HAPPY 



Then I told him of my visit to the garden, and of the 

 Master. He made no reply, but presently asked : 



"What do you know of the Master?" 



"Little very little." 



"Do you know that lately I've been wondering 

 whether I have been fair to him? Once I was perfectly 

 sure that he was an enemy to be fought on all oc- 

 casions, that he made use of us only for selfish ends. 

 Now I am beginning to think I was wrong. While 

 he has taken our honey, he has always left us enough. 

 Last winter, I am told, he actually brought a lot of 

 honey and gave it to the colonies that had none. 

 Besides, before we came in contact with men, we lived 

 in caves and hollow trees, exposed to all manner of 

 enemies. It is different now." 



We were still busy talking when the signal for work 

 rang through the hive, and both Crip and I made our 

 way to the front. And, as many times before, we rose 

 from the board together and flew at once to the field 

 of broomweed. Side by side we ranged, visiting many 

 of the tiny yellow flowers ere we were laden. Every- 

 thing was now painfully dry, and it was all too evident 

 that the honey flow was over. Try as hard as we 

 might, we gathered only a few loads a day. And 

 Crip remarked how short the days were and how far 

 into the south the sun had drifted. Then, besides, 

 we were obliged to leave off earlier, on account of the 

 cold. 



"The leaves are all turning red and brown and yel- 

 low," said Crip, as we flew homeward. "This is the 

 melancholy time I've heard about. Even the wind 

 seems sad and loiters around bush and tree as though 



102 



