Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/499

456 a boy to him as very poor and unable to pay his school-fee. Vidyasagar kindly allowed tho boy to be admitted as a free student. In fact, the boy was the rich man's brother-in-law (wife's brother), but Vidyasagar did not know it then. Latterly, one day, when he paid a visit the Institution he saw that the poor boy was very gaudily dressed and was eating rich refreshments. He was quite surprised and on enquiry came to know the true story of the boy. He at once drove the boy out of the school.

There is no reckoning how many unscrupulous, deceitful persons outraged on his simplicity and kindness and cheated him out of his money. On one occasion, he received a letter purporting to have been written by a lower form student of the Uttarpara school. The contents of the letter were to the effect;—'I am a parentless, poor boy. I have no one in the world to call my own. A kind neighbour provides me with my boarding. I have been allowed to read in the Uttarapara School as a free-student. I have not a single pice to pay the ferryman, and cross the river to visit your feet. If you should be pleased to send me the following books, I may prosecute my studies for this year.' Vidyasagar at once despatched the required books to the address of the boy at the Uttarapara School. Every succeeding year, the boy wrote to him, saying that he was promoted to the next higher class, and asking for some