error when she at last reached the kitchen door
and slammed it behind her.

Fortunately, Mary was there, and at once applied the blue-bag, which
eased the pain of the stings greatly.

'I only wanted to study the bees,' sobbed Olive, 'and I never meant to
offend them, and make them sting me.'

'You had better study obedience, Miss, and leave the bees alone,' said
Mary curtly. 'I told you only yesterday to keep away from the hives. If
you want to study bees, get the old bee-master to tell you how to set
about it.'

Some weeks later, Olive had an opportunity of watching the bee-master
when he removed the honey from the hives. He did not get stung, though
the bees were all round him, and Olive could not help admiring the
fearless way he went to work.

Charlie was right. Olive did learn something from the bees, and one of
her lessons was humility. She did not again think she knew all about a
subject after reading of the wonderful discoveries of men who had given
a life-time to it.

PERHAPS.

Before the dustman comes to me
As in my bed I lie,
All sorts of curious things I see
Up in my nursery high.

I see the little curly flames
Jump upwards from the fire;
I think they must be playing games,
They never seem to tire.

And now and then one leaps so high
That all the ceiling glows:
Quite suddenly it seems to die--
I wonder where it goes.

Sometimes out in the street I hear
The tinkle of a bell,
It's first far off, and then quite near;
It's passing, I can tell;

And then I see a narrow line
Of light quite slowly crawl
Across the ceiling, till its shine
Stops as it meets the wall.

I wonder how it comes, and why,
And where it was before,
And where it's gone to now, when I
Can't see it any more.

Perhaps I'll meet them in my dream,
Those curly flames so odd,
And see the little narrow gleam
Light up the Land of Nod.

THE GIANT OF THE TREASURE CAVES.

(_Continued from page 103._)

CHAPTER VI.

'Have they ever found the man who injured Dick?' asked Alan, as Lady
Coke's story came to an end.

'No,' replied Lady Coke sadly, 'never. Not a trace of him ever came to
light. Shall I tell you why--or perhaps one of the chief reasons
why--the search was discontinued? It is the grandest part of poor Dick's
story,' continued Aunt Betty, putting down her knitting and looking
earnestly at the children's intereste