Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/466

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by pawning the stock-papers of his friend, Dr. Durga Charan Banarji, and the latter, when he had an urgent necessity for money to clear his own debts, wrote to Vidyasagar asking for return of his Promissory Notes. Among other things Durga Charan said in his letter;—"You will learn from the same that my debt affair is about to come to a crisis, which does not admit of further delay." Of course, Vidyasagar had no money then to be able to release his friend's Notes, and he replied to his letter to the following effect:—’I have tried my best continually for several days to release your Papers, but have failed to make any means. I do not see any chance of my being able to return your Notes soon. You are well aware that I did not receive your papers on my private account. I took them for the furtherance of widow marriage. I have taken such Papers from some other friends also. I took all these in the hope that I should be easily able to clear the debts, when the advocates of widow marriage would pay their contributions. But unfortunately most of these subscribers have not kept their word. The expenses on this account have been daily increasing, while my income is decreasing. I have consequently been put to a great peril. Like others, you yourself subscribed your name to pay a donation and monthly subscriptions, you have paid only a half of your promised donation. The other half you have not yet paid, and you have withheld your monthly sub-