Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/652

605 tender heart was moved at the sad disappointment of his poor neighbour, and for his satisfaction received it from his hands. The Santhal felt highly delighted. When he was gone, Vidyasagar set free the fowl. On one occasion, another Santhal came to him, accompanied by a woman of his race. He said to Vidyasagar,—'Would you give this woman a piece of cloth?' The latter replied by way of joke,—'I have no cloth; and why should I give her?' Santhal.—'That won't do; you must give her a piece of cloth.'

Vidyasagar.—'No. I have none.'

Santhal.—'Let me have your key. I will open your trunk, and see whether you have got cloth.'

Vidyasagar laughed at the simple familiarity of the savage, and handed his key over to him. The Santhal opened the chest, and cried out in great delight,—'Why, there is an abundance of cloth here.' With this, he drew out a piece of nice cloth, and gave it to the woman.

About this time, Vidyasagar had to suffer a most heart-rending affliction at the loss of his most sincere friend, the Hon'ble Dvvarka Nath Mitter, a Judge of the Calcutta High Court, who passed away on the 25th February, 1874. The Englishman, a leading Anglo-Indian newspaper, in its issue of the 3rd March of the same year, in noticing the lamented death of the deceased Justice, thus said of him:—" * * * Amongst his more brilliant qualities was his