THE SWARM 



a second queen into the cit}'? It is 

 probable that, in a state of nature, thanks 

 to the sentinels at the gate, such an event 

 has never occurred since they tlrst came 

 into the world. But this prodigious con- 

 juncture does not scatter their wits : they 

 still contrive to reconcile the two princi- 

 ples that they appear to regard in the 

 light of divine commands. The tlrst is 

 that of unique maternity, never infringed 

 except in the case of sterility in the 

 reigning queen, and even then only very 

 exceptionally : the second is more curious 

 still, and, although never transgressed, 

 susceptible of what may almost be termed 

 a Judaic evasion. It is the law that in- 

 vests the person of a queen, whoever she 

 be, with a sort of inviolability. It would 

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