ces and adventures. I will not be afraid of
any dangers. Haven't I got strength and courage and a sting?"

She laughed, bubbling over with delight, and took a deep draught
of nectar out of the flower of the tulip.

"Grand," she thought. "It's glorious to be alive."

Ah, if little Maya had had an inkling of the many dangers and
hardships that lay ahead of her, she would certainly have
thought twice. But never dreaming of such things, she stuck to
her resolve.

Soon tiredness overcame her, and she fell asleep. When she
awoke, the sun was gone, twilight lay upon the land. A bit
of alarm, after all. Maya's heart went a little faster.
Hesitatingly she crept out of the flower, which was about to
close up for the night, and hid herself away under a leaf high
up in the top of an old tree, where she went to sleep, thinking
in the utmost confidence:

"I'm not afraid. I won't be afraid right at the very start. The
sun is coming round again; that's certain; Cassandra said so.
The thing to do is to go to sleep quietly and sleep well."

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CHAPTER II

THE HOUSE OF THE ROSE

By the time Maya awoke, it was full daylight. She felt a little
chilly under her big green leaf, and stiff in her limbs, so that
her first movements were slow and clumsy. Clinging to a vein of
the leaf she let her wings quiver and vibrate, to limber them up
and shake off the dust; then she smoothed her fair hair, wiped
her large eyes clean, and crept, warily, down to the edge of the
leaf, where she paused and looked around.

The glory and the glow of the morning sun were dazzling. Though
Maya's resting-place still lay in cool shadow, the leaves
overhead shone like green gold.

"Oh, you glorious world," thought the little bee.

Slowly, one by one, the experiences of the previous day came
back to her--all the beauties she had seen and all the risks she
had run. She remained firm in her resolve not to return to the
hive. To be sure, when she thought of Cassandra, her heart beat
fast, though it was not very likely that Cassandra would ever
find her.-- No, no, to her there was no joy in forever having to
fly in and out of the hive, carrying honey and making wax. This
was clear, once and for all. She wanted to be happy and free and
enjoy life in her own way. Come what might, she would take the
consequences.

Thus lightly thought Maya, the truth being that she had no real
idea of the things that lay in st