150 PASTEUR 



"And, after a moment's reflection, he added : 



"'Absolutely true!' 



"A unanimous and appreciative laugh en- 

 livened the Academy, and, like sensible persons, 

 his two adversaries joined in." 



In accordance with Kenan's expressed desire, 

 Pasteur frequently attended the meetings of 

 the Academic Frangaise. He sometimes went 

 there in the company of M. Duruy, the Minis- 

 ter of Public Instruction, who had encouraged 

 his early efforts, for it happened that one of 

 them lived at the Ecole Normale, in the Rue 

 d'Ulm^ and the other in the Rue de Medicis. 

 One Thursday, when they had taken a modest 

 fiacre to drive to the Institute, it happened to 

 be Duruy who, upon arriving at their destina- 

 tion, tendered a five-franc piece to the coach- 

 man. 



"No change," said the latter. 



"Then keep the whole piece in memory of 

 the occasion; you have driven the leading sci- 

 entist of the century." 



Pasteur immediately put his hand in his 



