At this he suddenly remembered his own manners.
“I beg your pardon,” he said, turning to Maya, “I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Peter, of the family of rose-beetles.”
“My name is Maya,” said the little bee shyly. “I am delighted to make your acquaintance.” She looked at Peter closely; he was bowing repeatedly, and spreading his feelers like two little brown fans. That pleased Maya immensely.
“You have the most fascinating feelers,” she said, “simply sweet....”
“Well, yes,” observed Peter, flattered, “people do think a lot of them. Would you like to see the other side?”
“If I may.”
The rose-beetle turned his fan-shaped feelers to one side and let a ray of sunlight glide over them.
“Great, don’t you think?” he asked.
“I shouldn’t have thought anything like them possible,” rejoined Maya. “My own feelers are very plain.”
“Well, yes,” observed Peter, “to each his own. By way of compensation you certainly have beautiful eyes, and the color of your body, the gold of your body, is not to be sneezed at.”