to a terrace.
Above us was the roof of the apiary; it was of thatch, and from its ledge
honeysuckle and wild grapes hung in magnificent festoons. The hives were
arranged on three shelves.

"Raesel went from one to the other, patting them, and murmuring--

"'Have a little patience; there is too much mist this morning. Ah! the
greedy ones, how they grumble!'

"And we could hear a vague humming inside the hive, which increased in
intensity until she had passed.

"That awoke all my curiosity once more. I felt there was some strange
mystery which I could not fathom, but what was my surprise, when, as I
went into the sitting-room, I heard the blind girl say in a melancholy
tone of voice--

"'No, father, I would rather not see at all to-day than lose my eyes. I
will sing, I will do something or other to pass the time, never mind
what; but I will not let the bees out.'

"While she was speaking in this strange manner I looked at Walter Young,
who glanced out of the window and then quietly replied--

"'You are right, child; I think you are right. Besides, there is nothing
to see; the valley is quite white. It is not worth looking at.'

"And while I sat astounded at what I heard, the child continued--

"'What lovely weather we had the day before yesterday! Who would have
thought that a storm on the lake would have caused all this mist? Now one
must fold up its wings and crawl about like a wretched caterpillar.'

"Then again, after a few moments' silence--

"'How I enjoyed myself under the lofty pines on the Grinderwald! How the
honey-dew dropped from the sky! It fell from every branch. What a harvest
we made, and how sweet the air was on the shores of the lake, and in the
rich Tannemath pastures--the green moss, and the sweet-smelling herbs! I
sang, I laughed, and we filled our cells with wax and honey. How
delightful to be everywhere, see everything, to fly humming about the
woods, the mountains, and the valleys!'

"There was a fresh silence, while I sat, with mouth and eyes open,
listening with the greatest attention, not knowing what to think or what
to say.

"'And when the shower came,' she went on, 'how frightened we were! A
great humble-bee, sheltered under the same fern as myself, shut his eyes
at every flash; a grasshopper had sheltered itself under its great green
branches, and some poor little crickets had scrambled up a poppy to save
themselves from drowning. But what was most frightful was a nest of
war