I don’t see where Violet has ever been concerned about the health of bees; her former and recent history show just the opposite (see Monday’s strip). After all, she is the one who wanted the original hive of bees to be exterminated by Honest Ernest. Let’s face it, Violet hates bees! So why would Cherry think that revealing the true fate of the bees would create bad feelings?

As for the gratuitous narration box in panel 4, what’s being saved here?  There are times when holding back can be valid (e.g. In a time of personal crisis), but this doesn’t seem like one of those times. Violet may be passive-aggressive, but she is not a child asking about Santa Claus.