Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/649

602 delicious fruits and confectionery. In winter, he gave them warm clothes. He was by their sick-bed, drenching them with physic, dieting them with light food, and nursing them with the tenderest care. He kept with him a large supply of Homœpathic drugs for their treatment. The reader is aware that he had acquired a great proficiency in the healing art of Hahnemann. His heart was a fountain of universal love and kindness. Wheresoever he was, there was nothing but love and kindness. In his daily morning walks, he visited the hut of every one of his Santhal neighbours, and very cheerily accepted their little presents of gourd, cucumber, or brinjal. He then returned to his neat and clean villa, accompanied with some of his honest, savage friends, to whom he gave whatever they required. He made them dance their barbarous dances, which gave him an infinite pleasure. In fact, in this country seat he felt a heavenly tranquility and happiness. Not only did he minister to their external improvement and physical comfort, but he also provided for their internal advancement, intellectual culture, and moral correction. For the education of their children, he founded a vernacular school at his own expense.

There were no fish-mongers in the vicinity of the place, as there were very few purchasers of fish. Vidyasagar proclaimed that he would buy all the fish that would be brought to him. The