Having read this, he said:  “Your coming here is refreshing to me as water to a withered plant; you are the wife of my very dear friend, Pushpodbhava, and I know how attached you are to my darling, therefore I can speak freely to you.  Tell her that when she left the grove that day she carried off my heart with her, and that I long to see her even more than she longs for me; tell her only not to despond; the entrance to her apartments is indeed difficult, but I will contrive to see her by some means or other.  Come back soon, and, having thought over the matter, I will tell you what is to be done.”  With this message, Balachandrika went to rejoice her friend; and the prince, though much comforted, could not remain quiet, but walked to the park, to have the pleasure of seeing at least the place where he had first met his charmer.  There he stayed a long time together with his friend, looking at her footsteps in the sand, the withered flowers which she had gathered and thrown down, the place where she had sat, and the shrubs from which he had watched her, and listening to the murmur of the wind among the leaves, the hum of the bees and the song of the birds.  Presently, they saw approaching them a brahman, splendidly dressed, followed by a servant.  He, coming up to the prince, saluted him; and the prince, returning the salute, asked who he was.  He answered “My name is Vidyeswara.  I am a famous conjurer, and travel about exhibiting my skill for the amusement of kings and nobles.  I have now come to Oujein, to show off my skill before the king.”  Then, with a knowing smile, he added, “But what makes you look so pale?”

Pushpodbhava, thinking to himself this is just the man to help us, answered, “There is something in your appearance which induces me to look on you as a friend, and you know how sometimes intimate friendship arises from a very short acquaintance; I will therefore tell you why my friend is thus sad.  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.