What was Damu Anna's specific emotional and mental reaction after receiving Sai Baba's negative response to his business idea?

Upon receiving Sai Baba's discouraging reply, Damu Anna was utterly crestfallen and his hopes were dashed. Chapter 25 vividly describes his state of mind: "The fortress of his desires crumbled; the tree of hope was uprooted." He lamented the lost opportunity, fantasizing about the fortune he could have made: "I would have earned one lakh now, and put half a lakh on interest. I would have immediately become a millionaire money-lender and lived happily in Nagar." His disappointment quickly turned to regret and self-blame, as he felt that writing the letter was a mistake and that he had, in his own words, "kicked away the served plate myself."