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114 while around him sat twenty beautiful maidens, ten of them wearing in their hair exquisite lotus flowers made from jade, a precious stone found in China, while the other ten wore peony flowers made from pure agate. These beautiful young women made harmonious music on flutes and harps, charming his senses as he watched the juggler.

But, rich as he was, his money could not last for ever, and so in the course of two years he again became a poor man. All his friends, whom he had entertained so lavishly while he was wealthy, gradually ceased to call, and at last not one of them troubled to inquire after him as they passed his door.

At last, when the third spring had passed, he was without a home, and, though he still had many acquaintances in the great city of Loyang, not one of these would offer him a bed to sleep on or a morsel to eat. Not only shelter for the night was refused him, but he was even refused a cup of pure water to quench his thirst.

One evening, being at his wit’s end, he happened to be standing again at the western gate, gazing into the sky watching the setting sun, when suddenly there appeared again before him the same old man with the squint eye, and looking into his face he asked, as before:

“What are you thinking about?”

When Tu Tzuchun saw who it was, he hung his head with shame, and for a while was not able to make any answer. But again the old man repeated his