Footprints Without Feet HG Wells CBSE English X NCERT

1. Class X English
Book : Footprints Without Feet
Ch: Footprints without Feet
Notes
INTRODUCTION:
This is an interesting story about a scientist named Griffin and his rare formula of invisibility. He
developed a drug which made his body invisible, but he could be felt physically. Then, he
misused his power to steal money, clothes, and food. He found it difficult to stay in London with
such power so he decided to move to a small village, Iping. In the village, people were sceptical
about him and looked at him strangely. A series of incidences happened in the inn where he
stayed. As his money exhausted, he again started stealing it from people and hit the owners of
the inn when they suspected him. He had to ultimately reveal his identity to people who could
not catch him as he became invisible again.
THEME:
The story Footprints without Feet describes the story of a brilliant scientist, Griffin, who
degenerated himself into a lawless person. Griffin discovered that the human body could become
transparent and invisible. He misused his great discovery. He did not use the power of
invisibility for the welfare of society and humanity at large. He misused it to threaten, trouble
and beat innocent persons and rob them. He made illegal entries in stores and shops and stole
things from there. He committed a burglary in a clergyman’s house in Iping. Griffin remained
invisible or unseen only when he was without clothes. If he put on clothes, he lost his invisibility
and could be seen by the people around him.
MESSAGE:
The lesson gives a message that misuse of science and its great discoveries can make even a
brilliant scientist like Griffin a monster and a threatening lawless person.
SUMMARY:
 Muddy Imprints: Two boys were highly surprised. They saw muddy impressions on the
steps of a house in London. They were the fresh footmarks of a barefooted man. The boys
followed them. The impressions got fainter and finally disappeared.
 The mystery of Footmarks: The mystery of footmarks was quite simple. The boys were
following a scientist. He had just discovered how to make the human body transparent.

2.  Griffin - Great but Eccentric Scientist: Griffin was a great scientist. He carried out
many experiments to prove that the human body could become invisible. In the end, he
swallowed some rare drugs and his body became transparent. He was a lawless person.
His landlord disliked him and tried to eject him. In revenge, Griffin set his house on fire.
 Unseen when Naked: Griffin had to remove all his clothes if he wanted to be unseen by
the people. He became a homeless wanderer without clothes. He had no money. He left
footmarks as he moved.
 In a Big London store: The air was bitterly cold. Griffin was naked. Instead of walking
about the streets, he entered a London store for warmth. He enjoyed the pleasure of
clothes and food freely. He fitted himself out with warm clothes there. He became fully
dressed up with shoes, an overcoat and a hat. After putting on clothes, he became visible.
He had cold meat and coffee, sweets and wine from the grocery store. He slept on a pile
of quilts. He didn’t wake up until the assistants arrived the next morning. When they
came near, he panicked and began to run. But he could become invisible only when he
was totally naked. So he took off his newly found clothes. Once more he became naked
in the chilling January air.
 In Drury Lane: He hurried to Drury Lane, the centre of the theatre world. He entered the
shop of a theatrical company to become invisible. He came out of the shop wearing
bandages around his forehead, glasses, false nose, side-whiskers and a large hat. Then, he
attacked a shopkeeper and robbed him of all the money he could find.
 Arrival in Iping village: Griffin wanted to get away from the crowded London. He came
to the village of Iping. He booked two rooms in a local inn. He paid the rent in advance.
The arrival of a stranger of such strange appearance became the talk of the town. Mrs.
Hall tried to be friendly with her guest Griffin. He told her that he didn’t want to be
disturbed. He wanted to be alone. She thought that her guest was an eccentric scientist.
She didn’t mind his strange habits and irritable temper. Griffin’s cash finished. He told a
lie that he was expecting a cheque at any moment.
 Clergyman Burgled: A strange episode occurred. A clergyman and his wife were
awakened by the noises in the study very early in the morning. They came downstairs and
heard the chink of money being taken from the desk. With a poker in his hand, the
clergyman flung open the door. He shouted, “surrender!” He was surprised to see the
room empty. They looked under the desk, behind the curtains and even up the chimney.

3. No one was there. They found the desk open and the money missing. They were highly
surprised but couldn’t understand anything.
 Mrs. Hall’s Furniture Shows Strange Behavior: The landlord and his wife (Mrs. Hall)
woke up very early. They found Griffin’s door wide open. Usually, it was shut and
locked. They peeped around but found nobody. They found Griffin’s clothes and
bandages lying about. All of a sudden Mrs. Hall heard a sniff close to her ear. A hat leapt
up and dashed itself into her face. The chair became alive. They turned away in fear.
Then the chair pushed both of them out of the room. Even the door was slammed and
locked after them. Mrs. Hall almost fell down the stairs and started crying. She was sure
that the room was haunted by spirits. The villagers suspected that the trouble was caused
by witchcraft. When the news of burglary at the clergyman’s home became known,
everyone doubted Griffin’s hand in it. This suspicion grew stronger when Griffin
suddenly showed some ready cash. He had no cash a few days before.
 Invisible Man Shows Himself: Mrs. Hall went to Griffin’s room. He was there. She
asked what he had done to her chair upstairs. She also asked how he had entered a locked
room. The scientist lost his temper. He became furious and cried “I’ll show you.”
Suddenly he threw away all bandages, whiskers, spectacles and even nose. The horrified
men in the bar stared at a headless man.
 Encounter with Constable Jeffers: The police constable who had been informed,
arrived now. He was totally surprised to find that he was to arrest a man without a head.
There followed a wonderful scene. The scientist (Griffin) started throwing his clothes one
by one. He was becoming more and more invisible as he threw off one garment after
another. Finally, the man became invisible. Some people who tried to hold him were
beaten by the unseen blows that came from nowhere. In the end, Jeffers was knocked
unconscious. Nervous and excited people started crying “Hold him!” Griffin was
invisible and free now. No one knew where to lay hands on him.
VOCABULARY:
1. Imprints – impressions
2. Gazed – looked fixedly
3. Remarkable – strange
4. Descending – coming down
5. Progressing – moving
6. Faint – dim

4. 7. Mystery – secret
8. Bewildered – confused/surprised
9. Carried out – conducted
10. Rare – not often seen
11. Drug – medicine
12. Eject – to force someone out
13. Revenge – vindictive feeling
14. By no means – not at all
15. Regard – concern
16. Wrappers – covers
17. Grocery – provisional store
18. Quilts – warm covers
19. Settled down – laid comfortably
20. Managed – succeeded in
21. Panicked – be afraid
22. Gave chase – followed
23. Shivering – trembling
24. Side-whiskers – beard
25. Callously – without mercy
26. Set all tongues wagging – made all people talk about
27. Solitude – loneliness
28. Eccentrical – whimsical
29. Temper – nature
30. Presently – soon
31. Episode – event
32. Clergyman – priest
33. Creeping – moving quietly
34. Chink – sound of coins
35. Poker – rod for poking fire
36. Grasped – held firmly
37. Firmly – steadily
38. Surrender – submit
39. Affair – matter
40. Furious – very angry
41. Bedpost – leg of bed
42. Slam – shut forcefully
43. Hysterics – great excitement
44. Extraordinary – unusual
45. Convinced – sure
46. Haunted – visited by ghosts

5. 47. Moaned – cried in pain
48. Witchcraft – sorcery/black magic
49. Burglary – theft
50. Suspected – doubted
51. Quick tempered – short tempered
52. Horrified – frightened
53. Warrant – written official order
54. Blows – (here) attack of fists
55. Knocked – hit
56. Unconscious – fainted
57. Nervous – anxious
58. Lay hand on - catch
Value Points:
 Two boys on a London street were surprised to see fresh muddy footprints of bare feet
without finding who was making them.
 These footprints had been made by Griffin, an eccentric scientist who had discovered
how to make his body transparent.
 He had to remove his clothes to become invisible so that he could get away after burning
his landlord’s house.
 Griffin entered unseen into a big store to get warm. When the store closed at night, he put
on new clothes, consumed meat and coffee from the restaurant and went to sleep on a pile
of quilts.
 He overslept and was seen by the shop assistants in the morning. He again took off his
clothes to escape them.
 Then he entered a theatrical company, and wore bandages on his face, dark glasses, a
false nose and bushy side-whiskers. He robbed the shopkeeper of his money and escaped
to Iping village by train to avoid being caught.
 He rented two rooms at an inn in the village. He explained to Mrs. Hall, its owner, that he
had an accident and did not want to be disturbed. Soon his money finished and so he
robbed a clergyman’s house by using his invisibility.
 That same day, when Mrs. Hall entered his room, she and her husband were attacked by
the furniture. This made Mrs. Hall think that it was haunted by spirits. When the
clergyman reported the burglary to the police, Griffin was suspected of having a hand in
it. So, the village constable, Jaffers came to arrest him on suspicion.
 Meanwhile, Mrs. Hall asked Griffin to explain all the unusual happenings. Griffin lost his
temper and took off all his clothes (thus becoming invisible), knocked Jaffers
unconscious and ran away.

6. CHARACTER SKETCHES:
Griffin
Griffin was an extraordinary and brilliant scientist. Though he was the protagonist of the story,
all his deeds were more like that of an antagonist. He discovered that the human body could
become invisible and transparent as a sheet of glass. It was the result of his long and constant
experimentation. However, he misused his discovery only for his personal gains of committing
theft and burglaries and beating and robbing innocent persons. He could have earned fame and
respect had he utilised his great discovery for the welfare of humanity. But his activities made
him a lawless person and an anarchist. His invisibility was possible only when he didn’t wear
any clothes. If dressed up, he would lose his invisibility. He had to remain without clothes even
in the chilly weather of midwinter to remain invisible. He had to make illegal entries and
burglaries in a clergyman’s house, a big store in London and a shop in Drury Lane. This brought
him disrepute and dishonor instead of fame and respect.
Mrs. Hall
Mrs. Hall was the landlord’s wife at the local inn in Iping. She was more than happy to receive a
guest in the lean season. Mrs. Hall was convinced that her strange guest was an eccentric
scientist. She excused his strange habits and irritable behavior because he had paid her in
advance. When she noticed the stranger behavior of her furniture in her guest room, she was
convinced that the room was haunted by spirits. She dared to question even the eccentric
scientist, Griffin. She also asked how he had entered a locked room.
Jaffers
Jaffers was the village constable. He was a very determined person. He was called to the inn
when the stranger unveiled himself and created chaos. He was quite surprised to find that he had
to arrest a man without a head. But Jaffers couldn’t be easily prevented from doing his duty. The
constable tried to catch hold of a person whom he couldn’t see at all. In the end, Jaffers made the
last attempt to hold on to the unseen scientist, Griffin but he was knocked down unconscious by
the invisible man.