After nearly a month's absence, on a weekend in late November 1880, Lionel finally returned to his second-floor apartment at 117 Saint-Germain Boulevard.
Lionel gently pushed open the apartment door—he had expected a tranquil weekend afternoon, but the sight before him made him freeze at the entrance.
The living room seemed to be hosting a small salon.
By the window, Debussy sat sideways at the piano, his fingers gently stroking the keys, producing a string of beautiful notes, like reflections on the Seine.
At the other end of the living room, beside a large desk, Pierre Curie and Henri Poincaré stood face to face, arguing somewhat heatedly about something.
Between them, Patty sat with her neck shrunk and a bewildered expression, an open copy of "Montiel's Secret Scrolls (Mathematics)" spread before her.
Henri Poincaré's tone was high-pitched:
"I insist on explaining this pursuit problem using the basic concepts of calculus. This will help her better understand the essence of data change!"
Pierre Curie calmly shook his head:
"No, Henri, for a child this age, introducing function graphs is more intuitive. See, the relationship between time and distance..."
Patty blinked her big eyes and murmured softly:
"But... Mr. Pierre, Mr. Henri... the question only asks when Pierre can catch up to Emily..."
Henri Poincaré and Pierre Curie looked back at Patty simultaneously.
The little girl was so startled that she stuck out her tongue, retracted her neck, and dared not speak another word.
In an armchair near the fireplace, Émile Perrin, director of the Comédie-Française, was conversing in a low voice with Mr. Delaroyque, the notary.
Brandy and some documents were on the small round table in front of them. Émile Perrin looked troubled:
"The box office for the Comédie-Française last month was terrible..."
Mr. Delaroyque's voice was neither warm nor cold:
"I hope the dividend payment for 'The Chorus' will be made no later than Christmas..."
But what surprised Lionel the most was the scene on the long sofa—
Alice and Sophie sat side by side, a thick document spread on their laps, whispering to each other.
Sophie occasionally pointed at a line, while Alice listened and nodded, sometimes adding a few remarks.
Lionel's appearance, like a magnet, attracted everyone's attention.
Debussy was the first to stop playing, looked up, and rose from the piano stool;
Then, Curie and Poincaré's argument abruptly ceased;
Director Perrin and Mr. Delaroyque stopped talking;
Alice and Sophie also rose simultaneously.
Almost in unison, everyone in the living room expressed similar sentiments:
"Lionel!"
"Monsieur Sorel!"
"Young master!"
"You're finally back!"
Lionel put down his luggage, took off his hat and gloves, his face full of exhaustion:
"It seems to have been livelier here than at the Comédie-Française while I was away."
Patty, like a rescued fawn, darted out from the "encirclement" of the two great scientists and took Lionel's coat:
"Young master! You're finally back!"
Mr. Delaroyque picked up a stack of documents from the table and was the first to approach:
"Lionel, welcome back. There are some urgent documents here that need your signature, regarding the equity distribution for the typewriter and bicycle manufacturing companies and the first batch of overseas sales contracts. Peugeot is pressing hard."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Director Émile Perrin also stood up, his face showing both anxiety and anticipation:
"My dear Lionel, you've returned at just the right time! The Paris Opera is riding high on the success of 'A Doll's House,' and our Comédie-Française needs a new play that can compete!
We can't wait any longer; even if we miss Christmas, we must have a major work for next spring's performance season!"
Pierre Curie and Henri Poincaré also walked over, temporarily putting aside their mathematical dispute.
Henri Poincaré's tone was excited:
"Lion, regarding the ball bearings for bicycles, we have some new calculations that might further reduce friction..."
Pierre Curie added:
"And for the typewriter's linkage mechanism, perhaps we could try a new alloy..."
Although Sophie and Alice had also stood up, they did not immediately step forward.
Sophie gave Lionel a gentle smile, as if to say she understood Lionel's current situation and that her matter could wait.
Alice seemed a little embarrassed, as if a small secret had been discovered.
Even Debussy left the piano stool.
He walked up to Lionel, his expression somewhat solemn:
"Lion, I... I have something I want to talk to you about."
Lionel felt as if he had been squeezed into the most crowded public carriage in Paris, with voices and demands coming from all directions.
He took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure.
He raised his hand, making a gesture to calm them:
"Gentlemen, ladies, please forgive me; I've just gotten off the train, and the roar of the wheels is still echoing in my head. Shall we take things one by one, alright?"
He first looked at Delaroyque and Director Perrin:
"Mr. Delaroyque, Director Perrin, matters involving contracts and creative plans require quiet and focus. Please have a seat for a moment, grab a coffee; I'll deal with them shortly."
Then he said to Curie and Poincaré:
"Pierre, Henri, technical improvements are very important, but we first need to figure out what we're producing and for whom. We'll discuss your calculations in detail later; I promise it will be very interesting."
Finally, his gaze turned to Debussy, his tone softening:
"Achille, you look like you have something important. Give me ten minutes; I'll first soothe my little apprentice, who's about to be driven crazy by the pursuit problem, and then we'll talk, alright?"
His arrangement was clear and decisive, temporarily quelling the commotion in the living room.
Delaroyque and Director Perrin returned to the fireplace;
Pierre Curie and Henri Poincaré, though still keen on their mathematical problem, temporarily moved away, continuing their previous argument in low voices.
Only then did Lionel walk over to the desk, pick up Patty's "Montiel's Secret Scrolls," and look at the famous "pursuit problem."
He sighed, picked up a pencil, and drew a simple line segment on a scrap of paper.
"Patty, forget about calculus and functions. Look, Pierre is here, Emily is here. Pierre walks faster; the distance he closes each hour is the difference in speed... simple division, understand?"
Patty stared at the simple line segment and calculation, and her eyes suddenly lit up:
"Oh! It's so simple! Thank you, young master!"
Pierre Curie and Henri Poincaré each "humphed," clearly dissatisfied with Lionel's overly simplistic way of thinking.
Having dismissed Patty, Lionel walked towards Debussy, who had been waiting quietly, and they stood by the window.
Debussy's voice was somewhat low:
"Lion, I've come to say goodbye to you."
Lionel was very surprised:
"Goodbye? Where are you going?"
(End of chapter)