"But wouldn't you rather be in Heaven," she said, "than sitting about on these silly old staircases?"
St Uncus laughed.
"But Heaven's not a place, my dear. Heaven's being employed by the good Lord God."
Then he looked at his watch.
"And now I wonder," he said, "if you'd mind doing me a good turn?"
"Oh, I should love to!" said Doris; "but how can I?"
"Well, you see," he said, "the worst of my job is that I can never get a chance of seeing my brother Bill. He's always busy by the edges of ponds and things, and I'm always stuck on somebody's staircase; and I thought perhaps, if you wouldn't mind taking my hook for a bit, I could slip off for a moment and have a talk to him."
Doris felt a little shy.
"But should I be able to use it?" she asked. "And how could I tell whether somebody wanted me?"
"Oh, that'll be all right," he said, "as soon as you catch hold of the hook; and perhaps you won't be wanted at all. The only trouble is when two children are falling at once, and then you have to decide which you'll go for. But that doesn't happen very often, considering how many children there are."