CHAP. V.
"If chance a mouse came in her sight, "She finely counterfeits a fright, "So sweetly screams if it come near her, "It ravishes all hearts to hear her."
SWIFT.
The next day the Bee had taken home two or three loads before hisfriend made his appearance, who, when he came, expressed his surpriseat finding him where he was. "I have been in such a beautifulconservatory," said he, "and surely I saw _you_ there, almost buried inthe heart of a flower; and so intent were you upon your labour, thatyou would not even answer me when I called; there must certainly havebeen something very attractive to have kept you there so long, but howyou got here before me is what I most wonder at."
"I don't understand you," returned the Bee, "I have been in noconservatory, the utmost of my flights to-day have been from the hiveto this place."
"And have you _really_ been no where else?" said the Butterfly inastonishment; "why I never saw anything so like you in my life; Iconcluded that you were so buried in the flower that you did not hearmy call, or was unwilling to move, lest you should alarm some ladiesand gentlemen who were very near you."
"I think I can tell what has deceived you," returned the Bee, "you haveseen a Bee-Orchis, as they are called, a flower which bears both theform and resemblance of _our_ species. And so you really took it for_me_?"
"If it was _not_ yourself," replied the Butterfly, "and you wish to seeyour _own_ likeness, pray come with me, and behold it; for never did Isee one Bee so like another, as that flower is like you."
"I have known many of our young ones who are not acquainted withit," said the Bee, "so deceived by the resemblance, that if theyhappen to meet with one, they pass it by, thinking, that one of theirfellow-laborers is engaged there already; but if you will shew me thespot I will not be so put off."
So saying, he followed the Butterfly, who was immediately on the wing;and soon arrived at a very large house, one end of which formed theconservatory. The fragrancy of the flowers it contained, the greatvariety of them, and those of the most delicate nature, made the Beeclap his wings for joy.
"Why, my dear friend," said he, "you have brought me to atreasure-house indeed; a store of sweets, I can hardly forbearreturning to call all my companions to share it with me; I am surethere would be work enough for the whole hive were they here."
While he was thus expressing his delight, the Butterfly was searchingfor the flower he had noticed before, hardly satisfied, till he had thetestimony of his own eye-sight in seeing them together, that his friendhad told him the truth; however, when he discovered it, and saw the Beestill flying about in admiration, he was obliged to acknowledge he hadbeen wrong.
The Bee employed himself here for some hours, during which he had goneand returned from the hive several times, bringing with him a few ofhis companions, who were attracted by the account he gave of thischarming place; the Butterfly also met with much to amuse him, andcontinued uninterruptedly to enjoy themselves, till, as the eveningadvanced, they resolved to visit some other part of the house, andthe Butterfly led the way to the dining parlour, where some ladiesand gentlemen were sitting after dinner, with a variety of fruits andwines before them. The attention of the Bee was immediately attractedby a very fine peach one of the ladies had just taken on her plate, andlittle thinking of the consequence of his temerity, he flew towards it:the lady screamed, and pushed back her chair, while the company eagerlyenquired the cause.
"Oh, a Bee!" exclaimed she, "I am frightened to death if I see one."
"And I," said another, who sat opposite to her, "shall faint, if itcomes near _me_; I really cannot bear it in the room."
At this moment the Bee, as if desirous of seeing whether she spoketruth or not, flew directly across the table, and alighted on her head.
"Oh where is it?" said she, jumping off her seat, "I am sure it is onme! dear Mr. Wippersnap," addressing the gentleman who sat next her,"for goodness sake take it off! what shall I do?"
While the other lady sat fanning to recover her alarm, and the rest ofthe party with anxious looks watched the motions of the bold intruder,the gentleman, proud of his superior courage, "begged them not to bealarmed, for he would destroy it in a moment;" and giving it a gentletouch to drive it from its present station, he began the attack with anopen knife he held in his hand, professing that he would cut it asunderat one blow; his blows, however, were not so decisive, for though heaimed several, the Bee contrived to escape them all.
At this one or two other gentlemen, with more regard to the imaginaryfeelings of the ladies than to the reality of those belonging to theBee, raised the same weapons in their defence, but all their effortsserved only to exasperate the object of their rage, while the Butterflysat trembling under the most cruel apprehensions for his friend'ssafety.
During this alarming battle the ladies were happy to leave the room;and no sooner were they retired than the fight was over, the weaponsof war were laid aside, and the enraged Bee suffered to rest uponthe table, and recruit his strength: his fierce opponents declaredthey were never so foiled before, till one, less courageous than therest, wisely, as he thought, turned an empty wine glass over him, andthus was our unfortunate adventurer again in a close confinement. TheButterfly was now alarmed for his friend from another cause, and fearedthe want of air would be too much for him.
"Cruel monsters," said he to himself, as he observed the gentlemen drawtheir chairs closer to the table, and filling their glasses appeareddetermined to suffer no other interruption to their cheerfulness; "dothey call themselves humane, who can leave a poor creature in thatsituation, and after they have cut and slashed at him in such a manner,that if their dexterity had been equal to their will, they would nothave left a whole bone in his skin. Oh! that I had the sting of athousand Bees, I would use them all to revenge his cause."
With these words he fluttered round the table, and viewed his friend(who lay motionless at the bottom of his transparent prison) on everyside; "he will certainly die," thought he, "if he is not dead already.Oh my friend! would that I could release you! but the attempt would befruitless."
The gentlemen were too agreeably engaged to observe the anxiousButterfly, who every time he saw them extend their hands towards theplace, hoped some little compassion had touched their breasts, and thatthey were going to liberate his friend; but no such thing, the eveningclosed in, and he was yet in confinement, till the tea being announced,the gentlemen jumped up to attend the ladies, and soon after theservants entering to take away the bottle and glasses, give the poorprisoner an opportunity to escape. The window was still open, upon theedge of which sat the expecting Butterfly, but it was some time beforethe Bee, who had been insensible the greatest part of the time, couldso far recollect himself as to know where he was, or who was waitingfor him. On seeing him slowly crawling on the table, the Butterflyconcluded he was too much hurt to fly, and coming towards him, with theutmost tenderness he said,
"Oh! my friend, are you not cruelly wounded?"
"Not so much as I expected," returned the Bee, greatly revived at thesight of his old companion. "I am very stiff from the blows I havereceived, but luckily my wings are not hurt; pray lead the way fromthis detested spot, and I will follow with the greatest pleasure."
With this request the Butterfly gladly complied, rejoicing to hear hisfriend speak so cheerfully, who was no sooner out of the house than hebegged to rest upon a neighbouring tree.
"You have been very roughly handled," said his friend, "by these_superior_ sort of people; I had hoped better things of them, becausethey are called so, but I do not find their hearts are better, or theirconduct towards us less reprehensible than those of a lower order; butwhy did you not use your sting, my friend? I think it then would havemade even those courageous gentlemen sound a retreat."
"I am very careful of extending that," replied the Bee, "as it is veryseldom we can use it to any advantage without leaving it in the wound,and that in general is fatal to us; a gentle touch is suffic
ient inour defence, but _here_ it would have had no effect but to enragethem still the more, and I must either have died by their hands, orsoon afterwards by losing it; but what a fuss the ladies made at myapproach, did they not? did you ever see any thing so foolish, as allto run away from my presence? Why many of their fellow-creatures, whomthey judge inferior in education and ideas to themselves, would havebeen ashamed to have acted so."
"If you are inclined to put them to flight again," said the Butterfly,"I think I see the same party in the room above."
"No, I thank you," returned the Bee, "I must hasten to the hive asfast as my bruises will let me; they will be quite alarmed at my beingout so late, or fancy that my old fondness for wandering is come onagain, and I should be sorry that should be their opinion; besides,"continued he, shrugging his shoulders, "I have had enough of thecompany of ladies and gentlemen for to-day, though no doubt I lost muchentertaining conversation during my captivity."
"I believe not," replied the Butterfly, "for my part I heard them sayvery little else than "the bottle is with you Sir," and "let us haveanother;" and "will you give us a toast, Sir?""
"And is it thus these men of _education_ converse together?" repliedthe Bee; "I am astonished at it, but were we to sit and talk of it thewhole of the night we should not make them better; we will therefore gohome; I have only to say that I am glad I have escaped their malice,and am obliged to you, my friend, for the affection which promptedyou to stay for me;" and now extending their wings they soon arrivedat the hive, which the Bee entered, and accounting for his late returnreceived the congratulations of all his companions on his safety.
The Butterfly found a resting-place near it, and the next day met hisfriend with anxious enquiries of "how he found himself?" The Bee wasstill stiff, and felt too much of the ill effects of his last visit towish to accompany him on another, at present, therefore he remained butjust without the hive, and left the Butterfly to make 'the voyage ofobservation' by himself. In the evening, as they again met, he enquiredinto the result of his rambles.
"I am more and more astonished at the weakness of mortals," returnedthe Butterfly, "and am convinced that a _fine lady_ will believe anything, and will be pleased with the greatest nonsense, if said to herby way of compliment; though I have visited but one house to-day, andthat was with one of my old acquaintance, with whom I flew about tillwe chaced each other into a spacious drawing-room, in which sat a younglady, who was endeavouring to lay the imitation of flowers upon a smalltable; I believe they call it _painting_, and it was nearly finished; agentleman sat by her, and seemed to admire every stroke of her pencil,though for my part I could not see any thing so very admirable in it;the colours, to my eye, were put on very roughly, and I could not havethought he would have paid so ill a compliment to her understanding, asto suppose she would have believed him, when on our settling on themafter we had sported round the room, he declared that we took them fornatural flowers."
"And did she believe him?" asked the Bee.
"She smiled," returned the Butterfly, "and seemed very much pleased;and it is certain that she did not contradict him, though she soondrove us off again, fearing, I suppose, that we should discover thedeception; but we had done that long before, and only fixt ourselvesthere because it was the nearest place to rest on. After this we flewout, and met with other companions, and I don't know how it was, butthe day seemed gone before we were aware; however, we have enjoyedourselves without interruption, and _you_, I hope, are better ableto pursue what affords you pleasure, than when I left you in themorning?"
"I am recovering very fast," returned the Bee, "and it is quitenecessary I should, for I believe a wonderful change is soon to takeplace in my circumstances, and you must not be surprised if you shouldnot see me in this neighbourhood much longer."
"What do you mean?" enquired the Butterfly, half alarmed, though heknew not from what cause; "you are not going to hide yourself from me,are you?"
"No," returned the Bee; "_our_ movements cannot be hid, we shall makenoise enough about it, but I am not at liberty to disclose the secretsof the hive; to-morrow, perhaps, if you keep a good look-out, and theweather is fine, you may see what will unravel this mystery; in themeanwhile assure yourself of the continuance of my friendship, and donot think, after the attention I experienced from you last night, andon a former occasion, I can forget you."
With this assurance the Butterfly suffered his friend to depart withoutmaking any farther enquiry, and sheltering himself for the night undera large holly-hock, resolved not to let the sun arise without hisawaking to observe the movements of the Bee, and his companions; and,if possible, to find out the meaning of what he had heard.
The Perambulations of a Bee and a Butterfly, Page 7
