Lalmohan Babu’s car arrived the following morning just as we were planning to go out after breakfast. His driver told us he had got held up in Balasore for nearly four hours because of torrential rain, othewise he’d have reached Puri much sooner. The Neelachal being full, we had booked a room for the driver at the New Hotel, which was not far. He left the car in the car park of our hotel, and went off to find his own room. We told him we might go to Bhubaneshwar later, weather permitting. Feluda wanted to go to the station to buy a copy of the Statesman. He wasn’t satisfied with the Bengali newspaper the hotel provided. Walking to the station took us about half an hour. By the time we got there, it was eight forty-five. The Jagannath Express from Calcutta had arrived at seven. The Puri Express was late by an hour, but it was expected any minute. I love going to railway stations, and to watch how a quiet and peaceful place can come to life and hum with activity when a train arrives. Lalmohan Babu found a bookstall. ‘Do you have books by the famous writer, Jatayu?’ he asked. There was, in fact, no need to do this since I could see at least three of his books displayed quite prominently. Feluda bought his newspaper and began leafing through some of the books. At this moment, we heard a voice. ‘Has the latest Mystery Magazine arrived yet?’ it asked. I turned to find Nishith Bose. He hadn’t seen us at first, but when he did, he grinned from ear to ear. ‘Just imagine, here I am buying the Mystery Magazine, when a detective is standing right next to me!’ he exclaimed. ‘How is your boss?’ Feluda asked. ‘Under great stress. People turn up without making an appointment, and then beg me to arrange a meeting. Who knew so many people were interested in old manuscripts?’ ‘Why, who else came visiting?’ ‘I don’t know his name. He had a beard and he wore dark glasses. He said there was no point in giving his name, since Mr Sen wouldn’t recognize it, but he knew someone who had some manuscripts to sell. So I went and informed Mr Sen, and he said all right, bring him up to the terrace. I showed him in, then went to my room to type a few letters. In less than three minutes, I heard Mr Sen calling my name. I ran to see what the matter was, and found him looking pale and greatly distressed, almost as though he was about to have a heart attack. All he could say to me was, “Take this man away, at once!” So I took him down the stairs immediately. He had the nerve to say before going, “I think you employer’s heart isn’t all that strong. Get him to see a doctor.” Imagine!’ ‘How is he now?’ ‘Better, much better.’ Mr Bose glanced at the clock and gave a start. ‘Good heavens, I had no idea it was already so late. I must go now. You’re going to be here for a few days, aren’t you? I’ll tell you everything one day. I have a lot to tell. Goodbye!’

The Puri Express had arrived while we were talking. The guard now blew his whistle and it began pulling out of the platform. Mr Bose disappeared in the crowd. Feluda had selected a book from the stall and paid for it. I glanced over his shoulder and saw that it was called A Guide to Nepal. On our way back to the hotel, he said, ‘I think it might be a good idea for you and Lalmohan Babu to go to Bhubaneshwar today. Something tells me I ought to remain here. I don’t think anything drastic is going to happen very soon, but there’s something in the air . . . I just don’t like it. Besides, I need to sort a few things out. I must make a phone call to Kathmandu. Let’s straighten all the facts out before they get too muddled.’ I was quite familiar with this mood Feluda was in. He would now withdraw himself totally and stop talking altogether. He would go back to his room and lie flat on his back, staring at the ceiling. When he did this, I had noticed in the past, sometimes he stared into space for three or four minutes without blinking even once. Lalmohan Babu and I usually left him alone at a time like this or spoke in whispers. Going to Bhubaneshwar would be much better, I thought, than just hanging around waiting for Feluda to break his silence. I nodded at Lalmohan Babu, to indicate that we should leave as soon as possible. We reached our hotel to find Mr Majumdar coming out of it. ‘I’m so glad I’ve caught you!’ he exclaimed. ‘If you returned even a minute later, I’d have missed you.’ ‘Let’s go upstairs.’ Mr Majumdar came into our room and sat down, wiping his face. ‘You took my advice, didn’t you?’ Lalmohan Babu asked with a big smile. ‘Yes. Mr Sen reacted exactly as you’d said he might. He jumped as though he’d seen a ghost. Amazing, isn’t it, how he could recognize me despite this thick beard?’ ‘There is something very special in your face, Mr Majumdar, that your beard cannot hide,’ Feluda pointed out. ‘What?’ ‘Your third eye. It isn’t easy to forget.’ ‘Yes, you’re right. I forgot all about it. Anyway, something rather strange happened today. When I saw Mr Sen, I found a man who has aged dramatically in these few months. Why, he looks at least ten years older than what he had seemed in Kathmandu. I felt sorry for him. Yes, truly I did. Now I can put the whole thing behind me. If Mr Sen did try to kill me, I think he has paid for it already.’ ‘Good,’