While four young Normans used to meet in a small house in the Faubourg Saint-Jacques, Varignon introduced Fontenelle to differential calculus. In his eulogy of Varignon, Fontenelle turned "the hut" into the founding myth of a modern academy of sciences, capable of competing the Royal Society in London. For the secretary of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Varignon was also an invaluable collaborator whose laughter, in meetings or in his correspondence, helped to overcome susceptibilities, rigidity of spirit and overly solemn attitudes in favor of the collective search for truth. The eulogy also pays tribute to this witty laughter.