But she felt she must do something more lest Willie should be vexed.

There seemed but one way to get nearer to the sunbeam, and that was to go down this tree and run to the foot of the other.

What if Willie had made a stair up it also?
But as she turned to see how she was to go down, for she had been carried up blind, she caught sight of the straight staircase between the two boughs, and, with a shriek of delight, up she ran.
"Gently, gently! Don't bring the tree down with your tremendous weight," cried Willie, following her close behind.
At the end of the stairs she sprang upon the bough of the fir, and in a moment more was sitting in the full light of the sunset.
"O Willie! Willie! this _is_ grand! How good, how kind of you! You _have_ made a bird of me! What will papa and mamma say?
Won't they be delighted?
I must run and fetch Mona." So saying she hurried across again, and down the stair, and away to look for Mona Shepherd, shouting with delight as she ran.

In a few minutes her cries had gathered the whole house to the bottom of the garden, as well as Mr Shepherd and Mona and Mrs Hunter.

Mr Macmichael and all of them went up into the tree, Mr Shepherd last and with some misgivings; for, having no mechanical faculty himself, he could not rightly value Willie's, and feared that he might not have made the stair safe.