Chloe Among the Bees. 



never be, a very large one, but we fare quite simply, and 

 have sufficient for our needs. In any case, however, we 

 have oroved here that a few women, renting a small^house 

 and garden out in the country, can live together comfort- 

 ably on the proceeds from their bees; and there is no reason 

 in the world why the idea should not be carried out by 

 others with equal success." 



We had made the round of the whole busy, murmuring 

 enclosure, and had come again to the little door in the wall. 

 Passing through and out once more into the world of merely 

 masculine endeavour, the bee-mistress gave me a final 

 word. 



"You may think," said she, "that what I advocate, 

 though successful in our own single. instance, might prove 

 impracticable on a widely extended scale. Well, do you 

 know that last year close upon three hundred and fifty 

 tons of honey were imported into Great Britain from foreign 

 sources, just because our home ajjiculturists were unable 

 to cope with the national demand? And this being so, is 

 it too much to think that, if women would only band them- 

 selves together and take up bee-keeping systematically, 

 as we have done, all or most of that honey could be pro- 

 duced — of infinitely better quality — here, on our own British 

 soil?" 



29 



