What I found most amazing was that the second painting sold to Krikorian also turned out to be a fake. But Feluda did not comment on it at all. Lalmohan Babu raised a different point. ‘Felu Babu,’ he said, ‘how can you be so sure that green flies did not exist in Italy in the sixteenth century? Why, I have heard water hyacinth did not originate in our own country. It was brought by a lady from Europe!’ Feluda gave his lopsided grin, but said nothing. Mr Pal came to the airport the next day to see us off. Feluda had bought him a beautiful silk tie as a token of thanks. Mr Pal laughed. ‘I have never had so much excitement in a single day!’ he told us. ‘But it’s a pity I couldn’t take you to Kowloon to try fried snake. You must visit me again, and stay a little while longer.’ To tell the truth, I didn’t want to leave Hong Kong so soon, but knew that Feluda’s ruling principle in life was ‘duty first’. He would never allow himself to be lured by the bright lights of Hong Kong before he had solved the mystery of the fake painting, the murder of Bankim Babu and the poisoned dog in Baikunthapur. We left Hong Kong on Wednesday night, and reached Calcutta the next morning. ‘Today is going to be a day of rest,’ Feluda said to Lalmohan Babu. ‘Tomorrow, Topshe and I will arrive at your house around eight o’clock. Then we’ll all go to Baikunthapur. All right?’ ‘OK, sir. No problem.’ On our way back, Feluda stopped at the Park Street post office, saying he had to send an urgent telegram. He did not reveal who it would go to. After this, he sank into complete silence. I knew this mood well. It was like the lull before a storm, though I had no idea when the storm would break. I tried to work things out for myself, but nothing made sense. In any case, our experience in Hong Kong had thrown me into total confusion. Everytime I closed my eyes, I could only see the long Chinese signboards hanging over my head. It was impossible to think straight. The next day, by the time we reached Mr Niyogi’s house, it was nearly 11 a.m. Nobo Kumar was waiting for us. He began to ask anxious questions about our visit to Hong Kong, but Feluda shook his head. ‘No, our mission wasn’t entirely successful, I’m afraid. We couldn’t get the original painting,’ he said, adding, ‘The one we did find turned out to be another case of forgery.’ ‘What! How is that possible, Mr Mitter? Two copies of the same painting? Well then, where did the original go?’ ‘Let’s go into your living room upstairs. We can talk more comfortably there.’ ‘Oh yes, of course. I’m sorry.’

We walked into the living room, to find Inspector Mondol sitting on a sofa, sipping a glass of lemonade.