"You have come for an information. Well?"
"I dare say you know Brahmananda Ghose?"
"Brahmananda? Yes,—no, not well."
Madhabinath could see at once by his manner of answering the question that it would be pretty hard to draw him on but by a bait.
"Do you have any letters to the address of Brahmananda?" he asked again.
"You know this man, do you?" asked the postmaster.
"What has that to do with what I want to know? I shall thank you to let me know what I want to."
Remembering the dignity of his post, and that he was the master where he was, which fact there was no one to dispute, the postmaster wondered in his mind how an outsider could ever dare to talk to him in that fashion. He was offended. "I am not bound—I mean the post office," he said, assuming a look of gravity, "to give you the information you want." With this he looked more grave, and drawing himself up commenced weighing some letters with an air which showed that he did not like to be disturbed in his work.
Madhabinath smiled. "You must not suppose," said he, "that I have come to ask you for an information gratis."
The words spoken had the effect of thawing him immediately. "No offence, sir," said the postmaster. "We are not to give out anything. That's against the rule. But as you are a gentleman and seem much in need of an information, I think I shouldn't refuse you it. Let me see. What's it again you wish to know?
"Do you have any letters to the address of Brahmananda?"
"Yes," said the postmaster.
"At what intervals?"
"Stop, please, there is no haste. I will tell you after I have been paid for what you know already. I mean no offence. Business is business."
Madhabinath felt greatly offended at his meanness and foolish behaviour. "Do you know who I am?" he said, scanning him with his eyes.
"No; but whoever you may be, the post office is not bound to furnish the information you want. Your name, please?"
"Well, my name is Madhabinath Sircar. And since you do not know me I must tell you that I am wellknown in this part of the country. I have got a band of clubmen under my control. If you be so foolish as to incur my displeasure the consequence of it will not be very pleasant, I can tell you. So you are free to answer or not answer my questions just as you like." As he delivered this speech he looked awfully grave as if to give greater effect to his words. The postmaster had heard that Madhabinath Sircar of Rajagram was a formidable man. He thought to make an apology, but he was so frightened that he could hardly utter a word.
"Look here, man," continued Madhabinath, "I must know what I want to know. If you answer my questions faithfully and promptly I will make you an adequate recompense. But if instead you refuse to tell me what I want to know, as sure as you have a head on your shoulders I will have your office robbed and your house set on fire. And in court I shall know how to prove the charge completely against you. There!"
The postmaster was filled with dismay. He trembled visibly. "Oh, I beg your pardon, sir," he appealed. "I took you for an ordinary gentleman who wanted to pump information out of me. Don't take any offence, sir, I beseech you. I will gladly and readily answer any questions you may be pleased to ask."
"Well, then," said Madhabinath again, "at what intervals do you have letters to the address of Brahmananda?"
"Generally at a month's, sir," said the postmaster.
"Were the letters hitherto received all registered letters?"
"Most of them."
"At what office were they registered?"
"I am sure I do not remember, sir."
"But you can tell me by looking at the receipts."
The postmaster consulted the receipts. "Prosadpur," he said.
"In what district is it?" asked Madhabinath again.
"Jessore," he replied after consulting the list.
"Will you now see," said Madhabinath, "if you had any registered letters to this man's address from any other place?"
He thoroughly examined the receipts and declared that all the letters hitherto received were addressed from Prosadpur.
Madhabinath was satisfied. He gave
