272 LIFE OF ELIE METCHNIKOFF 



I told him how pleased I was to see him better. 

 " It is true," he said, " to-day I have no death- 

 sensation, but I beg you, have no illusions ! " 



Always that preoccupation of breaking the shock 

 for me. He made me bring a pocket-book with some 

 money in it and a few envelopes ; in each of them he 

 made me place notes of similar value, then with his 

 already shaking hand, he himself wrote on each 

 envelope the value of the notes multiplied by their 

 number, and explained that it was to help me to find 

 quickly what I should require after the catastrophe. 



He ate better at lunch than he had done lately ; but 

 already at two o'clock the breathlessness increased. 

 Yet he did not look pale ; he had preserved his 

 rosy complexion. As he inhaled the oxygen, he was 

 shaken by a hiccough. He pressed my hand. " It 

 is the end," he said, " the death rattle ; that is 

 how people die." He looked at his watch on the 

 small table, it marked four o'clock. 



" No," he said, " it must have stopped. Four 

 o'clock struck some time ago." And he smiled. 

 " Is it not strange that it should have stopped before 

 I ? Go and see what time it is." 



I ran out to see the clock from the window of 

 another room ; it was twenty minutes to five. I met 

 some one in the passage and asked him to go quickly 

 to fetch one of the Institute doctors. Then I begged 

 Elie not to have such ideas, and tried to cheer him. 



" But, my child, why do you want to calm me ? I 

 am quite calm ; I am only stating facts," he said, 

 adding tender words. 



At that moment Salimbeni came in. Elie said to 

 him : " Salimbeni, you are a friend ; tell me, is it 

 the end ? " And as he protested, he added, " You, 



