for his mysterious conduct.

"'I started for the Himalayas in a buoyant spiritual mood,' he
explained. 'Inspiration filled me at the prospect of meeting the
masters. But as soon as Mukunda said, "During our ecstasies in the
Himalayan caves, tigers will be spellbound and sit around us like
tame pussies," my spirits froze; beads of perspiration formed on
my brow. "What then?" I thought. "If the vicious nature of the
tigers be not changed through the power of our spiritual trance,
shall they treat us with the kindness of house cats?" In my mind's
eye, I already saw myself the compulsory inmate of some tiger's
stomach-entering there not at once with the whole body, but by
installments of its several parts!'"

My anger at Jatinda's vanishment was evaporated in laughter. The
hilarious sequel on the train was worth all the anguish he had
caused me. I must confess to a slight feeling of satisfaction:
Jatinda too had not escaped an encounter with the police!

"Ananta, {FN4-4} you are a born sleuthhound!" My glance of amusement
was not without some exasperation. "And I shall tell Jatinda I am
glad he was prompted by no mood of treachery, as it appeared, but
only by the prudent instinct of self-preservation!"

At home in Calcutta, Father touchingly requested me to curb my roving
feet until, at least, the completion of my high school studies.
In my absence, he had lovingly hatched a plot by arranging for
a saintly pundit, Swami Kebalananda, {FN4-5} to come regularly to
the house.