For a long time she stood in silence before the princesses' chambers.
"Now they are lying there asleep," she said at last. "From morning till evening they do nothing but eat and sleep, and they grow bigger and fatter every day. In a few days they will be full grown, and will creep out of their cells. Then my turn will be over. I know that too well. I have heard the bees saying to one another that they would like to have a younger and more beautiful queen, and they will chase me away in disgrace. But I will not submit to it. To-morrow I will kill them all; then I can remain queen till I die."
Then she went away. But the little grub had heard all she said.
"Dear me!" she thought; "it is really a pity about the little princesses. They are certainly very uppish, and they have not been nice to me, but still it would be sad if the wicked queen killed them. I think I will tell the old growler outside in the passage all about it."
She began once more knocking at the door, and the head bee-nurse came running up, but this time she was fearfully angry.
"You must mind what you are doing, my good grub," she said. "You are the youngest of them all, and you are the worst for making a noise. Next time I shall tell the queen."
"First listen to me," said the grub, and she told her about the queen's wicked design.
"Good gracious! is that true?" cried the old nurse, and beat her wings in horror. And without hearing a word more, she hurried off to tell the other bees.
"I think I deserve a little honey for what I have done," said the little grub. "But I can now lie down and sleep with a good conscience."