolan and the advocate.

2. The safe had to be broken to save a life. Was it an easy decision for Jimmy Valentine to make? Why / Why not?

Ans. No, it was not an easy decision for Jimmy Valentine to make because breaking the safe in order to save the girl’s life would reveal his true identity and risk his freedom.

3. Do you think Ben Price did the right thing by saying, ‘I don’t believe I know you’? What does this show about Ben’s sense of justice?

Ans. Yes, I think Ben Price did the right thing in letting Jimmy Valentine go because the man is truly reformed from his life of crime. Ben Price has acted appropriately because Jimmy deserves a great reward for saving a little girl at the risk of losing his freedom and all his claims to happiness.