‘Well, that’s one down. Let’s see how long the second one takes. He should be here any minute now.’ Mr Tarafdar said. The doorbell rang in a couple of minutes. A man in a dark suit was ushered in. ‘Good morning,’ greeted Mr Tarafdar, rising. ‘I’m afraid I didn’t quite catch your name on the telephone. You must be . . . ?’ ‘Tiwari. Devkinandan Tiwari.’ ‘I see. Please have a seat.’ ‘Thank you. Have you heard of T H Syndicate?’ Lalmohan Babu and Mr Tarafdar looked at each other in silence. Clearly, they had not. Feluda was obliged to open his mouth. ‘Your business has something to do with imports and exports, right? You have an office in Pollock Street?” ‘Yes, that’s right,’ Mr Tiwari said, looking a little suspiciously at Feluda. ‘These three people are my friends. I hope you won’t mind talking to me in their presence?’ Mr Tarafdar asked. ‘Oh no, not in the least. All I want to do, Mr Tarafdar, is ask that young chap a question. If he can give me the correct answer, I shall be eternally grateful.’ Nayan was brought back into the room. Mr Tarafdar laid a hand on his back and said kindly, ‘I’m sorry, Nayan, but you have to answer another question. All right?’ Nayan nodded. Mr Tarafdar turned to Mr Tiwari. ‘Go ahead, sir. But please remember the answer to your question must be in numbers.’ ‘Yes, I know. That is precisely why I’ve come.’ Mr Tiwari fixed his eyes on Nayan. ‘Can you tell me the combination of my chest?’ Nayan stared back, looking profoundly puzzled. ‘Listen, Jyotishka,’ said Feluda quickly, before anyone else could speak, ‘perhaps you don’t understand what Mr Tiwari means by a combination. Let me explain. You see, some chests and cupboards don’t have ordinary locks and keys. What they have is a disc attached to the lid or on the door that can be rotated. An arrow is marked on the disc, and around it are written numbers from one to zero. A combination is a series of special numbers meant for a particular chest or a cupboard. If you move the disc and bring the arrow to rest against the right numbers, the chest opens automatically.’ ‘Oh, I see,’ Nayan said, nodding vigorously. Lalmohan Babu suddenly asked a pertinent question. ‘How come you don’t know the combination of your own chest?’ ‘I knew it . . . in fact, I had known it and used it to open my chest a million times over the last twenty-three years. But,’ Mr Tiwari shook his head regretfully, ‘I am getting old, Mr Tarafdar. My

memory is no longer what it used to be. For the life of me, I cannot remember the right numbers for that combination. I had written it down in an old diary and I have spent the last four days looking for it everywhere, but I couldn’t find it. It’s gone . . . vanished.’ ‘Didn’t you ever tell anyone else what the number was?’ ‘I seem to remember having told my partner—a long time ago—but he denies it. Maybe it’s my own memory playing tricks again. After all, one doesn’t go about giving people the details of a combination, does one? Besides, this chest is my personal property, although it’s kept in my office. I don’t keep any money or papers related to our business in it. It only has the money—my own personal money, you understand—that I don’t keep in my bank . . . I tell you, Mr Tarafdar, I was getting absolutely desperate. Then I heard about this wonder boy. So I thought I’d try my luck here!’ He brought his gaze back on Nayan. ‘It’s 6438961,’ Nayan said calmly. ‘Right! Right! Right!’ Mr Tiwari jumped up in excitement and quickly took out a pocket diary to note the number down. ‘Do you know how much money there is in that chest?’ asked Mr Tarafdar. ‘No, I couldn’t tell you the exact figure, but I think what I have is in excess of five lakhs,’ Mr Tiwari said with a slight smile. ‘This little boy could tell you. Would you like to know?’ ‘Why, yes! I am curious, naturally. Let’s see how far his power can go·’ Mr Tarafdar looked at Nayan again. But, this time, Nayan’s reply did not come in numbers. ‘There’s no money in that chest. None at all,’ he said. ‘What!’ Mr Tiwari nearly fell off his chair. But then he began to look annoyed. ‘Obviously, Mr Tarafdar, this prodigy is as capable of making mistakes as anyone else. However, I’m grateful he could give me the number I really needed. Here you are, my boy, this is for you.’ Mr Tiwari offered a slim package to Nayan. ‘Thank you, sir,’ said Nayan shyly, as he took it. Mr Tiwari left. ‘Open it and see what’s inside,’ Feluda said to Nayan. Nayan took the wrapper off, revealing a small wrist watch. ‘Hey, that’s very nice of Mr Tiwari!’ Lalmohan Babu exclaimed. ‘Wear it, Nayan, wear it!’ Nayan put it round his wrist, looking delighted, and left the room. ‘I think Mr Tiwari is in for a rude shock,’ Feluda remarked when Nayan had gone. ‘I bet he’ll suspect his partner when he discovers the money’s missing—unless, of course, Nayan really made a mistake this time?’ Lalmohan Babu said. With a shrug, Feluda changed the subject. ‘How are you travelling to Madras? By train or by air?’ he asked Sunil Tarafdar. ‘It’ll have to be by train. I have far too much luggage to go by air.’ ‘What about security for Nayan?’ ‘Well, I am going to be with him throughout our journey, so I don’t think that’s a problem. When we get to Madras, I will be joined by my friend, Shankar. We’ll both look after Nayan.’ Feluda started to speak, but was interrupted by the arrival of another gentleman, also attired in a formal suit and tie.

‘Good morning.