ITALIAN QUEEN BEE 57 



trembling, said, out of a genuinely joyous 

 heart: "Sir Prince, it is all at your service. 

 I wish to share it with no one but your Ex- 

 cellency. If you thus agree to forward 

 forthwith the spirit of the colony, I shall 

 wed you this very afternoon. And we shall 

 fly to the clouds on our honeymoon jour- 

 ney." Several of my attendants had dis- 

 creetly fallen to the rear, out of hearing of 

 this almost inaudible exchange of lovers' 

 language, but my principal Maid-in-waiting 

 stood just back of me smoothing the furry 

 rings of my yellow gown, with an assumed 

 indifference to all that was transpiring, not 

 even indicating any emotion when Prince 

 Melapis strode triumphantly forward to kiss 

 my face, stroke my hair, fondle my head with 

 his mandibles, and finally to draw his great 

 mustache tenderly across my cheeks. 



We were quietly married in the presence 

 of my retinue of Maids-in-waiting, and, 

 carrying out a secret compact lest the colony 

 should miss me, we leisurely went down to 

 the entrance of the hive, from which I in- 



