The Professor: Avignon 



his glass bulbs, made sterile or fertile at will, by 

 his experiments, magnificent in their rigorous sim- 

 plicity, Pasteur exploded for ever the insanity which 

 professed to see life arising from a chemical con- 

 flict in a mass of putrescence. 



Aware of this dispute, so victoriously elucidated, 

 I gave my illustrious visitor the best of welcomes. 

 The scientist had come to me in the first place for 

 certain information. I owed this notable honour 

 to my quality of colleague as a teacher of physics 

 and chemistry. Ah, but what a humble, obscure 

 colleague ! 



Pasteur's tour through the district of Avignon 

 was in connection with sericulture. For some 

 years the silk-worm nurseries had been at sixes and 

 sevens, ravaged by unknown plagues. The silk- 

 worms, without appreciable cause, became masses of 

 putrid deliquescence, or hardened into stony lumps. 

 The peasant, in dismay, saw one of his chief sources 

 of income disappearing; after much expense and 

 trouble he had to throw his litters on the dung- 

 heap. 



A few words were exchanged concerning the 

 prevailing evil; then, without further pream- 

 ble: 



" I wanted to see some cocoons," said my visitor; 

 " I have never seen any ; I know them only by name. 

 Could you get me some ? " 



" Nothing simpler. My landlord is himself a 

 dealer in cocoons, and he lives across the road. If 

 you'll be good enough to wait a moment, I will 

 bring you what you want." 



159 



