so the queen drank the stuff in the pot, which was quite cool by this time, and she went out under the fringe of snakes, and they all behaved like good sunday-school children. some of them even tried to drop a curtsy to her as she went by, though that is not easy when you are hanging wrong way up by your tail. but the snakes knew the queen was friends with their mistress; so, of course, they had to do their best to be civil.