Tintin Forums

Hello,
I say, in the Calculus Affair, on page 7, we see Professor Calculus returning from the laboratory. But Nestor states after that ( last panel page 7- 1st panel pg 8) that the Captain's chandelier had been smashed to smithereens. But the professor wasn't working at that time. So how could it be possible?
But Nestor says it as though it had happened just at that moment. Or was it the one the Captain had broken?
-Hadtins

I've always assumed that it was the one in which Haddock finds himself caught in on page 4. As he is running back outside, Nestor also mentions a vase which broke on page 4 as well.

On the other hand, one thing I has always found a bit odd is on page 11 when the bottles in the milk van are smashed to pieces. Moments later Calculus is on his way to the village to catch the train.

I'd hardly think that he went to his lab in order to try the machine out one last time before leaving.

One theory I have are after-effects: he may have tested it early in the morning which would explain how Haddock's bathroom mirror and glass of water break. The effects of the machine linger and cause the milk bottles to smash an hour later (as mentioned in the panel when Tintin and Haddock are having breakfast).

Could be that the chandelier and vase that Nestor mentions on page 11 are ones other that those smashed on page 4.

Hardly "moments" - the noise of the commotion has happened, Tintin and the Captain have run outside, gone all the way to the gate, surveyed the damage, conversed with the milk-man, seen the Thom(p)sons arrive, talked to them, and are walking back to the house; plenty of time for Calculus to have been in his lab, perhaps making a few last adjustments to his experiment so that he would be prepared for his trip (causing all the breakages you mention without recourse to the sound waves somehow lingering), before setting off.
As to Nestor and there being a second vase and chandelier, he doesn't appear on p.11 of my copy, so I can't comment... ;-)

Alright, I meant page 8, got it confused with the milkman scene. Sorry, :|

But I still think that the scene with the milkman takes place in just minutes, when Calculus would have been making the final preparations for his journey rather than working in his lab.

Good points. My favorite book out of all of them and I guess I never noticed this.