Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/595

548 of Sisu-Siksha in the name of Kunda Mala, Tarkalankar's second widowed daughter. Vidyasagar accepted the proposal and consented to make her a present of the copy-right. But subsequently he was so offended at somebody's behaviour, that he was constrained to withdraw his promise. Surely, this unusual conduct on the part of the truthful Vidyasagar is by no means to be justified, and has brought down some discredit on his unsoiled Character. However offensive other people's behaviour might have been, or under any circumstances, however displeasing, Vidyasagar ought not to have retracted his word of gift, once pledged by him.

To resume the thread of our narrative. Maharaja Satis Chandra had married two wives. He had left a Will. One of the provisions of the testament was that if neither of his wives had any male issue, then on his demise, the younger widowed Maharani should take an adopted son, and that if she did not take to that course, the elder Maharani should adopt a son. The elder one had already died in the life-time of Satis Chandra. On his demise, the younger Maharani, Bhuvanesvari, expressed a wish to keep the Estate in her own hands. The Raj-Dewan, Kartik Chandra Ray, saw that the Estate was already in an embarrassed state, and that if the Maharani should keep it in her own hands, it would grow more deplorable still. He, therefore, called on Vidyasagar, and consulted