XVI. CHANGES
Let no one imagine that my experiments in dancing and
the like marked a stage of indulgence in my life. The
reader will have noticed that even then I had my wits
about me. That period of infatuation was not unrelieved
by a certain amount of self-introspection on my part. I
kept account of every farthing I spent, and my expenses
were carefully calculated. Every little item such as
omnibus fares or postage or a couple of coppers spent on
newspapers, would be entered, and the balance struck
every evening before going to bed. That habit has stayed
with me ever since, and I know that as a result, though I
have had to handle public funds amounting to lakhs, I
have succeeded in exercising strict economy in their
disbursement, and instead of outstanding debts have had
invariably a surplus balance in respect of all the
movements I have led. Let every youth take a leaf out of
my book and make it a point to account for everything
that comes into and goes out of his pocket, and like me
he is sure to be a gainer in the end.
As I kept strict watch over my way of living, I could
see that it was necessary to economize. I therefore
decided to reduce my expenses by half. My accounts showed
numerous items spent on fares. Again my living with a
family meant the payment of a regular weekly bill. It
also included the courtesy of occasionally taking members
of the family out to dinner, and likewise attending
parties with them. All this involved heavy items for
conveyances, especially as, if the friend was a lady,
custom required that the man should pay all the expenses.
Also dining out meant extra cost, as no deduction could
be made from the regular weekly bill for meals not taken.
It seemed to me that all these items could be saved, as
likewise the drain on my purse through a false sense of
propriety.
So I decided to take rooms on my own account, instead
of living any longer in a family, and also to remove from
place to place according to the work I had to do, thus
gaining experience at the same time. The rooms were so
selected as to enable me to reach the place of business
on foot in half an hour, and so save fares. Before this I
had always taken some kind of conveyance whenever I went
anywhere, and had to find extra time for walks. The new
arrangement combined walks and economy, as it meant a
saving of fares and gave me walks of eight or ten miles a
day. It was mainly this habit of long walks that kept me
practically free from illness throughout my stay in
England and gave me a fairly strong body.
Thus I rented a suite of rooms; one for a sitting room
and another for a bedroom. This was the second stage. The
third was yet to come.
These changes saved me half the expense. But how was I
to utilize the time? I knew that Bar examinations did not
require much study, and I therefore did not feel pressed
for time. My weak English was a perpetual worry to me. Mr
(afterwards Sir Frederic) Lely's words, 'Graduate first
and then come to me,' still rang in my ears. I should, I
thought, not only be called to the Bar, but have some
literary degree as well. I inquired about the Oxford and
Cambridge University courses, consulted a few friends,
and found that, if I elected to go to either of these
places, that would mean greater expense and a much longer
stay in England than I was prepared for. A friend
suggested that, if I really wanted to have the
satisfaction of taking a difficult examination, I should
pass the London Matriculation. It meant a good deal of
labour and much addition to my stock of general
knowledge, without any extra expense worth the name. I
welcomed the suggestion. But the syllabus frightened me.
Latin and a modern language were compulsory! How was I to
manage Latin? But the friend entered a strong plea for
it: 'Latin is very valuable to lawyers. Knowledge of
Latin is very useful in understanding law-books. And one
paper in Roman Law is entirely in Latin. Besides a
knowledge of Latin means greater command over the English
language.' It went home and I decided to learn Latin, no
matter how difficult it might be. French I had already
begun, so I thought that should be the modern language. I
joined a private Matriculation class. Examinations were
held every six months and I had only five months at my
disposal. It was an almost impossible task for me. But
the aspirant after being an English gentleman chose to
convert himself into a serious student. I framed my own
time-table to the minute; but neither my intelligence nor
memory promised to enable me to tackle Latin and French
besides other subjects within the given period. The
result was that I was ploughed in Latin. I was sorry but
did not lose heart. I had acquired a taste for Latin,
also I thought my French would be all the better for
another trial and I would select a new subject in the
science group. Chemistry which was my subject in science
had no attraction for want of experiments, Whereas it
ought to have been a deeply interesting study. It was one
of the compulsory subjects in India and so I had selected
it for the London Matriculation. This time, however, I
chose Heat and Light instead of Chemistry. It was said to
be easy and I found it to be so.
With my preparation for another trial, I made an
effort to simplify my life still further. I felt that my
way of living did not yet befit the modest means of my
family. The thought of my struggling brother, who nobly
responded to my regular calls for monetary help, deeply
pained me. I saw that most of those who were spending
from eight to fifteen pounds monthly had the advantage of
scholarships. I had before me examples of much simpler
living. I came across a fair number of poor students
living more humbly than I. One of them was staying in the
slums in a room at two shillings a week and living on two
pence worth of cocoa and bread per meal from Lockhart's
cheap Cocoa Rooms. It was far from me to think of
emulating him, but I felt I could surely have one room
instead of two and cook some of my meals at home. That
would be a saving of four to five pounds each month. I
also came across books on simple living. I gave up the
suite of rooms and rented one instead, invested in a
stove, and began cooking my breakfast at home. The
process scarcely took me more than twenty minutes for
there was only oatmeal porridge to cook and water to boil
for cocoa. I had lunch out and for dinner bread and cocoa
at home. Thus I managed to live on a shilling and three
pence a day. This was also a period of intensive study.
Plain living saved me plenty of time and I passed my
examination.
Let not the reader think that this living made my life
by any means a dreary affair. On the contrary the change
harmonized my inward and outward life. It was also more
in keeping with the means of my family. My life was
certainly more truthful and my soul knew no bounds of
joy.
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