(Jaichand Boral’s Story) It did not take Mr Boral long to find Maganlal’s house. The exterior of the house was most uninviting; but once he had stepped in, Mr Boral was surprised to see how neat and tidy the place was. A bearer came down and took him to Maganlal. ‘Jaichand Boral is here, huzoor,’ he said, stopping outside a room at the far end of a passage. ‘Come in!’ called the gruff voice of Maganlal Meghraj. Mr Boral walked into the room and took a sofa. Maganlal was seated on a mattress spread on the floor. ‘What have you decided?’ he asked. ‘I am not going to sell the pearl.’ Maganlal was silent for a minute. Then he said slowly, ‘You are making a mistake, Mr Boral. No one refuses my offer and gets away with it. Are you hoping to get a bigger amount?’ ‘No. I simply wish to keep it in the family. It’s been with us for five generations.’ ‘You are not doing very well in life, are you? I saw your house in Sonahati. How much do you earn? Two thousand a month? Just think for a moment. If you sold that pearl to me, you’d get a lot of cash, just like that. Why are you being so foolish?’ ‘It’s a matter of family pride. I couldn’t explain it to you.’ ‘Where is that pearl?’ ‘I haven’t got it.’ ‘You mean you didn’t bring it here with you?’ ‘No, I didn’t. There was no reason to, since I wasn’t going to sell it to you.’ Maganlal rang a bell. The man who appeared almost instantly was tall and hefty. He looked enquiringly at his master. ‘Ganga, search this man,’ Maganlal ordered. Ganga pulled Mr Boral to his feet. A thorough search yielded a wallet, a handkerchief and a small box of paan-masala. ‘All right, give the stuff back to him.’ Ganga returned every object. ‘Sit down.’ Mr Boral sat down again. ‘I learnt in Sonahati that your club had given a reception for Pradosh Mitter.’ ‘Yes, that’s right.’ ‘Did you meet him?’

‘Why should I tell you? I don’t have to answer all your questions.’ ‘No. There is no need to answer my question because I already know what happened. My men watched your movements from the minute you got off your train at Howrah. You checked into a hotel called Jogamaya, right?’ ‘Right.’ ‘You left your hotel at five o’clock and took a taxi. Then you went to Felu Mitter’s house, correct?’ ‘If you know everything, why are you still asking questions?’ ‘That pearl is now with Felu Mitter.’ Mr Boral said nothing. Maganlal looked at him steadily. ‘You have done something very stupid, Mr Boral. If you gave me your pearl, I’d have paid you fifty thousand rupees for it. Now, I will still get the pearl—sooner or later—but you won’t get a single paisa.’ Mr Boral rose. ‘May I go now?’ ‘Yes. I have nothing more to say. But I feel sorry for you.’