EARLY LIFE. 75 



processes had been carried on was as clean at the end 

 of the lecture as it had been before the apparatus was 

 planted upon it. Not a drop of liquid, not a grain of 

 dust remained. 



The reader who has known the pleasures of science 

 will forgive me if, at the distance of much more than 

 half a century, I love to linger over these recollec- 

 tions, and to dwell on the delight which I well re- 

 member thrilled me as we heard this illustrious sage 

 detail, after the manner I have feebly attempted to 

 portray, the steps by which he made his discoveries, 

 illustrating them with anecdotes sometimes recalled 

 to his mind by the passages of the moment, and 

 giving their demonstration by performing before us 

 the many experiments which had revealed to him 

 first the most important secrets of nature. Next to 

 the delight of having actually stood by him when 

 his victory was gained, we found the exquisite grati- 

 fication of hearing him simply, most gracefully, in 

 the most calm spirit of philosophy, with the most 

 perfect modesty, recount his difficulties, and how 

 they were overcome ; open to us the steps by which 

 he had successfully advanced from one part to an- 

 other of his brilliant course ; go over the same 

 ground, as it were, in our presence which he had 

 for the first time trod so many long years before ; 

 hold up, perhaps, the very instruments he had then 

 used, and act over again the same part before our 

 eyes which had laid the deep and broad foundations 

 of his imperishable renown. Not a little of this 



