The Perambulations of a Bee and a Butterfly,

by Ethel C. Brill

  CHAP. IV.

  "Think not that treachery can be just; "Take not informers' words on trust."

  GAY.

  As the winged inhabitants flocked towards home, laden with theirhoneyed store, the return of the wanderer was announced to each; andthe labors of the day being ended, they all gathered round him to hearthe account of his adventures.

  In the mean time the Butterfly continued without the hive, notunpleasantly situated, as a number of flowers were about the place, hadhe not been yet in suspense respecting his friend, when, as he was justgoing to give up all hopes of meeting with him till the next morning,he had the pleasure of seeing him come out upon the block, in companywith two or three other Bees. "Will he speak to me now, that _these_are with him," thought the Butterfly, and he fluttered round the place,half afraid that he should find the promises of his friend forgotten;but not so, the Bee, (though perhaps he might feel a little at theopinion he judged would be formed by his present associates on seeinghim speaking familiarly to one so much beneath them,) flew towardshim, to tell him he had been well received, directing him to a placeof safety in which he might pass the night; "to-morrow," said he, "weshall meet again."

  The Butterfly was much pleased at this unexpected interview, and afterthanking him for his attention, promised to join him in the morning.The Bee then returned to his companions, and the Butterfly retired tothe place which had been pointed out to him, and from whence he couldsee the entrance of the hive, and watch the coming of his friend whenthey were next to meet.

  I shall now proceed to acquaint my reader with the future travels ofour two friends, and without attending to the minute occurrences ofeach day, enter at once upon those events which more particularlybelong to my design. As soon as the sun was sufficiently above theearth, the inhabitants of the hive hastened forth, eager to pursuetheir daily task--

  "Around, athwart, "Thro' the soft air the busy nations fly."

  And among the first came our young adventurer, whom the Butterflyimmediately prepared to accompany; though till he saw him a littleseparated from the others, he did not presume to approach. "How doyou do, my friend?" said the Bee, as soon as he drew near; "are youinclined for a long flight to-day? I have now a double motive to workhard, having a wish to make up for my lost time, as well as to shew mysense of gratitude for the reception I have met with from the friends Iam returned to."

  "I am willing to accompany you," replied the Butterfly, "and am gladto see you in such spirits; but you are already eyeing some of thosebeautiful flowers, and while you are engaged with them I will visit thenearest cottage, and return before you have finished your task."

  "That's right," replied the Bee, "and tell me if you find theinhabitants as well, or as busily employed, as I am going to be."

  The Butterfly departed, and on entering the window of the humbledwelling, he perceived a woman sweeping out the lower room, "whichserved them for parlour, kitchen, and hall," and preparing thebreakfast; three or four children were entrusted to the care of anothersomewhat older than themselves, and who was endeavouring to keep thelittle ones from entering, and interrupting their mother. The Butterflywas unnoticed by the woman, but no sooner did the children see it, who(like all others, wanting what is denied them,) were peeping in at thedoor and enquiring when they might come in, than a little boy beggedto enter, promising to catch it in a minute, and his entreaties atlast prevailed, though he did not find it quite so easy to take thenimble creature as he had fancied. He had again and again to watch itssettling, and to experience disappointment in his endeavour to secureit; while the rest of the little ones were at the door eagerly lookingon, and the mother sometimes fretting, and sometimes laughing at hisfruitless efforts; when all at once the eldest girl gave notice of herfather's approach to breakfast.

  No sooner was this intelligence heard, than the Butterfly was sufferedto rest in quiet; the mother declared that "nothing was ready;" shescolded the child and blamed herself for being so foolish as to bestopped in the middle of her work by the chacing of a Butterfly, andbefore any thing was in proper order the _master_ entered, who byhis rough voice and peremptory manner seemed determined to keep up theauthority of that title. While he was grumbling at not finding hisbreakfast ready, and his children standing silent around the table, theButterfly, happy to escape, extended his wings, and returned to hiscompanion, whom he found still employed at his accustomed task.

  "Well, what discoveries have you made," enquired the Bee, "have youseen any one so busy as me?"

  "_One_ was," replied the Butterfly, laughing, "till I put an end toher work; a little humoured brat of a boy was suffered to enter intothe midst of it, and hunt me from one side of the room to the other,and this foolish pursuant took the attention of the woman, who stoodwith the broom in her hand, admiring the dexterity of her aukwardcub, I suppose, till the approach of the father was announced; thenthe scene was entirely changed, the hunt was given over, and she wascross with herself and every one else because she had been interrupted,which after all was her own fault; the man came in still more out ofhumour, and thus the house which at your first entrance you might haveimagined the abode of peace and domestic comfort, was made directlyotherwise; and _my harmless_ visit, I dare say, they would say was thecause of it; when to a reasonable observer it would be plain that thewhole of his disturbance arose from the wayward fancy of the child, theindulgence of the mother, and the ill temper of the father: however,such is my happy lot, having wings, I could fly away from all theirtroubles, but those are to be pitied who cannot escape them."

  "During your absence," said the Bee, "I have seen two friends in thisgarden, who appeared so happy in the society of each other that I amanxious to see more of them, such friendship being rather rare amongthe human race, and as soon as I have carried home this load of honey,I intend to visit the house I saw them enter."

  "Do, do," replied the Butterfly, pleased to find his friend couldattend to any thing besides his work, "and while you are thus engaged,I will amuse myself with an old acquaintance or two whom I see yonder."With these words they parted for a little while, promising to meetagain in the same place, and to which the Bee returned long beforethe fluttering Butterfly, who had flown to a neighbouring field,and there among the daisies and king-cups with which the ground wasnearly covered, he continued with his former associates nearly thewhole morning, idly chacing each other in airy rounds till he hadalmost forgot the engagement he had made, and was still less inclinedto regret his living an idle life. "I am not born to work," said he,"and if the place I fill in the world is not of such importance as myfriend's, as a Butterfly I have an equal right to live, and to followmy own inclination;" he therefore returned to meet him without anapology for being behind the time, and on finding him busily employed,and nearly ready to take home another load, "what," said he, "you couldnot leave your favorite work to make your intended visit? surely youare too intent in gathering that food which I fear you will never beallowed to enjoy?"

  "You are mistaken," replied the Bee, "I have been, and seen the twoladies, but they are no longer friends." Oh what fickle creatures thesemen and women are! young and old, they are all changeable alike. Onewas sitting at an open window, and the other walking up and down theroom apparently much distressed; "what not one word?" said she to theother; "I did not mean to offend you."

  No answer was returned, and she continued to express her sorrow, whichwas received with the utmost indifference; at length she made anotherattempt, and offering her hand to her offended friend, she said, "Come,Charlotte, will you not be reconciled?"

  This also was equally disregarded, and the feelings of the pooroffender seemed entirely altered; she no longer solicited forgiveness,but left the room, saying, "It is not necessary for me to acknowledgemore; you do not treat me like a friend; talk no more of your regardfor me."

  As soon as she was gone the other began singing, as loudly as she couldraise her voice, though the words she uttered now, so far from being inun
ison with her mind, as expressed in her countenance, that I could nothelp smiling; they were descriptive of content and self-satisfaction,neither of which I think _she_ could at that time feel.

  On leaving her, and entering another window, I was sorry to see the oneI had been interested for in earnest conversation with a third person,who, pitying her dejected and melancholy appearance, asked if she mightnot attribute it to the ill humour of her friend, and while her mindwas thus hurt with the treatment she had received, drew from her acomplaint which perhaps she would not have made at any other time. "Shedoes not deserve your regard," said the stranger, "and you give up toomuch to her;--if you continue to do so, she will by and bye expect youto say or do nothing but as she directs; and her friendship for you cannever be real if she requires such subjection."

  "These are very odd things," observed the Butterfly; "we poorinsignificant creatures never have any thing of this sort; if weassociate together, we do not spend our time in complaining of eachother."

  "I have not done with them yet," returned the Bee, "but mean to paythem another visit, and I fancy shall see still more reason to concludethat these wonderful creatures, whom the animal race hold in suchrespect, are not so steady and constant in their conduct and pursuitsas either they, or we, the still meaner insect tribes, are, though Imust say those of the latter order are not in so much awe of them.We do not fly from them if they come in our way, but in many thingsconsider them as subservient to us, and that which _they_ look upon asexclusively their own, and which a cat or a dog would not venture totouch, _we_ have most likely made many a meal from before it comes totheir table."

  A few days after this, the Bee renewed his visit, as he had proposed,and there was astonished to see the very same third person now engagedwith the other lady, and relating to her with many exaggerations allthat her offending friend had repeated to her, while smarting under theeffect of her ill humour, though all the pains she took to draw it outof her, and the encouragement with which she listened to her complaint,were entirely omitted in the recital. "Only think of this," said theButterfly, on hearing an account of his friend's second visit. "Is thisthe use they make of the power of speech, and which they imagine setsthem so completely above the animals? surely they had better be withoutit, than use it to such a purpose; but what will be the end of this?will not the eyes of the two friends be opened, think you? and theywill leave the acquaintance of that mean incendiary, who, under such ashow of friendship, endeavours to widen the breach between them?"

  "Perhaps not," replied the Bee. "Their conduct may yet want thatconsistency; I hope they will be reconciled to each other, but I doubtwhether they will give up this perfidious acquaintance, though the moretheir regard for each other increases, the more must their contemptfor her be increased. I question, also, if the tale _she_ has this daytold will not rankle in the breast of the hearer for many future years,and whether there will ever again be that mutual confidence in the twofriends which once appeared."

  The next house they saw, the Butterfly entered alone, as the Beeobserved some flowers at a distance which appeared more worthy of hisattention. While he was busily employed in extracting their sweets,his friend returned laughing, "Oh!" said he, "I wish you had been withme. Smile no more at the regard I shew to outward appearance; whythere is a young man who is storming and raging about the house,because his neckcloths and shirts are not brought home so nicely ashe expected, and he is throwing them from one end of the room to theother, while the poor woman, who has, perhaps, been working hard tomake them what they are, stands trembling before him, as if she hadcommitted the greatest trespass in the world. The beauty of my wingsif once destroyed, is lost for ever, but these evils, if they are any,are soon remedied; and, at the next house," continued he, "is anotherinstance of the vanity of the sex; _there_ is a boy who has got a newcoat just brought home from the taylor's, and because the day is ratherlowering, and his father won't let him wear it out, he is determinednot to go out at all, and he is now sitting in his own room with thecoat on, though there is no one but himself to admire it. I have seenfemales carry their fondness for dress as far as this," continued he,"but I thought men and boys were above such vanity; I declare I am halfashamed of them."

  At this moment a heavy shower came on, and the Butterfly hastened tothe shelter of a large leaf on a cucumber bed, where also the Bee wasobliged to secure himself, nor could he take home the honey he hadgathered till the rain had ceased.

  On his return, he found the Butterfly just ventured from his retreat,and stretching his wings, he was enquiring of one of his own species,"if their colours had received any injury?"

  The Bee heard the enquiry, and though he believed his friend wouldnot have made it had he thought him within hearing, he was not now soinclined to laugh at him as formerly on account of it, "for," said he,"since I have heard such instances of vanity in a race so superior, Ican forgive it in a Butterfly."

  On finding that the drops still continued on the flowers, so as toprevent his gathering any thing from them, he determined to return tothe hive, and there assist in forming some cells with the wax he hadbeen busy in procuring, though the Butterfly was earnest in desiringhim to take an afternoon's flight with him, "and enjoy a littlepleasure."

  The Bee smiled at what his friend called by that name; "my enjoymentis to be usefully employed," said he, "and to receive my mother'sapprobation; but as I know this is a pleasure _you_ cannot understand,I would not wish to deprive you of what you can enjoy; go, therefore,and take your fill of it while you may, and to-morrow perhaps we maymeet again."

  His friend departed with this encouragement, yet not able to comprehendwhy all creatures did not find a pleasure in the same thing, thoughto the eye of reason such a distinction of enjoyments in the variousobjects of creation, is an evident token of the Wisdom with which theyare formed.