of grass right behind her.

Freddie had been hiding under a plantain leaf, so that she couldn't see
his light. But Peppery Polly didn't know what had happened.

"Did your light go out?" she inquired anxiously.

"If it did, I never noticed it," he replied.

"Well, don't you dare to leave me alone, no matter what happens!"
Peppery Polly Bumblebee cried. "If you did, I'd never be able to find my
way home in the dark."

"Don't worry!" Freddie said. "You're perfectly safe with me. ... What
I'm wondering is whether I'm perfectly safe with you."

"You are--so long as you behave yourself," she declared. "But remember!
I'll make it hot for you if you try any tricks on me! Don't forget that
I carry a sting! And what's more, I know how to use it."

Her threat, however, failed to frighten Freddie Firefly. As soon as he
saw that his companion was afraid of the dark, he ceased to be afraid of
her. So he flashed his light impudently in her eyes.

"Come on!" he urged her with a grin which she could not see. "Let's get
to the clover field, for I like to see people work."

"You do, eh? "snapped Peppery Polly.

"Yes! Watching others work is play for me," he remarked cheerfully. "And