Someshwar Burman rang us the next day to say that he had spoken to Surya Kumar and told him he would not sell his manuscript. ‘I’ve just thought of something,’ said Lalmohan Babu, when Mr Burman had rung off. ‘You see, my next novel is going to be about a magician. So I was wondering if I could meet Surya Kumar and talk to him. How should I go about it, do you think?’ ‘Try his hotel,’ Feluda said, ‘The organizers of his show should be able to tell you where he’s staying. Just give them a ring.’ ‘All right.’ It took Lalmohan Babu fifteen minutes to contact Surya Kumar and make an appointment with him. Surya Kumar agreed to come to our house at half past nine the following morning. ‘You’ll have no difficulty in recognizing me,’ Lalmohan Babu told him. ‘I was hypnotized by you the other day.’ The next day, Surya Kumar arrived in a Maruti, very punctually at nine-thirty. Lalmohan Babu had turned up about twenty minutes before that. Surya Kumar seemed a little taken aback on meeting Feluda. ‘You seem rather familiar. I didn’t quite catch your name,’ he said. ‘I am Pradosh Mitter. You may have seen my photo in a newspaper.’ ‘Pradosh Mitter? You mean Pradosh Mitter, the investigator?’ ‘Yes,’ Feluda admitted with a laugh. ‘It’s a privilege to meet you, sir!’ ‘I am no less privileged to have met you. We’ve never had a famous magician in our house before.’ Lalmohan Babu began his questions when we had all had our tea. ‘How long have you been holding shows?’ ‘For nearly twelve years.’ ‘Did you learn magic from someone?’ ‘I worked as a magician’s assistant for five years. He was called Nakshatra Sen. He was quite old. He had a stroke on the stage, in the middle of a show, and died soon afterwards. There was no one to claim his equipment and all the other paraphernalia, so I took it and began my own career.’ ‘Do you have to travel all over the country?’ ‘Yes. I’ve been to Japan and Hong Kong as well.’ ‘Really?’ ‘Yes. I have an invitation from Singapore next year.’ ‘Don’t you have a family?’ ‘No. I am a bachelor.’ ‘Do you still have to practise and rehearse everything, or is that no longer necessary?’

‘Not all of it. But every day, I spend a couple of hours practising sleight of hand. Being in regular practice is absolutely essential.’ Feluda intervened at this point. ‘You have met Someshwar Burman, haven’t you?’ ‘Yes, I believe you wanted to buy his manuscript?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘I thought it might be a good idea to add a few items of Indian magic to the ones I usually show. My own items follow the western style of magic. But Mr Burman refused to sell. I had offered him twenty thousand. But I don’t really mind. I’ve come to know him well, and we’ve got a good relationship. I really respect the man. He has invited me to go and stay with him for a few days, once my shows are over.’ ‘When is the last one?’ ‘This Sunday.’ ‘Where will you go next?’ ‘I’d like to take a week off. I need a break. Then I’ll go to Patna.’ Lalmohan Babu had a few more questions for him. Surya Kumar left in a few minutes. He struck me as quite a pleasant man. ‘All his clothes and his shoes were foreign, bought possibly in Hong Kong, or Japan,’ Feluda remarked. ‘He’s clearly fond of the good things in life, like most magicians.’ ‘Well, he certainly seems to have grown quite close to the Burmans,’ Lalmohan Babu observed. ‘Or why should he be invited to go and stay with them?’