Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/551

504 he had returned it long since. The book was missing, and the owner was at a loss to account for its loss. It was a rare and valuable Sanskrit work procurable only in Germany. It was at that time out of print, and consequently there was no possibility of procuring a new one, until it was reprinted. Fortunately, in a few days, a hawker of books, whom Vidyasagar had known for some time, came to him with the very missing book to sell. Vidyasagar was quite surprised to find it in the possession of the hawker, and asked him where he had got it from. The innocent pedler replied, that he had purchased it from … … … Babu (the name of the man who had borrowed the book from Vidyasagar's Library). Vidyasagar was startled to hear the name, but he said nothing, and purchased the book from the hawker, giving him the price he demanded. From this time forward he was determined not to lend his books to any body.

It is said, that on one occasion a wealthy man of the city called on him when he was in his Library. The visitor was quite amazed at the sight of the beautiful binding of the books, and remarked;—'Sir, you must be crazed to spend so much money in getting these books bound from Europe?' Vidyasagar smiled, and after an interval of a few minutes said to the visitor;—'Your shawl is very nice, indeed; how much did it cost you?' The man, quite forgetful of his own remarks and unconscious of Vidyasagar's tactics, replied most inno-