‘Didn’t you once tell me you knew someone in Gosaipur?’ Feluda asked Lalmohan Babu. We—the Three Musketeers—had just visited the Victoria Memorial and come walking to the river. We were now sitting under the domes near Princep Ghat, enjoying the fresh breeze and munching daalmut. It was five o’clock in the evening. ‘Yes,’ Lalmohan Babu replied, ‘Tulsi Babu. Tulsicharan Dasgupta. He used to teach mathematics and geography in my school. Now he’s retired and lives in Gosaipur. He’s asked me to visit him more than once. He loves my books. In fact, he writes for children himself. A couple of his stories were published in Sandesh. But why are you suddenly interested in Gosaipur?’ ‘Someone called Jeevanlal Mallik wrote to me from there. His father’s called Shyamlal Mallik. I believe the Malliks were once the zamindars of Gosaipur.’ ‘What did Jeevanlal Mallik write?’ ‘He is worried about his father. He thinks someone is planning to kill him. If I can go and throw some light on the matter, he’ll be very grateful and he’ll pay me my fee.’ I knew the letter had arrived this morning, but had no idea about its contents. Now I remembered seeing Feluda looking thoughtful and smoking quietly after he had finished reading it. ‘Why don’t we all go?’ Lalmohan Babu sounded quite enthusiastic. ‘Look, we are both free at this moment, aren’t we? Besides, I think we’ll enjoy a visit to a small village after all the hectic travelling we have done in the past.’ ‘To be honest, I was thinking of going, too. Mr Mallik said he could not have me stay in his house —there is some problem, apparently. He’s spoken to a relative who lives three miles away. I could stay with him, but then I’d have to travel in a rickshaw every day. It struck me that it might be simpler to stay somewhere within walking distance. That’s why I thought of your friend.’ ‘My friend will be delighted, especially if he hears you are going to join me. He’s a great admirer of yours.’ Lalmohan Babu wrote to his friend the next day, and Feluda answered Jeevanlal’s letter. Tulsi Babu was so pleased that he wrote back instantly, saying that the Gosaipur Literary Society wanted to give a joint reception to Lalmohan Babu and Feluda. Lalmohan Babu was thrilled by the idea, but Feluda put his foot down. ‘Leave me out of receptions, please,’ he said firmly. ‘No one must know who I really am and why I’m visiting Gosaipur. Please tell your friend not to tell anyone.’ Rather reluctantly, Lalmohan Babu passed the message on, adding that he was perfectly happy about the reception. With this event in mind, he even packed a blue embroidered kurta.

We had to take a train to Katwa Junction, and then a bus to get to Gosaipur, which was seven miles from Katwa. Tulsi Babu was going to wait for us at a provision store near the bus stop. His house was