Chloe Among the Bees. 



old, winter-soiled dwellings. Queens that are past their 

 prime will have to be dethroned, and their places filled by 

 younger and more vigorous successors. But it is all typi- 

 cally women's work. You have an old acquaintance with 

 the lordly bee-master and his ways; now come and see how 

 a woman manages. ' ' 



We passed over to the singing lady in the veil, and — 

 from a safe distance — watched her at her work. Each 

 frame, as it was raised out of the seething abyss of the hive, 

 was turned upside down and carefully examined. A little 

 vortex of bees swung round her head, shrilling vindictively. 

 Those on the uplifted comb-frames hustled to and fro like 

 frightened sheep, or crammed themselves head foremost 

 into the empty cells, out of reach of the disturbing light. 



"That is a queenless stock," said the bee-mistress. 

 " It is going to be united with another colony, where there 

 is a young, high-mettled ruler in want of subjects." 



We watched the bee-gardener as she went to one of the 

 neighbouring hives, subdued and opened it, drew out all 

 the brood-combs, and brought them over in a carrying- 

 rack, with the bees clustering in thousands all about them. 

 Then a scent-diffuser was brought into play, and the fra- 

 grance of lavender-water came over to us, as the combs of 

 both hives were quickly sprayed with the perfume, then 

 lowered into the hive, a frame from each stock alternately. 

 It was the old time-honoured plan for uniting bee-colonies, 

 by impregnating them with the same odour, and so induc- 

 ing the bees to live together peaceably, where otherwise a 

 deadly war might ensue. But the whole operation was 

 carried through with a neat celerity, and light, dexterous 

 handling, I had never seen equalled by any man. 



" That girl," said the bee-mistress, as we moved away, 

 " came to me out of a London office a year ago, anaemic, 

 pale as the paper she typed on all day for a living. Now 

 she is well and strong, and almost as brown as the bees she 

 works among so willingly. All my girls here have come to 

 me from time to time in the same way out of the towns, for- 

 saking indoor employment that was surely stunting all 

 growth of mind and body. And there are thousands who 

 would do the same to-morrow, if only the chance could be 

 given them." 



We stopped in the centre of the old orchard. Overhead 



27 



