DANGER IN DARJEELING [ᴘᴀʀᴛ 𝟺]

It was not handwritten. A few printed words had been cut out of books or newspapers and pasted on a sheet of paper. "Be prepared to pay for your sins,' it read.

"Did this come by post?"

"Yes. It was posted in Darjeeling, but I'm afraid I threw the envelope away."

"Have you reason to suspect anyone?"

"No. For the life of me, I cannot recall ever having harmed anyone."

''Do certain people visit you regularly?"

"Well, I don't get too many visitors. Dr Phoni Mitra comes occasionally if I happen to be ill.''

"Is he a good doctor?"

'About average, I should say. But then, my complaints have always been quite ordinary-I mean, no more than the usual coughs and colds. So I haven't had to look for a really good doctor.'

"Does he charge a fee?"

"Of course. But that's hardly a problem. I've got plenty of money, thank God.''

''Who else visits you?"

'A Mr Ghoshal has recently started coming to my house...look, here he is!' A man of medium height wearing a dark suit was shown into the room.

"Did I hear my name?" he asked with a smile.

'Yes, I was just about to tell these people that you share my interest in antiques. Allow me to introduce them.'

After exchanging greetings, Mr Ghoshal whose full name was Abanimohan Ghoshal said to

Rajen Babu, "I thought I'd drop by since you didn't come to the shop to day."

'N-no, I wasn't feeling very well, so I decided to stay in.'

It was clear that Rajen Babu did not want to tell Mr Ghoshal about the letter. Feluda had hidden it the minute Mr Ghoshal had walked in.

"All right, if you're busy today, I'll come back another time... actually, I wanted to take a look at that Tibetan bell,' said Mr Ghoshal.

"Oh, that's not a problem at all. I'll get it for you.' Rajen Babu disappeared into the house to fetch the bell.

"Do you live here in Darjeeling?' Feluda asked Mr Ghoshal, who had picked up a dagger and was looking at it closely. 'No,' he replied, turning the dagger in his hand. "I don't stay in any one place for very long. I have to travel a lot. But I like collecting curios.' Feluda told me afterwards that a curio was a rare and ancient object of art.

Rajen Babu returned with the bell. It was really striking to look at. Its base was made of silver, the handle was a mixture of brass and copper, which was studded with colourful stones. Mr Ghoshal took a long time to examine it carefully. Then he put it down on a table and said, 'You got yourself a very good deal there. It's absolutely genuine.'

"Ah, that's a relief. You're the expert, of course. The man at the shop told me it came straight out of the household of the Dalai Lama."

"That may well be true. But I don't suppose you'd want to part with it? I mean ... suppose you got a handsome offer?"

Rajen Babu shook his head, smiling sweetly.

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