At the moment of Roux's arrival, Paul was busily engaged in tidying up the laboratory previous to his going home.
"Well, what brings you here?" called out Paul as his visitor was ushered in. "I haven't seen you since we were students together at the Salpetrière under old Charcot. It is the unexpected that always happens."
"That is quite comprehensible," replied Roux, "the expected only comprises one event, whereas the unexpected may be any one of a million things. Hence the chances of the unexpected are a million to one compared with the expected."
"That is a queer kind of logic," replied Paul, laughing, "I wonder in what school of philosophy you were taught."
"The philosophy of the unknown—it is the best of all philosophies because no one can dispute it. But to be serious, my dear colleague, I want your advice as I am rather in a difficulty. Yesterday I received an order to conduct a post-mortem examination on the body of Professor Delapine who happened to have been the guest of Dr. Villebois in Passy."
"Whom did you say?" asked Paul becoming interested.
"Professor Delapine."
"What! Professor Delapine of the Sorbonne. I had no idea that he was dead. What did he die of?"
"I don't know that he is dead. That is just my difficulty."
"Do you mean to tell me that you were ordered by the Parquet to make a post-mortem examination, and you don't know whether he is dead or not? My dear fellow, if I did not know you for a serious man I would think that you were joking."