"Guess what I've done! Guess what I've bought! Quick, quick, quick!"
"Rabbits," said Bella; "and if you have, you must keep them shut up or they'll eat everything."
"'Tisn't rabbits. Guess again."
"Pigeons?" guessed Tom.
"A pair of shears?" said Bella.
"A pig?" cried Tom.
But Charlie only shook his head more and more emphatically.
"Why, a swarm of bees," he burst out, unable to keep his secret any longer, "bee-skip and all; and the man is bringing them almost at once."
"Bees?" cried Tom. "What do you know about bees?"
"Nothing; but I s'pose I can learn. Come and choose a place for the bee-skip to stand. Where shall they go?"