Note: Borderline speculative: This story is in a collection of Maupassant's fantastic fiction because the story-teller talks about the unnerving feelings he had watching beside a corpse and his strong sensation of the dead man's presence. First published in Gil Blas, 30 January 1883, with the signature Maufrigneuse.

Synopsis: A former student of philosopher Schopenhauer tells of his experience the night after the philosopher died. He had agreed to sit up with the corpse along with another student. Schopenhauer had had a very strong personality that impressed his students along with his ideas. This student, talking about philosophy with his fellow, strongly felt the presence of the philosopher, especially since the corpse was on the other side of an open door smiling the same smile that used to intimidate them. Suddenly they were terrified by a sound and movement in the dead man's room-- he was no longer smiling. Then they found that his false teeth had dropped from his mouth.