GOKHALE'S GENEROSITY 177 



the Budget so as to have time to learn something 

 of the country and to be able to envisage* la 

 situation. 



In my case circumstances beyond my control 

 landed me in Calcutta but a short time before the 

 Budget, and I was hardly able to do more than 

 stare at an appreciable deficit. 



It was a wonderful chance for the Indian 

 members of the Legislative Council to upset an 

 inexperienced Minister, and I anticipated a trying 

 time of it in debate. The one man I frankly 

 feared was Gokhale, the Gladstone of India. 



Accordingly I endeavoured to find out what 

 Gokhale's line of attack would be. All and 

 everyone told me that the attempt would be futile, 

 and that any apparent frankness on Gokhale's 

 part would only be a cloak to his real intentions. 

 So I left him severely alone. 



Imagine my surprise at receiving on the eve of 

 the debate a letter from Gokhale, whom I did not 

 even know, to the effect that as he had good reason 

 to believe that I meant to do my utmost for the 

 good of India, he had no desire to embarrass me, 

 and that he therefore sent me the notes of the speech 

 he proposed to make so that I should not be taken 

 unawares. 



I do not believe that such a generous attitude 

 has ever been assumed by the leader of the Op- 

 position in any other country in the world, and I 

 greatly doubt if it ever will be. 



I subsequently invited Gokhale to pay me a 

 visit at Peterhof and he stayed with me for a week, 

 a week for me of unalloyed pleasure. 



Gokhale always reminds me of Mr. Gladstone, 



