12 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS ARAGO. 
the pupils arrived in the amphitheatre, when M. Hassen- 
fratz called to M. Leboullenger, who came to the board. 
“ M. Leboullenger,” said the professor to him, “ you 
have seen the moon?” “No, sir.” “ How, sir! you 
say that you have never seen the moon?” “TI can only 
repeat my answer—no, sir.” Beside himself, and seeing 
his prey escape him, by means of this unexpected answer, 
M. Hassenfratz addressed himself to the inspector charged 
with the observance of order that day, and said to him, 
“ Sir, there is M. Leboullenger, who pretends never to 
have seen the moon.” “What would you wish me to 
do?” stoically replied M. Le Brun. Repulsed on this 
side, the professor turned once more towards M. Leboul- 
lenger, who remained calm and earnest in the midst of 
the unspeakable amusement of the whole amphitheatre, 
and cried out with undisguised anger, “ You persist in 
maintaining that you have never seen the moon?” 
“Sir,” returned the pupil, “I should deceive you if I 
told you that I had not heard it spoken of, but I have 
neyer seen it.” “ Sir, return to your place.” 
After this scene, M. Hassenfratz was but a professor 
in name; his teaching could no longer be of any use. 
At the commencement of the second year, I was ap- 
pointed “chef de brigade.” Tatchette had been professor 
of hydrography at Collioure; his friends from Roussillon 
recommended me to him. He received me with great 
kindness, and even gave me a room in his lodgings. It 
was there that I had the pleasure of making Poisson’s 
acquaintance, who lived next to us. Every evening the 
great geometer entered my room, and we passed entire 
hours in conversing on politics and mathematics, which 
is certainly not quite the same thing. 
In the course of 1804, the school was a prey to politi- 
