A Second Swarm — Idle Hours. 79 



admire the manner of the other bee ; " what of that? 

 I suppose I have as much right here as you ? " 



" Don't be waxy," repHed the other ; " I said very 

 little." 



"But you didn't say it nicely, I thought," retorted 

 Buz. 



" Well, you are particular ! " exclaimed the other. 

 " How I should like to know where you come from." 



" Oh, a long way from here," said Buz : " from the 

 valley at the foot of the hill. We live in a garden, 

 where there are several other swarms." 



" How very odd ! " 



"Why odd? "asked Buz. 



" Well, I suppose you're always fighting ; and 

 that's an odd state of things, isn't it? " 



" It would be, if it were the case ; but then you see 

 it isn't." 



" That's odder still. Now we should fight tre- 

 mendously if another swarm came near us." 



"Should you really?" asked Buz. 



" There's a hollow tree not far from ours," answered 

 the other bee significantly ; " take it and try." 



" A hollow tree ! " echoed Buz contemptuously ; 

 " I should be sorry to live in one." 



" What do you live in, then ? " 



" A hive, to be sure." 



