Page:The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol. 1.djvu/54

 would be sufficient for my three years' stay in London. I left India for receiving legal education in England. I knew while in India that education and living in London were very expensive. But now from two months' experience in London, I find that they are more so than they appeared to be in India. In order to live here comfortably and to receive good education, I shall require an extra help of 400. I am a native of Porbandar and as such that is the only place I can look up to for such help. During the late rule of H. H. the Rana Saheb, very little encouragement was given to education. But we can naturally expect that education must be encouraged under the English Administration. I am one who can take advantage of such encouragement. I hope, therefore, that you may please render me some pecuniary help and thereby confer great and much-needed obligation on me. I have asked my brother Laxmidas Gandhi to receive [it] and am sending him a note to see you in person if necessary. Trusting you will be induced to grant my request.


 * With best respects,


 * I beg to remain, yours,


 * M. K. Gandhi

I prepared this draft of a letter three weeks ago and have been thinking over it ever since. Believing that a reply to this letter will come in the meantime I am sending you the draft. I have not asked for the whole amount, as it would be unreasonable. Again he may think that if I had been absolutely dependent upon his help, I would not have proceeded to England without making sure of it. But having found on arrival here that I shall need more funds, I have asked for only the additional amount. I have not offered to bind myself in any way, because I did not think it necessary. Nor did I feel that it was proper to bind myself for an amount which will cover only part of my expenses. Besides, if... [Incomplete]

Gandhiji sent this to his elder brother, Lakshmidas Gandhi. This covering note, originally written in Gujarati, was addressed to Lakshmidas Gandhi while forwarding the draft to him.