The next morning Minard paid a visit to Phellion in his study. The great citizen and his son Felix were at that moment engaged in a conversation which seemed to have some unusual interest for them.
"My dear Felix," cried the mayor of the eleventh arrondissement, offering his hand warmly to the young professor, "it is you who bring me here this morning; I have come to offer you my congratulations.""What has occurred?" asked Phellion. "Have the Thuilliers--""It has nothing to do with the Thuilliers," interrupted the mayor.
"But," he added, looking hard at Felix, "can that sly fellow have concealed the thing even from you?""I do not think," said Phellion, "that ever, in his life, has my son concealed a thing from me.""Then you know about the sublime astronomical discovery which he communicated to the Academy of Sciences yesterday?""Your kindness for me, Monsieur le maire," said Felix, hastily, "has led you astray; I was only the reader of the communication.""Oh! let me alone!" said Minard; "reader, indeed! I know all about it.""But see," said Felix, offering Minard the "Constitutionnel," "here's the paper; not only does it announce that Monsieur Picot is the maker of the discovery, but it mentions the rewards which, without losing a moment, the government has bestowed upon him.""Felix is right," said Phellion; "that journal is to be trusted. On this occasion I think the government has acted very properly.""But, my dear commander, I repeat to you that the truth of the affair has got wind, and your son is shown to be a most admirable fellow. To put his own discovery to the credit of his old professor so as to obtain for him the recognition and favor of the authorities--upon my word, in all antiquity I don't know a finer trait!""Felix!" said Phellion, beginning to show some emotion, "these immense labors to which you have devoted so much time of late, these continual visits to the Observatory--""But, father," interrupted Felix, "Monsieur Minard has been misinformed.""Misinformed!" cried Minard, "when I know the whole affair from Monsieur Picot himself!"At this argument, stated in a way to leave no possible doubt, the truth began to dawn upon Phellion.
"Felix, my son!" he said, rising to embrace him.
But he was obliged to sit down again; his legs refused to bear his weight; he turned pale; and that nature, ordinarily so impassible, seemed about to give way under the shock of this happiness.
"My God!" said Felix, terrified, "he is ill; ring the bell, I entreat you, Monsieur Minard."And he ran to the old man, loosened his cravat and unfastened the collar of his shirt, striking him in the palms of his hands. But the sudden faintness was but momentary; almost immediately himself again, Phellion gathered his son to his heart, and holding him long in his embrace, he said, in a voice broken by the tears that came to put an end to this shock of joy:--"Felix, my noble son! so great in heart, so great in mind!"The bell had been rung by Minard with magisterial force, and with such an accent that the whole household was alarmed, and came running in.
"It is nothing, it is nothing," said Phellion to the servants, sending them away. But almost at the same moment, seeing his wife, who now entered the room, he resumed his habitual solemnity.
"Madame Phellion," he said, pointing to Felix, "how many years is it since you brought that young man into the world?"Madame Phellion, bewildered by the question, hesitated a moment, and then said:--"Twenty-five years next January."
"Have you not thought, until now, that God had amply granted your maternal desires by making this child of your womb an honest man, a pious son, and by gifting him for mathematics, that Science of sciences, with an aptitude sufficiently remarkable?""I have," said Madame Phellion, understanding less and less what her husband was coming to.
"Well," continued Phellion, "you owe to God an additional thanksgiving, for He has granted that you be the mother of a man of genius; his toil, which lately we rebuked, and which made us fear for the reason of our child, was the way--the rough and jagged way--by which men come to fame.""Ah ca!" cried Madame Phellion, "can't you stop coming yourself to an explanation of what you mean, and get there?""Your son," said Minard, cautious this time in measuring the joy he was about to bestow, fearing another fainting-fit of happiness, "has just made a very important scientific discovery.""Is it true?" said Madame Phellion, going up to Felix, and taking him by both hands as she looked at him lovingly.
"When I say important," continued Minard, "I am only sparing your maternal emotions; it is, in truth, a sublime, a dazzling discovery.