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201 that it might have some other meaning in his books; so saying he suddenly opened his box, took out another palm-leaf book, appeared to find the expression in question in the twinkling of an eye and announced to us that it meant something else. He then threw the book aside and I found that it was neither a dictionary nor a glossary and that the pretended search for the proper meaning was merely intended to have a dramatic effect.

Thoroughly disappointed with the answers given, my friend hoped that we might be more fortunate in eliciting answers to my questions. When it came to my turn to get my difficulties solved, I requested the astrologer to omit that portion of the account which related to dancing in Vykuntham or Kailyasam and forthwith begin to read the answers to my questions. He, however, began his account with what appeared to be a description of the question and the position of the planets at the time of questioning. The astrologer said that I must first be assured that the answers related to the very questions proposed by me by the help of the description given of myself and my circumstances. I thanked him for his kind advice so frankly given and waited for the preferred assurance. I was, however, dismayed to find that the account related to somebody else, as it did not at all harmonize with my environment. I pointed this out to the astrologer and suggested that he might not have selected the right portion of the book. He readily accepted the suggestion and after turning over a few more leaves, began to read again. But it appeared to me that so far as the astrologer was concerned the difficulty of getting at my horoscope remained as great as ever. I was asked whether I had my horoscope with me; but I was not willing to repeat my friend's blunder and consequently informed him that I had not my horoscope with me. In sheer despair, the astrologer wanted to get over the difficulty by a bold and fearless asscertion. He then began to read a verse which stated that I was born when Leo was ascending, that my future career would be prosperous, and that I would be a very shrewd and discriminative man or something to that effect. 26