Feluda shook me awake the next morning. I sat up quickly. ‘What is it, Feluda?’ He looked grim. ‘Mr Biswas rang me just now. Shakuntala’s necklace has been stolen.’ ‘Oh my God!’ ‘Get ready as quickly as you can. I’ll go and tell Lalmohan Babu. We must go back there after breakfast. I believe everyone except Mr Sukius has already arrived after they heard the news.’ ‘Haven’t the police been informed?’ ‘Yes, but they want me as well.’ We reached Mr Biswas’s house by half past eight. The cheerful atmosphere of the night before was replaced today by a sombre silence. ‘I can’t help feeling I am responsible,’ Feluda said. ‘That necklace was taken out yesterday only because I asked to see it. It may well have nothing to do with the theft, but I thought I ought to tell you how awful I feel.’ The police had already appeared. The inspector in charge greeted Feluda with an outstretched arm. ‘Mr Pradosh Mitter?’ he said, shaking hands, ‘I have heard of you. I am Inspector Pandey.’ ‘Pleased to meet you, sir.’ ‘I assume you’d like to make your own enquiries?’ ‘Yes, but only after you’ve finished.’ ‘Thank you.’ Inspector Pandey began asking questions. It was gradually revealed that when the last guest had left after midnight, Mrs Biswas retired to her bedroom and suddenly felt like looking at the necklace once more. As she confessed herself, ‘It is probably only my vanity that made me want to open the chest and look at the necklace. I had just watched my mother wear it on the screen and it looked lovely on her. So I thought I’d put it round my own neck and see how I looked. But . . . but when I took out the key from my dressing table drawer and opened the chest, I couldn’t find it anywhere. I called my daughter immediately and asked her if she had put it back. She was absolutely sure that she had. It had always been kept in that chest. Where else could she have put it, anyway?’ ‘You had a dinner party last night, didn’t you?’ the inspector asked. ‘Yes,’ Mrs Biswas replied. ‘When did it start and how long did it continue?’ ‘It went from a quarter to eight to midnight.’ ‘Mrs Biswas, did you go straight to your room after the party was over?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘And how long was it before you discovered the necklace was missing?’

‘About fifteen minutes.’ ‘You didn’t leave your room during that period?’ ‘No.’ ‘That means it was stolen during the party.’ ‘So it seems,’ Mr Biswas remarked. ‘When my daughter brought the necklace out to show it to Mr Mitter, the party was in full swing.’ ‘After that, Miss Biswas, did you put the necklace back where you had found it? Did you go back to your mother’s room straightaway?’ ‘Of course!’ Mary Sheela said firmly. ‘I didn’t waste even a second.’ ‘Perhaps I ought to mention, Inspector, that soon