ut the mirror, which he
found very difficult to answer.

"Here," he said at last, "you've certainly flown over the smooth
surface of water, haven't you? Well, a mirror is something like
it, only hard and upright."

The little fly, seeing that Maya listened most respectfully and
attentively to the tale of his experiences, became a good deal
pleasanter in his manners. And as for Maya's opinion of Puck,
although she didn't believe everything he told her, still she
was sorry she had thought so slightingly of him earlier in their
meeting.

"Often people are far more sensible than we take them to be at
first," she told herself.

Puck went on with his story.

"It took a long time for me to get to understand their language.
Now at last I know what they want. It isn't much, because they
usually say the same thing every day."

"I can scarcely believe it," said Maya. "Why, they have so many
interests, and think so many things, and do so many things.
Cassandra told me that they build cities so big that you can't
fly round them in one day, towers as high as the nuptial flight
of our queen, houses that float on the water, and houses that
glide across the country on two narrow silver paths and go
faster than birds."

"Wait a moment!" said Puck energetically. "Who is Cassandra? Who
is she, if I may make so bold as to ask? Well?"

"Oh, she was my teacher."

"Teacher!" repeated Puck contemptuously. "Probably also a bee.
Who but a bee would overestimate human beings like that? Your
Miss Cassandra, or whatever her name is, doesn't know her
history. Those cities and towers and other human devices you
speak of are none of them any good to us. Who would take such an
impractical view of the world as you do? If you don't accept the
premise that the earth is dominated by the flies, that the flies
are the most widespread and most important race on earth, you'll
scarcely get a real knowledge of the world."

Puck took a few excited zigzag turns on the leaf and pulled at
his head, to Maya's intense concern. However, the little bee had
observed by this time that there wasn't much sense to be got out
of his head any way.

"Do you know how you can tell I am right?" asked Puck, rubbing
his hands together as if to tie them in a knot. "Count the
number of people and the number of flies in any room. The result
will surprise you."

"You may be right. But that's not the point."

"Do you think I was born this year?" Puck demanded all of a