Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/85

 them a great irritation, and prevented them from closing their lids.

Isvar Chandra studied in the Grammar department for three years. In the first two years, he stood first at the annual examinations, and won prizes. But, in the third year, he neither topped the list, nor secured any prizes. Isvar Chandra was so much disappointed and dejected at this, that he even thought of quitting the College and prosecuting his studies in a Tol. No wonder. Every one knew that he was the best boy in the class, and toiled hard, day and night, for the examination. What was then the cause of his failure? Some say, that Mr. Price, a European, was appointed examiner of Grammar for that year. The examination was conducted orally. Whatever questions were put to Isvar Chandra, he took time to weigh them carefully in his mind, and then made answers slowly, but correctly, without committing a single blunder. But this was a fault in the eyes of Mr. Price, or he himself was unable to grasp the full meaning of what Isvar Chandra said. Whatever that might be, the examiner gave more marks to those boys, who answered the questions with readiness and promptness, though their answers were defective or wrong.

After much persuasion, Isvar Chandra was induced to come back to the College. The next six months he devoted to the study of Amarkosh (a Sanskrit Dictionary, which every student of