Page:The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol. 1.djvu/158



them said: "No, I cannot give the room even for 20s. The whole carpet would be spoiled by stain of grease and no one else after you leave would take my room." I however assured her that she so spoke because her ideas were associated with mutton and that by allowing me to cook her room would not be spoiled as I simply wanted to prepare porridge or boil the milk and I told her also that, if her carpet was spoiled, I would pay for the spoiling. She after some hesitation accepted my proposal and I took her room for 8s per week. After leaving my luggage in the room, I went out in search of the vegetarian restaurant. I could not find it. And I thought my experiment would fail. This gloomy outlook was rendered gloomier still when I found that no restaurant-keeper would arrange to provide me a dinner consisting of vegetable soup, and bread and butter for one shilling. All thought they could not undergo the bother for one man. I thought the task was hopeless and that I would be obliged to pay 2s or 3s merely for a dinner. I was quite tired by this time and very hungry, but I did not give up. I knew that I was to take rest and was not to read much during my stay in Brighton. So I said to myself that if I should cook two meals, why not cook three? As soon as the idea flashed in my mind, I caught hold of it, went to a grocer and bought the necessary things and went to my place. On reaching the house, I told the landlady that, although the arrangement was to allow me to cook only two meals, I would have to cook three. She was angry and would have driven me out of the house, had I not offered to raise the rent from 8 to 10s. I then set about to work. The first evening I prepared porridge and stewed fruit and I liked it very much. The next morning I had the same. For dinner I had haricot soup which proved to be very nourishing and nice. I thus arranged my meals for the [four] weeks. For breakfast I had bread and milk and stewed fruit and bread and butter (3d), for dinner I had soup (1 1/2), strawberries (2d) and bread (1d). For supper I had porridge (1 1/2), bread and butter and fruit (2). Thus I spent only 11d or 1 shilling per day at the most for food in Brighton. With the 10s rent, 3 shillings for washing, the whole expenses for board and lodging for four weeks amounted to 3-10-0. And it cost me 4-8-5 for fares to and from Brighton. Thus I was able for four pounds to go to live for four weeks in and return from Brighton. I found out during the last week of my stay in Brighton that there was a vegetarian home where I could have got board and lodging for 14s per week. The house is situated near the Preston