Page:Ramtanu Lahiri, Brahman and Reformer - A History of the Renaissance in Bengal.djvu/62

 she passed them, they said, “She is the Goddess Lakshmi incarnate.”

One circumstance is noteworthy. While Jagaddhatri passed her days happily amid all kinds of domestic privations, her brothers were very kind to her. Almost daily, when returning home from their indigo factory, they called on her, and offered her such help as she needed.

At the time of Ramtanu’s birth, his father, with the small income of the landed property he had inherited, and with the salary he got as manager of the estates of the then wealthy Lala Babus, could hardly meet his own wants and those of his family. The Lala Babus were the two grandsons of Raja Shib Chandra through his daughter. Their names were Hariprasanna and Nandaprasanna; but they were called by the people of the time the elder and the younger Lala Babus.

There are many anecdotes about them illustrating their truthfulness and generosity; and of these we quote one from Kartik Babu’s autobiography.

Nobody ever saw or heard anything against the rectitude of the Lala Babus. Everyone talked of their good and noble qualities, and many interesting anecdotes are told to illustrate their virtues.

The younger Lala Babu was once, in course of conversation, informed by a neighbour of his mother’s death. Apparently no notice was then taken of it by the Babu; but when, after two or three months, the man turned up again, he presented him with ten rupees, saying, “When you told me of your mother’s death, I had no money in hand, and so I could not help you then; but yesterday I received some money from my taluk, and that reminded me of my debt to you.” We have heard of many such instances in the lives of the two brothers,

Ramkrishna took great pleasure in working under such