I hear her in the kitchen.

'Sh! 'Sh!" Susy thought there was no time to be lost, and she would have rushed down stairs, two steps at a time, but her little sister was exactly in the way.
"Somebody has been and tugged my little chair up here," said Prudy, "and I must tug it back again." So in the dim light the two children groped their way down stairs, Prudy going first with the chair.
"O, what a little snail! Hurry--can't you ?" said Susy, impatiently; "Norah'll be gone! What's the use of our waking up in the night if we can't say Merry Christmas to anybody ?" "Well, _ain't_ I a-hurryin' now ?" exclaimed Prudy, plunging forward and falling, chair and all, the whole length of the stairs.
All the house was awake now, for Prudy screamed lustily.

Grandma Read called out from the passage-way,-- "O, little Prudence, has thee broken thy neck ?" Mrs.Parlin rushed out, too frightened to speak, and Mr.Parlin ran down stairs, and took Prudy up in his arms.
"It was--you--did it--Susy Parlin," sobbed the child.

"I shouldn't--have--fell, if you--hadn't--have--screamed." The poor little girl spoke slowly and with difficulty, as if she dropped a bucket into her full heart, and drew up the words one at a time.
"O, mother, I know it was me," said Susy meekly; "and I was careless, and it was all in the dark.

I'm sure I hope Prudy'll forgive me." "No, it wasn't you, neither," said Prudy, whose good humor was restored the moment Susy had made what she considered due confession.