“Isn’t this the grandest fortress you ever did see?”

Beth was too busy climbing to answer.  She was a natural born climber, but she lacked practice.  Besides, her plumpness would prevent her from ever being quite as agile as Julia.

“This will be my bedroom.  See, I do not have to build any bed.  These branches and leaves make a perfect resting-place,” declared Julia.

“Yes, but suppose you fell asleep and rolled out.  You’d break your neck.”

“I don’t roll out of bed at home, and I’m not going to here.”

“But I do, and I don’t want to break my neck.  I guess I’ll stay awake all night, but I’ll lie down.”

As Beth spoke, she lay back on some inviting looking branches.  Their appearance, however, proved deceitful.  They were not as strong as they looked, and she came very near having the tumble that she dreaded.  Luckily, however, she caught on to a strong branch, and with Julia’s assistance was soon in comparative safety.

“I guess I’d better sit up all the time.”

“I reckon you’ll do nothing of the sort.  I’ll tell you what:  You may have my bedroom, and I’ll find another higher up.”

Although Beth was still trembling from the narrowness of her escape, she did not wish to take advantage of Julia’s generosity, but the latter insisted.

Thus persuaded, Beth, cautiously this time, tried reclining on the branches.  She found that they really made a delightful bed.

“It is beautiful, Julia.  Why, I don’t believe I should be afraid to sleep here.  These limbs would keep me from falling.”

“And here is another bed just as good.  You see I’m right across the hall from you.  I didn’t have to go to the next floor as I feared at first.  It’s nicer being near each other, isn’t it, Beth?”

“Yes, much nicer, but wouldn’t you rather have this room, Julia?  It is so lovely.”

“No, it isn’t.  Mine is best.  I can look way up to the sky.”

“Why, that isn’t nice at all.  I wouldn’t sleep in a room without a roof.  Mine has a roof painted green.”

“I don’t care, mine’s nicer.”

“No, it isn’t.  Mine is.”

Whereupon they had a fuss, such as all children sometimes have.  They declared that “they didn’t like each other,” and that one was “hateful” and the other “too mean to live,” and that “they’d never speak again.”

In a minute or two after, they were talking as lively as two young magpies.  They had figuratively kissed and made up.

“Now,” said Julia, “I’m going to draw the portcullis so we can never go down unless some one comes to release us.”

“I don’t care to stay here always.”

“We’re only playing, goosie, but you have to stay until morning because you promised.”

After that one thrust, Julia relented and tried to be as nice as she possibly could, and Beth had such a good time that her conscience stopped troubling her.