The professor and his friends sat silent under this attack, and when it was finished they arose.

“Be so kind,” said the professor, politely, “to tell the Flannery the ultimatum of Monsieur the Professor Jocolino.  One hundred educate French flea have I bring to the States United.  Of the progeny I do not say.  One milliard, two milliard, how many is those progeny I do not know, but of him I speak not.  Let him go.  I make the Flannery a present of those progeny.  But for those one hundred fine educate French flea must he pay.  One dollar per each educate flea must he pay, that Flannery!  It is the ultimatum!  I come Sunday at past-half one on the clock.  That Flannery will the money ready have, or the law will be on him.  It is sufficient!”

The three compatriots bowed low, and went away.  For fully five minutes Mrs. Muldoon sat in a sort of stupor, and then she arose and went about her work.  After all it was Flannery’s business, and none of hers, but she wished the men had gone to Flannery, instead of delegating her to tell him.

“Thief of th’ worrld!” exclaimed Flannery, when she told him the demand the professor had made.  “Sure, I have put me foot in it this time, Missus Muldoon, for kill thim I did, and pay for thim I must, I dare say, but ‘t will be no fun t’ do it!  One hunderd dollars for fleas, mam!  Did ever an Irishman pay the like before?  One week ago Mike Flannery would not have give one dollar for all the fleas in th’ worrld.  But ‘Have to’ is a horse a man must ride, whether he wants to or no.”

But the more Flannery thought about having to pay out one hundred dollars for one hundred dead insects the less he liked it and the more angry be became.  It could not be denied that one dollar was a reasonable price for a flea that had had a good education.  A man could hardly be expected to take a raw country flea, as you might say, and educate it, and give it graces and teach it dancing and all the accomplishments for less than a dollar.  But one hundred dollars was a lot of money, too.  If it had been a matter of one flea Flannery would not have worried, but to pay out one hundred dollars in a lump for flea-slaughter, hurt his feelings.  He did not believe the fleas were worth the price, and he inquired diligently, seeking to learn the market value of educated fleas.  There did not seem to be any market value.  One thing only he learned, and that was that the government of the United States, in Congress assembled, had recognized that insects have a value, for he found in the list of customs duties this:—­“Insects, not crude, 1/4 cent per pound and 10 per cent. ad valorem.”

As Flannery leaned over his counter at the office of the Interurban Express Company and spelled this out in the book of customs duties he frowned, but as he looked at it his frown changed to a smile, and from a smile to a grin, and he shut the book, and put it in his pocket.  He was ready to meet the professor.