higher, and another piece of
wood nailed to two poles, raised the next step; and so he went round and
round the tree in an ascending spiral, climbing on the steps already
placed to fix others above them. Encircling the tree some four or five
times, for he wanted the ascent easy for little feet, he was at length
at its fork. There he laid a platform or landing-place, and paused to
consider what to do next. This was on the third evening from the laying
of the first step.

From the fork many boughs rose and spread--amongst them two very near
each other, between which he saw how, by help of various inequalities,
he might build a little straight staircase leading up into a perfect
wilderness of leaves and branches. He set about it at once, and,
although he found it more difficult than he had expected, succeeded at
last in building a safe stair between the boughs, with a hand-rail of
rope on each side.

But Willie had chosen to ascend in this direction for another reason as
well: one of these boughs was in close contact with a bough belonging to
one of the largest of the red firs. On this fir-bough he constructed a
landing-place, upon which it was as easy as possible to step from the
stair in the elm. Next, the bough being very large, he laid along it a
plank steadied by blocks underneath--a level for the little feet. Then
he began to weave a network of rope and string along each side of the
bough, so that the child could not fall off; but finding this rather a
long job, and thinking it a pity to balk her of so much pleasure merely
for the sake of surprising her the more thoroughly, he resolved to
reveal what he had already done, and permit her to enjoy it.

For, as I ought to have mentioned sooner, he had taken Mona into his
confidence, and she had kept Agnes out of the way for now nearly a whole
week of evenings. But she was finding it more and more difficult to
restrain her from rushing off in search of Willie, and was very glad
indeed when he told her that he was not going to keep the thing a secret
any longer.

[Illustration: WILLIE CARRIED AGNES UP THE STAIR INTO THE GREAT BRANCHES
OF THE ELM TREE.]

CHAPTER XXI.

HOW AGNES LIKED BEING A BIRD.

But Willie began to think whether he might not give Agnes two surprises
out of it, with a dream into the bargain, and thought over it until he
saw how he could manage it.

She always went to bed at seven o'clock, so that by the time the other
people in the