At home Duhem himself was a good catholic and every Sunday afternoon he would read aloud

passages from the Bible to the delight of bis wife. He sent Gaston to the best school

conducted by Benedictine monks. Later on when the teacher said that the boy was hopeful,

Duhem and his wife decided to make him a priest. Their plans, however, were shattered

some years later when Gaston was punished because he had written "Ecrasez l'infame !”in

block capitals on the blackboard with the obvious inattention of insulting the clerical

teachers. The pharmacist was at a complete lose and talked it over with his wife.

He was afraid that the child might be expelled from school. He had a heart-to-heart talk

with Gaston who was now fifteen. The boy made a lull confession. Several of his friends and

class-mates holding the same convictions decided to express their indignation against their

teachers who were trying by means of clerical naivetes to hide or to disparage the truths of

science. They had adopted the slogan of Mr. Voltaire and used it to express their protest.

They cast lots : Rigouard, Villeneuve-Esclapon, Robespierre, Taiffer... The lot fell on him and

he gladly fulfilled his task.

"And aren't you afraid that God will punish you ?" Duhem said crossing himself.

"How can anyone who does not exist punish me ?"

Gaston answered with a serene cold look in his eyes.

The pharmacist was bewildered. Then he discovered that Gaston had secretly read all of

his dangerous books and that finally he had become a confirmed atheist somewhat like

Duhem himself pretended to be in public but never dared really to be for fear that God might

strike him out of the blue. The old man felt guilty, yet scolded his son harshly and threatened

him. He realized that he had to take the boy away from his wicked friends. He complained to

the teachers, asked them for advice and sent Gaston to another school.

Gaston made new friends but kept the old ones as well. They all loved him for his open-

mindedness and held him in high esteem for his intelligence. He was, however, more closely

attached to the brothers Robes-Pierre. They had lived in the same neighborhood ever since

childhood. When Maximilien was laid up with the measles and almost at the point of death,

Gaston was at his bedside day and night. Gaston and the Robespierres made plans for the

future together; the three of them would study law and become lawyers and fight for liberty

and mankind. Their friendship would be sealed by the marriage of Gaston to Charlotte, the

sister of his two friends.

When the time came for choosing a career, the plans of the three young men were upset.

Since Duhem had to give up the idea of making Gaston a priest he at least hoped that he

could have his son succeed him in the parental pharmacy. Doctor Flavigny interfered : Why

not have the young man study medicine, a noble science after all ? The two good friends

started arguing again. Duhem defended the noble art of pharmaceutics with all his might.

Flavigny revealed his plans : he would like to give his daughter, Antoinette, in marriage to

Gaston and also give him his trustworthy patients. The pharmacist quieted down but still

hesitated : What about the pharmacy ? The doctor smiled slyly : he will keep the pharmacy

and find some hard-working fellow to be in charge.

Duhem gladly gave in : Gaston physician and pharmacist, that was splendid. After all

Flavigny is rich and all his fortune will eventually go to Antoinette, that is, to Gaston. What

brighter prospects could anyone expect? He hates religion but loves science —so much the

better!

The young man tried to talk his father out of it all pointing out that his ideal was to free

the oppressed from dark slavery. His father turned a deaf ear. Gaston finally gave in to his

parents' wishes and went to Paris where he fell in love with medicine. Maximilien had been

there for some time. He was actually studying law but also had literary ambitions and had

even won some small prizes. They seldom met. Gaston had remained the same open-minded,

good-natured, friendly fellow. Maximilien, on the other hand, was getting gloomier and sulkier

day by day. He kept his ambitions and dreams to himself.

There were at times strange flashes in his cold eyes. They once met in the Quartier latin

and noticing one of those flashes Gaston said jokingly :