Answer the questions given below the extracts.

"Let me handle the thing. My life is nothing. Yours is of great value to England".

1. What is 'the thing' referred to here?

2. Why did it pose a threat to life?

3. Whose life is of 'great value' to England? In what way?

1. ‘The thing’ is referred to a parcel which both of them think that is a package of infernal machine which might contain some explosive content that can be a threat to Weston’s life.

2. As Weston was terrified by the threat note he found in his pocket that day he was confused about who could do this to him. So when Roger told him about the package that has arrived for him, he cautiously suspects that thing to be send by his enemies to kill him by some sort of infernal machine. So he thought that parcel could be a threat to his life.

3. Lord Weston life is of ‘great value’ to England. Weston is a reputed and well known judge of the country that is very pompous and self important. He is a prominent personality who considers himself a very important human for the welfare of the people of England. Therefore his secretary Roger calls his master life a great value for the country.

4. The speaker considers his life less important because he doesn’t realize his self worth. He is a thin, earnest, absent minded and a non hard working person who cannot make his own identity. He works as a secretary and thinks to devote all his life by serving to his master. These lines convey that the speaker has an absent and conscientious mind which always listens to his masters’ lectures and will do anything even risk his life before his master. The lure of his work has been gradually too much for him, and he is now blissfully copying from one paper on to another while the measured words flow over him, his lips forming the phrases while he writes. Though he is obedient and respects his master but one has to make his own life worth living rather than just being a servant therefore he doesn’t consider his life is of a great value.