“He barely managed to say “Thank you” before she shut the door-How does the ending appear to be in contrast to the way in which the story begins?

The story begins with Roger planning to snatch the purse of Mrs Jones and while doing so gets caught by her. Being afraid that he might be handed over to the police, throughout the way to her house, he pleads with her to let him go. All the while, he thinks of running away. Mrs Jones also, at first kicks and beats Roger. But as the story progresses and Roger gets to know Mrs Jones better, his attitude towards her changes and his way of looking at things also gets improved. In the end, he learns a new lesson that life can be tough, but stealing will make it more burdensome. He learns to follow the honest path of life. When he finally leaves Mrs Jones’ house, he is a changed boy, full of gratitude. He is at a loss of words and does not understand how to thank her. The same lady from whom he has wanted to run away, in the beginning, fills his life with precious teachings by the end of the story.

Describe the bag snatching incident.

This incident had its own significance as it not only introduced the readers to Mrs Jones and Roger but also changed the life of Roger for good. Roger, a boy of fourteen or fifteen was a poor one with nobody to take care of. Seeing Mrs Jones’ walk alone with her large purse late at night, he ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse. But the weight of the purse combined with his own weight made him lose his balance and he fell headlong down. Immediately Mrs Jones turned around and kicked the boy. Then grabbing him by his shirt front she shook him until his teeth rattled. She made the boy pick up her pocketbook and asked the boy the reason for stealing. Since Roger was shrunk in fear she held him more tightly and dragged him to her home in order to teach him a lesson.

What do you know about Mrs Luella’s home?

It appears from the author’s description that Mrs Jones lived in a moderate-sized house with a big hall and several rooms. The room where she took Roger was a kitchenette furnished chamber at the far end of the house. Mrs Jones’ room had a day-bed at one side, a wash-basin, a mirror and toiletries on the other side. In another corner of the room, behind a screen was a gas plate, an icebox and a dining table. The other parts of the house were occupied by the other roomers and their giggles and talking could be heard. However, Mrs Jones occupied one room and lived alone which was evident from the fact that no one was waiting for her late-night or was there to help her prepare supper. She had everything she needed in that room and did all the work herself.