. Not long ago, he, the son of a
king, met the Princess Avantisundari on this very spot, and they fell
in love with each other. From the impossibility of meeting, both are
suffering, and the prince is brought into this condition which you
see."

Vidyeswara, in reply, looking at the prince, said, with a smile, "To
such as you, with me for an ally, nothing is impossible. I will,
through my skill, contrive that you shall marry the princess in the
presence of her father and his court; but you must follow my
directions exactly, and she must be informed of her part in the affair
through some trusty female friend."

Then, having given the necessary directions, the conjurer went his
way. Rajavahana also returned to the house, and when he had given
Balachandrika, who came again in the evening, the directions received
from the conjurer, and a loving message of encouragement for the
princess, he anxiously awaited the morrow, unable to sleep from the
thought of the expected happiness, and fluctuating between alternate
hopes and fears. In the morning, Vidyeswara, having collected a large
troop of followers, went to the palace and announced himself to the
doorkeeper, saying, "Tell the king the great conjurer is arrived."
Manasara, who had heard of his great skill, and was desirous of seeing
it, ordered him to be immediately admitted, and, after the usual
salutations, the performance began.

First, while the band was playing, peacocks' tails were waving, and
singers imitating the plaintive notes of birds, to excite the feelings
and distract the attention of the hearers, the conjurer turned round
violently several times, with his eyes half-closed, and caused great
hooded serpents to appear and vultures to come down from the sky to
seize them.

After this, he represented the scene of Vishnu killing Hiranyakasipu,
chief of the Asuras, to the great astonishment of the spectators;
then, turning to the king, he said, "It is desirable that the
performance should end with something auspicious; I propose,
therefore, to represent a royal marriage, and one of my people will
act as your daughter, another as a prince, endowed with all good
qualities. But first I must apply to your eyes this ointment, which
will give you preternatural clearness of vision." To all this the king
consented.

Meanwhile, the princess had contrived to slip out unobserved, and
stood among the conjurer's people. Rajavahana also stood ready, and
the performance bega