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 caused 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.