go 



The other slave stood staring at her in silence, 

 and it was Nipper who answered at length, " Yes^ 

 your majesty," she said. 



The queen ant looked at them pityingly. " And 

 I am a queen," she said. Then she repeated, " I 

 am a queen. Do you envy me ? I am scarcely 

 more free than you. I wished to go up into the 

 light and to see the sky and feel the free wind, but 

 my faithful subjects think it best that I should stay 

 down in the nest. Some harm might happen to 

 me. 



"Would it please your majesty to come?" 

 asked the red ant respectfully. 



" Oh, yes, I will come," said the queen bitterly. 

 " Good-by, little slaves. Perhaps it is not the 

 hardest thing to be a slave, for you at least can 

 come and go at your work." 



Then she followed her guard down again into 

 the gallery. The two black ants stood watching 

 her until she was out of sight, and then Nipper said 

 pityingly : " Poor thing ! I think she looked very 

 sad." 



" Oh, yes," responded Nipper's companion, "and 

 I really think that she is more of a slave than 

 we. I have heard that the queens are kept as 



