272 THE LORE OF THE HONEY-BEE 



country — these were to be had for nothing at all. 

 And as for clothes — you never know, until you 

 give over trying to keep up appearances, how very 

 little appearances count in the world. At any 

 rate, for them, the whole thing was a complete 

 success. There were men round about that 

 country-side who farmed whole provinces, and 

 still grumbled ; but here was he, getting peace 

 and plenty from half an acre ; and as for the 

 girls, they did nothing but laugh and sing all day 

 long. 



Thus we wandered and talked; and I — feigning 

 ignorance of bee-matters, lest he might think I was 

 but carrying coals to Newcastle in clumsy charity 

 — bought honey, and asked many questions ; and 

 slowly the entire meaning of what had been done 

 by these emancipated slaves of City clerkdom was 

 revealed. The bee-master pushed his old straw 

 hat back over his clever forehead, and lit the most 

 comfortable pipe I had ever set eyes on. He had 

 evidently thought the whole thing out long ago, 

 and got it down to its essential elements. 



" What we are doing here," he said, " could be 

 done by hundreds of others who are still in London 

 in what was once our old plight. Large bee-farms 

 are all very well, but they are more or less a thing 

 of the future — something that is still to be evolved 

 out of twentieth -century needs. But the bee- 

 garden has its immediate use and place in every 

 district where there is an average population. 



