o the building had rows of these
coloured lanterns on both sides; besides, there were coloured flags and
Union Jacks flying from the tops of the poles, round which were coiled
wreaths of flowers, and which also served to support the ropes or wires
from which these lanterns were suspended.

The main building itself was illuminated with hundreds of thousands of
candles or lamps and looked from a distance like a house on fire. From
close quarters you could read "Long live the Queen" written in letters
of fire on the parapets of the building, and could see the procession of
carriages that passed up and down the drives so artistically decorated,
and wonder that the spirited horses did not bolt or shy or kick over the
traces when entering those lanes of fire.

There were no electric lights then in Calcutta or in any part of India,
no motor cars and no rubber-tyred carriages.

On a reception night lots of people come to watch the decorations of
Government House. Now-a-days Government House is illuminated with
electricity; but I am told by my elders that in those days when tallow
candles and tiny glass lamps were the only means of illumination the
thing looked more beautiful and gorgeous.

The people who come to see the illumination pass along the road and are
not allowed to stop. The law is that they must walk on and if a young
child stops for more than half a minute his guardian, friend, nurse or
companion is at once reminded by the policeman on duty that he or she
must walk on; and these policemen of Calcutta, unlike the policemen of
London, are not at all courteous in their manner or speech.

So it happened on a certain reception night that Hasan Khan the black
artist went to see the decorations and while lingering on the road was
rudely told by the policeman on duty to get away.

Ordinarily Hasan Khan was a man of placid disposition and polite
manners. He told the policeman that he should not have been rude to a
rate-payer who had only come to enjoy the glorious sight and meant no
harm. He also dropped a hint that if the head of the police department
knew that a subordinate of his was insulting Hasan Khan it would go hard
with that subordinate.

This infuriated the policeman who blew his whistle which had the effect
of bringing half a dozen other constables on the spot. They then gave
poor Hasan Khan a thrashing and reported him to the Inspector on duty.
As chance would have it this Inspector had not heard of Hasan