Tom and the Bees. 189

and roofs of their houses, and they fitted up
the rooms for themselves.”

“Fitted up rooms ?” repeated Archie.

“Yes,” said his grandpapa; “ wax-rooms
and store-closets to keep their honey in. I
would have offered to build them, if I had
known how, but I don’t know how to make
wax, any more than I know how to make
honey.”

“But,” cried Tom, “it wasn’t fair, was it,
to take all their honey out of their wax store-
closets, and only give them the walls and
roofs of their houses instead ?”

“Tust what I thought—just what I thought,”
answered he. “I lay awake three nights
thinking about it. For it was even worse—
I’m really ashamed to own it—lI used often
to take their wax store-rrooms away, besides
their honey! ‘My dear grandmamma, I said,
‘T’ve cheated the bees! This will never do.
I take the best of all that’s inside their houses,
and only give them bare walls and roofs in
return! This will never do. I might be
taken up for cheating !’”