The Life of the Bee 
a kind of respectful stupor; and when the 
queen sends it forth, as she halts in front of 
the cells whose approach is denied her, the 
guardians who have but this moment been 
hustling her, pushing her back, will instan- 
taneously cease, and wait, with bent head, 
till the cry shall have ceased to resound. 
Indeed, some believe that it is thanks to the 
prestige of this cry, which the Sphinx Atropos 
imitates, that the latter is enabled to enter 
the hive, and gorge itself with honey, with- 
out the least molestation on the part of 
the bees. 
For two or three days, sometimes even 
for five, this indignant lament will be heard, 
this challenge that the queen addresses to 
her well-protected rivals. And as these 
in their turn develop, in their turn grow 
anxious to see the light, they too set to work 
to gnaw the lids of their cells. A mighty 
disorder would now appear to threaten 
the republic. But the genius of the hive, 
at the time that it formed its decision, 
was able to foretell every consequence that 
might ensue; and the guardians have had 
their instructions: they know exactly what 
210. 
