That night, after dinner, Feluda said suddenly, ‘Topshe, what do you make of all this?’ ‘All what?’ ‘Everything that’s happened so far.’ ‘Why, you should know! You’re the detective! Besides, how can I draw any conclusions until we find out who that sannyasi was?’ ‘But surely certain things are quite clear? For instance, the fact that the sannyasi went into the bathroom and didn’t come out. Now that is pretty revealing, isn’t it?’ ‘What does it reveal?’ ‘Can’t you figure that out?’ ‘Well, all it can mean is that the chowkidar wasn’t paying enough attention.’ ‘No, no, you ass!’ ‘What, then?’ ‘If the sannyasi had indeed come out, that chowkidar would definitely have seen him.’ ‘You mean he never did?’ ‘Do you remember what he was carrying?’ ‘Look, I wasn’t . . . oh yes, he had a small attaché case.’ ‘Have you ever seen a sannyasi with an attaché case?’ ‘No, can’t say I have.’ ‘Well, I think that’s distinctly suspicious.’ ‘What do you suspect?’ ‘That sannyasi was no more than a non-sannyasi just like you and me. And his normal clothes were in that attaché case. The saffron robe was a disguise. Possibly the beard was false, too.’ ‘Oh, I see. You mean he changed into different clothes, stuffed his robe into the case and came out looking totally different. No wonder the chowkidar couldn’t recognize him!’ ‘Yes, now you’re talking!’ ‘But who threw that piece of paper at you?’ ‘Either the fake sannyasi himself, or one of his men. He must have heard us making enquiries at the station, so he decided to give us a warning.’ ‘All right. But are there any more mysteries?’ ‘There is no end to them, my boy! Who followed Dr Srivastava in that black car? Who was watching us from the gate, smoking a Charminar and chewing a paan? Was it the same sannyasi, or was it someone else? What “spy” did Pyarelal talk about? Why does Bonobihari Babu keep wild animals in his house? Where had Mahabir seen Bonobihari Babu before? How much does he know about the ring?’

I lay awake that night, thinking these things over. Feluda was scribbling something in a blue notebook. Then he put it away and went to bed at half past ten. Soon, he was fast asleep. Drums beat in the distance. Oh yes, Ram Lila. I heard an animal at some stage—it might have been a dog or a jackal, but it sounded like a hyena. Why was Feluda puzzled by Bonobihari Babu’s wild animals? One didn’t always have to do things for a specific reason, did one? People had strange hobbies. So perhaps keeping wild animals was just a hobby for him? It’s difficult to tell when I fell asleep; nor can I tell what woke me. It was still dark. And everything was very quiet. The drums were silent, as were the animals. All I could hear was Feluda breathing heavily in his sleep next to me and the alarm clock ticking behind my head. Then my eyes fell on the window. Normally, I could see a fair bit of the starry sky through the open window. Tonight, something blocked most of it. As the last remnants of sleep cleared from my eyes, I realized with a shock what it was. A man was standing outside at the window, holding its bars, and staring into our room. My heart stood still. Yet, I couldn’t take my eyes off that figure. The room was utterly dark and the starlight outside was not good enough to see the man’s face. But I could make out that the lower half of his face was covered by a dark cloth. Now he put a hand through the bars in the window. But no, it wasn’t just his hand. He was holding a rod. A sweet, yet strong smell hit my nostrils. I was already breathless with fear. Now my limbs began to go numb. I tried to muster all my will power. Then slowly, without moving my body, I stretched out my left arm towards Feluda. He was still asleep. My eyes hadn’t moved from the window. The man was still holding the rod and that smell was getting stronger. I began to feel giddy. At this moment, my hand brushed against Feluda’s waist. I gave him a nudge. Feluda moved slightly and his bed creaked noisily with the movement. In that instant, the man vanished from the window. ‘Why are you poking at me?’ asked Feluda sleepily. I swallowed and tried to speak. ‘Window,’ I managed. ‘What about the window? Who’s . . . God, what’s that smell?’ Fully awake, Feluda jumped up and ran to the window. He stared out of it for a few moments, then turned back to me. ‘Tell me exactly what you saw.’ I was still finding it difficult to talk. ‘A man . .’ I croaked, ‘with a rod . . . inside . . . ‘Did he stretch the rod out into our room?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘I see. He must have had chloroform dabbed on that rod. He wanted us to faint.’ ‘But why?’ ‘It could be a different thief. May be he thought the ring was still in our house. Never mind. Go back to sleep now, and please don’t tell you father or Dhiru Kaka about this. They’ll only get nervous and spoil all my work.’

The next morning, both Baba and Dhiru Kaka appeared more relaxed. The police had been informed and Inspector Gargari had already started working on the case. So it wasn’t likely that there would be any further problem. I sent up a silent prayer for Feluda. Dear God, don’t let the police win. Let it be Feluda who finds the ring. May the full credit go to him, not the police. Baba said, ‘I’m thinking of taking you out today to a few other places.’ We decided to leave after lunch. But before a final decision could be taken on