Some of the old bees who had been grubs with the queen declared that they would go with her, and soon after they flew away.
“Now we have no queen,” said the others. “We shall have to take good care of the princesses.”
And so they stuffed them with honey from morning till night and the princesses grew and thrived and squabbled and made more and more noise day after day.
And no one gave a thought to the little grub.
3
One morning, the doors of the princesses’ rooms flew open and they all ten came out as beautiful full-grown queen-bees; the other bees came running up and looked at them with admiration.
“Oh, how lovely they are!” they said. “It is not easy to say which of them is the prettiest.”
“I am!” cried one.
“You make a great mistake!” said the second and thrust at her with her sting.
“You flatter yourselves!” cried the third. “I should think I am no less beautiful than you.”