Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/290

Rh female inmates of the house were greatly amused, and smiled at the happy, speedy termination of the old couple's quarrel. Referring to this, Vidyasagar's son, Narayan Babu, 'said to us:—"My grandmother (Vidyasagar's mother) used to lend money to the lower class people of the village. When any of these poor persons could not repay their debts, she would go to their houses, and sometimes demand repayment in angry tones. She would say to them',—'If you do not repay your debts, how can I carry on the money-lending business?' When the creditors saw her in such passion, they tried to pacify her with gentle, flattering words. Some would relate, with tearful eyes, the tales of their distress; while others blessed her son, Vidyasagar, in her presence, and prayed to God for his welfare. My grandmother's passion would vanish in an instant; she would then say,—'Very good, never mind, pay your debts, when you find convenience. But to-day you must have Prasad (eat your rice) at mine.' The female inmates of their house sometimes gave her Muri (fried rice), cocoanut, Batasa (light sugar-cake) and other eatables. She would bring them home wrapped in a corner of her cloth. At noon, after she had done the cooking and fed the guests and dependents, she took her stand daily by the outer gates of her house. As a wayfarer or a peddler passed by her, she would take him in, and feed him with satiety. If she saw any one with a pale