To her great surprise, however, the snake not only did not eat her, but spoke to her rather softly for such a terrible snake:
“How do you do, little bee? You must be a naughty little bee, to be out so late at night!”
“Yes,” she murmured, her heart in her throat. “I have been a naughty bee. I did not work, and they won’t let me in to go to my bed!”
“In that case, I shall not be so sorry to eat you!” answered the snake. “Surely there can be no harm at all in depriving the world of a useless little bee like you! I won’t have to go out for dinner tonight. I shall eat you right here!”
The little bee was about as scared as a bee can be.
“That is not fair,” she said. “It is not just! You have no right to eat me just because you are bigger than I am. Go and ask people if that isn’t so! People know what is right and wrong!”
“Ah, ah!” said the snake, lifting his head higher, “so you have a good opinion of men? So you think that the men who steal your honey are more honest than snakes who eat you? You are not only a lazy bee. You are also a silly one!”
“It is not because men are dishonest that they take our honey,” said the bee.
“Why is it then?” said the snake.
“It’s because they are more intelligent than we are!” That is what the bee said; but the snake just laughed; and then he hissed: