We returned to London. Much to our surprise, another Indian rang Feluda the next morning. It was a South Indian gentleman called Satyanathan. ‘I saw your ad in the Times, Mr Mitter,’ he said on the phone, ‘but I couldn’t ring you earlier as I was a little busy. I could tell you a few things about Peter Dexter. Would it be all right if I came to your hotel at eleven?’ ‘Sure.’ Mr Satyanathan arrived on time. He was quite dark, but his hair was totally white. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you before,’ he said, taking a seat. ‘Do you live in London?’ ‘Yes, in north London—in Kilburn. I teach in a school. Peter Dexter and I went to college together.’ ‘Really? Do you remember a Ranjan Majumdar?’ ‘Oh yes. He and Peter were friends, though they fought a lot.’ ‘Why?’ ‘It was chiefly because of Peter’s attitude towards Indians. He hated them. The only reason why he treated Ranjan differently was the colour of Ranjan’s skin. He was fair enough to pass off as a European. Peter used to say to him: you are half English, I think, you cannot be a genuine Indian.’ ‘How did Peter treat you?’ ‘Need I spell it out? You can see for yourself how dark I am. He used to call me a dirty nigger. I didn’t have the courage to protest.’ ‘Do you remember Peter’s death?’ ‘Of course. I even remember the day. It was the day before Whit Sunday. Peter should never have got into a boat when he couldn’t swim.’ ‘Who else was with him?’ ‘Ranjan.’ ‘Are you sure?’ ‘Absolutely. The sight of Ranjan standing with his clothes dripping wet still keeps coming back to me. I was in my room when it happened. I rushed out only when I heard our gardener Hookins shouting outside. Ranjan had jumped into the river to save his friend, but it was too late. Reginald went in next, but even he couldn’t save his brother.’ ‘Reginald was Peter’s younger brother, wasn’t he?’ ‘Yes, younger by only a year. He was exactly the same. He used to get into trouble frequently with Indian boys, saying nasty, provoking things. The authorities had given him several warnings, to no avail. It was Reginald’s belief that Ranjan could easily have saved Peter, but didn’t. That’s what he went around telling everyone: he deliberately let him drown.’ ‘Ranjan Majumdar did not spend more than a year in Cambridge, did he?’

‘No. He, too, had a serious accident. His family took him back to India after that.’ Mr Satyanathan had no further information to give. He rose, said goodbye and left. When Feluda came back to the room after seeing him off, he was frowning. Later, over lunch, Lalmohan Babu commented, ‘Why, Felu Babu, you seem dissatisfied. What might be the reason?’ ‘I feel doubtful about something.’ ‘What is it?’ ‘Well, I can’t help feeling Hookins did not tell us all he knew. For some reason, he