āI see youāre admiring my little box,ā the Knight said in a friendly tone. āItās my own inventionā āto keep clothes and sandwiches in. You see I carry it upside-down, so that the rain canāt get in.ā
āBut the things can get out ,ā Alice gently remarked. āDo you know the lidās open?ā
āI didnāt know it,ā the Knight said, a shade of vexation passing over his face. āThen all the things must have fallen out! And the box is no use without them.ā He unfastened it as he spoke, and was just going to throw it into the bushes, when a sudden thought seemed to strike him, and he hung it carefully on a tree. āCan you guess why I did that?ā he said to Alice.
Alice shook her head.
āIn hopes some bees may make a nest in itā āthen I should get the honey.ā
āBut youāve got a beehiveā āor something like oneā āfastened to the saddle,ā said Alice.