Why was the man on the train to Calcutta running away from his girlfriend?

The man was running away from his girlfriend because he had developed a mistrust for palm readers. The fortune teller had told him he would meet an Indian girl who would dance for him, but six months later, the palm reader did not recognize the man. The traveler came across as a very confused man who had decided to rely on fortune tellers rather than his own heart in matters of love.