Sylvia develops a fondness for "The Stranger" as she spends more time with him, traveling through the bushes trying to find the elusive bird. "The Stranger" has offered $10 to Sylvia if she could give him any information regarding the whereabouts of the White Heron. Sylvia develops a great desire to please this new friend of hers, and concocts a secret plan, involving a tall pine tree, to locate the nest of the White Heron.

Before dawn, Sylvia sneaks out and heads for the tall pine tree and climbs to the very top of it, incurring scratches and bruises on the way. When she reaches the top, sunlight begins to appear, and "Sylvia's face was like a pale star" a top the tall tree. At this point in the story, there is a shift in imagery and tone, as the author uses words like "golden," bewildering light," "white sails of...
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