“Ali got up and saluting the post-office as though it housed some precious relic, went off-a pitiable figure a century behind his time.”

This quote describes Ali, a character in a story, as getting up and saluting the post office as if it were a significant or meaningful place. This action is seen as pitiable because Ali is living a century behind his time, when post offices were seen as important buildings in their communities, while in modern day they are often seen as mundane or mundane. This quote suggests that Ali is stuck in the mindset of a much earlier time and is unable to relate to the modern world.