ary Passauf had made his noisy
entrance into the burgomaster's parlour, Gedeon Ygene and Doctor
Ox were talking in the laboratory which both occupied in common,
on the ground-floor of the principal building of the gas-works.

"Well, Ygene, well," cried the doctor, rubbing his hands. "You
saw, at my reception yesterday, the cool-bloodedness of these
worthy Quiquendonians. For animation they are midway between
sponges and coral! You saw them disputing and irritating each
other by voice and gesture? They are already metamorphosed,
morally and physically! And this is only the beginning. Wait till
we treat them to a big dose!"

"Indeed, master," replied Ygene, scratching his sharp nose with
the end of his forefinger, "the experiment begins well, and if I
had not prudently closed the supply-tap, I know not what would
have happened."

"You heard Schut, the advocate, and Custos, the doctor?" resumed
Doctor Ox. "The phrase was by no means ill-natured in itself,
but, in the mouth of a Quiquendonian, it is worth all the insults
which the Homeric heroes hurled at each other before drawing
their swords, Ah, these Flemings! You'll see what we shall do
some day!"

"We shall make them ungrateful," replied Ygene, in the tone of a
man who esteems the human race at its just worth.

"Bah!" said the doctor; "what matters it whether they think well
or ill of us, so long as our experiment succeeds?"

"Besides," returned the assistant, smiling with a malicious
expression, "is it not to be feared that, in producing such an
excitement in their respiratory organs, we shall somewhat injure
the lungs of these good people of Quiquendone?"

"So much the worse for them! It is in the interests of science.
What would you say if the dogs or frogs refused to lend
themselves to the experiments of vivisection?"

[Illustration: It is in the interests of Science.]

It is probable that if the frogs and dogs were consulted, they
would offer some objection; but Doctor Ox imagined that he had
stated an unanswerable argument, for he heaved a great sigh of
satisfaction.

"After all, master, you are right," replied Ygene, as if quite
convinced. "We could not have hit upon better subjects than these
people of Quiquendone for our experiment."

"We--could--not," said the doctor, slowly articulating each word.

"Have you felt the pulse of any of them?"

"Some hundreds."

"And what is the average pulsation you found?"

"Not fifty per minute. See--th