Summary of the lesson 'The Best Investment I Ever Made'

 

The Best Investment I Ever Made (Dr. A. J. Cronin)   Dr. AJ Cronin was on a voyage back from New York. On the second day of the journey, he noticed that one of his fellow voyagers was watching him earnestly.  He ignored him as he wanted to rest and to avoid making any boring ship-board contacts. Dr Cronin soon realized that the man wanted to approach him, but was very diffident to do so.   On the following forenoon Dr. Cronin again observed that the man watching him seriously. This time there was a lady with him – obviously his wife. Dr Cronin knew from his steward that they were Mr. and Mrs. John-S from a suburb of London. On the final day of the voyage, encouraged by his wife, the man approached Dr Cronin and introduced himself. He offered Dr. Cronin his card and said that he and his wife had been in the field of social work for the last fifteen years. But Dr. Cronin could not still recognize him. Then the man said something in the ears of Dr Cronin, which parted the veil of forgetfulness. Dr. Cronin’s thoughts sped back a quarter of a century.   He remembered a dreadful incident happened 25 years ago. While he was practising as a young doctor in London, once a police sergeant took him to attend a suicide case. A young man had tried to commit suicide in a nearby lodge inhaling cooking gas.  After an hour of strenuous efforts with the help of the sergeant of police and the landlady of the lodge, Dr. Cronin succeeded in bringing the young man back to life.   After regaining health, the young man told them his story.  His name was John and he was an orphan, and his uncle found him a job in the town.  Soon he made bad companions and like a young fool ran after pleasures of life. He borrowed huge amounts, pledged all his things, stole some money from his office and gambled. He lost everything and finally decided to end his own life fearing a possible prosecution for the theft.   Hearing his pathetic story, the trio – Dr. AJ Cronin, the sergeant and the landlady – decided to help him to make a fresh start in his life.  The sergeant decided no to report upon the case against the young man. The landlady offered him a month’s free board. Dr. AJ Cronin gave him seven pounds and ten shillings to put back in his office safe so that he could escape from the theft case.     Recollecting all these incidents, Dr Cronin realized that his investment of the meagre amount turned out to be the best investment he ever made in his life, though it hadn’t brought him any worldly profit.