Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/260

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moved his naturally gentle heart. His fearful wrath now turned into benign kindness. He addressed the boys with his usual affability, and said:—'Very good, go now I excuse you this time, but mind, be careful not to do so again.' A great burden was now removed from the minds of the boys, and they were highly delighted. It was then mid-day, the clock having then struck twelve. The boys took leave of Vidyasagar, and as they were alighting down the stairs, one of them most innocently and merrily said to the others, in a not very loud voice:—'What an inhuman heart! It is so late in the day, yet he has not thought fit to ask us to a little refreshment.' The words reached Vidyasagar's ears. He at once ran down, and overtook the boys while still on the stairs. He said to them:—'Quite right, my dear boys; surely, I have an inhuman heart. My mind was abstracted, and my attention not being drawn to it, I forgot to ask you to refreshment. Come, you must partake of a little refreshment. The boys were quite confused and bewildered. Some of them implored to be excused, while others tried to run down the stairs in great haste. But Vidyasagar told the porter to shut the gates, and took the reluctant boys to a room, where they were made to partake of the refreshment provided for them. They were then dismissed. When they had left the house, and were on the road, one said to the other:—'How can such a man ever get angry?'