56 THE LIFE OF PASTEUR 



vacancy to M. Balard, you will add nothing to the opportunities 

 for study which he already has ; but it will take away from M. 

 Laurent the means of work that he lacks and that we have 

 now the opportunity of providing for him. The chemical 

 section, and indeed the whole Academy will easily judge on 

 which side are scientific justice and the interests of future 

 progress." 



Biot had this little speech printed and sent a copy of it to 

 Pasteur. The incident led to a warm dispute, and Biot lost 

 his cause. Pasteur wrote to Chappuis, " M. Biot has done 

 everything that was possible to do in order that M. Laurent 

 should win, and the final result is a great grief to him. But 

 really," the younger man added, more indulgent than the old 

 man, and divided between his wishes for Laurent and the fear 

 of the sorrow Balard would have felt, " M. Balard would not 

 have deserved so much misfortune. Think of the disgrace it 

 would have been to him if there had been a second vote favour- 

 able to Laurent, especially coming from the Institute of which 

 he is a member." At the end of that campaign, Biot in a fit 

 of misanthropy which excepted Pasteur alone, and knowing 

 that Pasteur had spoken with effusion of their mutual feelings, 

 wrote to him as follows : " I am touched by your acknowledg- 

 ment of my deep and sincere affection for you, and I thank you 

 for it. But whilst keeping your attachment for me- as I 

 preserve mine for you, let me for the future rejoice in it in the 

 secret recesses of my heart and of yours. The world is jealous 

 of friendships however disinterested, and my affection for yon 

 is such that I wish people to feel that they honour themselves 

 by appreciating you, rather than that they should know that 

 you love me and that I love you. Farewell. Persevere in 

 your good feelings as in your splendid career, and be happy. 

 Your friend." 



The character of Biot, a puzzle to Sainte Beuve, seems easier 

 to understand after reading those letters, written in a small 

 conscientious hand. The great critic wrote : "Who will give 

 us the secret key to Biot's complex nature, to the curiosities, 

 aptitudes, envies, prejudices, sympathies, antipathies, folds 

 and creases of every kind in his character?" Even with no 

 other documents, the history of his relations with Pasteur 

 would throw light upon this nature , not so ' ' complex ' ' after 

 all. From the day when Pasteur worked out his first experi- 

 ment before Biot, at first suspicious, then astonished and 



