166 THE EVOLUTION OF LIFE 
place. M. van Tieghem was also there; and 
shortly afterwards M. Milne Edwards arrived. He, 
apparently, had again had no communication with 
M. Dumas since the time of my interview with 
him; and when told, in reply to a question of his, 
of the proposition which I had made to M. Dumas, 
M. Milne Edwards very hastily expressed his dis- 
approval of it, and at once, without listening further, 
left the laboratory. He was followed by M. van 
Tieghem. I remained, and after one hour M. van 
Tieghem returned. He informed me that, having 
waited in vain for the arrival of M. Dumas, M. 
Milne Edwards had at last gone away. 
I stayed in conversation with M. van Tieghem 
for nearly an hour, in an upper room of M. Pasteur’s 
laboratory. When we came down, much to my 
surprise, we learned from M. Pasteur that M. 
Dumas had arrived, that he had been told of the 
departure of M. Milne Edwards, and that he also 
had then left, saying that the Commission was at an 
end—but without in any way communicating either 
with his colleague, M. van Tieghem, or with myself. 
Thus began and ended the proceedings of this 
remarkable Commission of the French Academy. 
