I had heard chiming clocks before, but as soon as we stepped into Mahadev Choudhury’s house at six o’clock, various clocks began striking the hour. The sound that came from one clock after another was quite extraordinary. I had never heard anything like it. ‘Oh my God!’ exclaimed Lalmohan Babu. ‘Are we slipping through the gates of heaven? What an incredible reception!’ We could not meet Mr Choudhury straightaway. One of his employees took us to a small office and told us we would have to wait, as Mr Choudhury was busy. There were two fancy clocks even in that small room—one on the wall, and the other on a bookshelf. When the last chime had died away, a somewhat eerie silence gripped the whole house. It was a huge, modern building. The marble floor shone so brightly that, if I looked down, I could see my own face reflected in it. After a few moments, I became aware of a voice. It was coming from somewhere within the house. Feluda said it was Mahadev Choudhury’s, though it was difficult to tell whether or not it could be termed as velvety. However, when it suddenly rose and began shouting, all traces of velvet disappeared. Mahadev Choudhury was scolding someone furiously. The three of us held our breath and were more or less forced to eavesdrop. The second person was still speaking gently, so we could not hear what he was saying. But soon, Choudhury’s voice boomed out again: ‘I never pay an advance in matters like this, but I paid you because you insisted. And now you’re telling me you’ve already spent that money? Honestly, I don’t believe a word you’re saying. Besides, why should I have to pay such a lot of money for such a small job? I don’t understand at all! But . . . all right, I’ll pay. I want that stuff within two days. No excuses this time. Is that clear?’ Complete silence followed these remarks. Then we heard footsteps, which seemed to be going towards the front door. A minute later, Mr Choudhury’s employee came back. ‘Please follow me,’ he said. Mr Choudhury’s appearance—from head to toe—was truly like velvet. Even at six in the evening, his cheeks were smooth and shiny. ‘I bet he shaves twice a day!’ I thought to myself. Lalmohan Babu told us later, ‘If a fly had gone and sat on his cheek, it would have slipped off!’ The huge living room we were in was as shiny and polished as its owner. There was not even a speck of dust anywhere, and its nooks and corners certainly seemed free of ants and cockroaches. Mr Choudhury raised a gold cigarette holder to his lips, inhaled and glanced at Feluda. ‘Well? Have you brought that clock?’ he asked. We were all startled by the question. ‘Clock? What clock?’ Feluda said.

‘Didn’t you say you wanted to see me regarding a clock? I thought you had seen my ad in the