1865—1870 131 



Madame Pasteur had the courage not to ask her husband to 

 leave his work and come to her; but her letters alarmed him, 

 and the anxious father gave up his studies for a few days and 

 arrived at Chambery. The danger at that time seemed averted, 

 and he only remained three days at Chambery. Cecile, ap- 

 parently convalescent, had recovered her smile, that sweet, in- 

 definable smile which gave so much charm to her serious, 

 almost melancholy face. She smiled thus for the last time at 

 her little sister Marie-Louise, about the middle of May, lying 

 on a s< >f a by a sunny window. 



On Mar 21, her doctor. Dr. Flesschutt, wrote to Pasteur: 

 *'If the iite:r*st I take in the child were not sufficient to 

 stimulate my efforts, the mother's courage would keep up my 

 hopes and double my ardent desire for a happy issue." Cecile 

 died on i\Iay 23 after a sudden relapse. Pasteur only arrived 

 at Chambery in time to take to Arbois the remains of the little 

 girl, which were buried near those of his mother, of his two 

 other daughters, Jeanne and Camille, and of his father, Joseph 

 Pasteur. The little cemetery indeed represented a cup of 

 sorrows for Pasteur. 



**Your father has returned from his sad journey tc 

 Arbois," wrote Madame Pasteur from Chambery to her son 

 who was at school in Paris. **I did think of going back to 

 you, but I could not leave your poor father to go back to Alais 

 alone after this great sorrow." Accompanied by her who 

 was his greatest comfort, and who gave him some of her own 

 courage, Pasteur came back to the Pont Gisquet and returned 

 to his work. M. Duclaux in his turn joined the hard-working 

 little party. 



At the beginning of June, Duruy, with the solicitude of 

 a Minister who found time to be also a friend, wrote affection- 

 ately to Pasteur — 



"You are leaving me quite in the dark, yet you know the 

 interest I take in your work. Where are you? and what are 

 you doing? Finding out something I feel certain. ..." 



Pasteur answered, ** Monsieur le Ministre, I hasten to thank 

 you for your kind reminder. My studies have been associated 

 with sorrow; perhaps your charming little daughter, who 

 used to play sometimes at M. Le Verrier's, will remember 

 Cecile Pasteur among other little girls of her age that she 

 used to meet at the Observatoire. My dear child was coming 

 with her mother to spend the Easter holidays with me at Alais, 



