Page:Vidyasagar, the Great Indian Educationist and Philanthropist.djvu/20

 branches of Sanskrit learning quitted it at twenty, radiant with youth, energy, success. The great triumphs of his academic career were not won without great trials. During the whole of this period, he had to dwell amidst the gloomiest of environments. The gentleman with whom he took up his abode gave him an ill-ventilated room, dark and dreary during all seasons of the year. It was a small apartment, furnished in no sense of the term and full of worms and vermin, which were especially troublesome at night. There was hard by a black, uncovered drain, exhaling at all times noisome and pestilent vapours. As Thakurdas had many mouths to provide for out of a narrow income, the food was necessarily insufficient and poor in quality. In general a pice worth of fried rice served as tiffin for four members, and at times even this would not be forthcoming. Iswar Chandra had to attend to all domestic affairs. He did the marketing, cooked the repast, served up the dishes to his father and brothers, scoured