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 CONTENTS. 
 
 I. 
 
 II. 
 
 III. 
 
 IV. 
 V. 
 
 VI. 
 
 VII. 
 
 viir. 
 
 IX. 
 
 X. 
 
 XI. 
 
 XII. 
 XIII. 
 XIV. 
 
 Up to the Alm Uncle .,..«.... 5 
 
 At the Grandfather's 38 
 
 In the Pasture 56 
 
 With the Grandmother 89 
 
 A Visit, and Another, and the Conse- 
 quences 125 
 
 A New Chapter, and altogether New 
 
 Things 153 
 
 Miss Rottenmeier has a Day of Troubles . 175 
 In the Sesemann House Things do not go 
 
 smoothly. . 212 
 
 The Master of the House arrives, and 
 hears All Sorts of Things not heard 
 
 BY him before 240 
 
 A Grandmamma 256 
 
 Heidi loses on One Side, and gains on the 
 
 Other 280 
 
 The Sesemann House is haunted .... 293 
 
 A Summer Evening on the Alm 322 
 
 On Sunday, when the Church-bells ring . 365 
 
 33803c 
 

 HEIDI. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 UP TO THE ALM UNCLE. 
 
 From the pleasant village of Mayenfeld 
 a path leads through green fields, richly 
 covered with trees, to the foot of the 
 mountain, which from this side overhangs 
 the valley with grave and solemn aspect. 
 Where the path begins to grow steeper, 
 begins also the heath with its short grass ; 
 and the perfume of sweet mountain plants 
 seems to advance as if welcoming the 
 traveller. From this spot the footpath 
 rises almost perpendicularly to the summit. 
 
HEIDI. 
 
 Along this steep mountain path a stout, 
 healthy girl was climbing, one clear, sunny 
 morning in June, leading by the hand a 
 child, whose cheeks were so glowing red 
 that she looked as if an inward flame 
 were shining through her sunburned skin. 
 And little wonder, for the child was as 
 much wrapped up on this sunny June 
 morning as if to protect her from bitter 
 frost. The little girl could be scarcely 
 more than five years old; but her natural 
 size could not even be guessed at, for she 
 had on two, if not three, dresses, one over 
 the other, and over all, wound round and 
 round, was a great red woollen shawl ; so 
 that the little shapeless figure, with its 
 heavy hobnailed mountain shoes, toiled 
 hot and weary up the steep hillside. They 
 had gone on in this way for perhaps an 
 
UP TO THE ALM UNCLE. *J 
 
 hour from the valley, when they reached 
 the hamlet, lying halfway up the Aim, 
 which is called Dorfli. Here the wander- 
 ers were hailed and oreeted from almost 
 every doorway, now from a window, and 
 once from , the road ; for the girl had 
 reached her native villagre. She did not, 
 however, pause at all, but answered all 
 questions and greetings as she went along, 
 till they reached the end of the hamlet, 
 where only a few scattered cottages stood. 
 Here some one called from a doorway : 
 *' Wait a minute, Dete, I will go with 
 you if you are going farther." As Dete 
 stood still, the child freed herself from her 
 grasp, and seated herself upon the ground. 
 "Are you tired, Heidi?" asked her com- 
 panion, " No, but hot," replied the child. 
 " We are almost at the top. You must 
 
'8 HEIDI. 
 
 exert yourself a little more, and take very 
 long steps, and in an hour we shall be 
 there," said Dete encouragingly. 
 
 A broad, good-natured-looking woman 
 came from a doorway, and joined the pair ; 
 and the little one followed the two old 
 acquaintances, who were deep in conver- 
 sation about the inhabitants of Dorfli and 
 the surrounding cottages. 
 
 " But where are you really taking the 
 child, Dete?" asked the newcomer. "It 
 is of course your sister's child, the one 
 she left when she died." 
 
 "It is," said Dete. "I am taking her 
 
 up to the uncle's, she must stay with 
 
 h* )> 
 im. 
 
 " What, leave this child with the Aim 
 
 uncle ! You have lost your senses, Dete. 
 
 How can you think of such a thing ? He 
 
UP TO THE ALM UNCLE. 9 
 
 will soon send you to the right about with 
 your plans." 
 
 " No, that he cannot do ; he is her 
 grandfather, and must do his share. I 
 have cared for the child up to this time ; 
 and now, Barbel, I have the offer of a 
 situation which I cannot let escape be- 
 cause of this child. Let her grandfather 
 now take his turn." 
 
 " Yes, if he were like other people, 
 Dete," rejoined Barbel anxiously. " But 
 there, you know all about that. What 
 can he do with the child ? Such a small 
 one, too ! It will never succeed. But 
 where are you going?" 
 
 "To Frankfort," explained Dete, "where 
 I am promised an unusually good place. 
 The family were at the baths last summer. 
 J had the care of their rooms in the hotel, 
 
lO HEIDI. 
 
 and looked after their comfort so well that 
 they wanted to take me back with them 
 then. Now they have come again, and 
 .repeat their offer ; and you may believe 
 that I mean to accept this time." 
 
 " I should not like to be in this child's 
 place," said Barbel, with a gesture of aver- 
 sion.. " No one knows how he lives up 
 there. He will have nothing to do with 
 other people, year in year out. He never 
 sets foot in a church ; and when he comes 
 dawn here once a year, with his thick 
 stick, every one avoids him, and is afraid. 
 With his thick gray eyebrows, arid his 
 frightful beard, he looks so like a heathen 
 and an Indian, that every one is thankful 
 not to meet him in a solitary place^ alone;" 
 
 "But for all that," said Dete defiantly, 
 " he is the grandfather, and must take care 
 
UP TO THE ALM UXCLE. I I 
 
 of the child. He will probably do it no 
 harm, or will have to answer for it if he 
 does. It is not my affair." 
 
 "I should really like to know," said 
 Barbel inquiringly, " what that old man 
 has on his conscience, that he casts such 
 glances about him, and lives all alone up 
 there on the Alp, and never lets himself be 
 seen. They say all sorts of queer things 
 about him ; but you must know the truth 
 from your sister, do you not, Dete ? " 
 
 " Certainly, but I will not tell ; for if he 
 should ever know that I had said any- 
 thinor, should not I Q-et a scoldine ! " 
 
 But Barbel had long wanted to know 
 why the Aim uncle had such a look of 
 dislike to other people, and why he lived 
 alone up on the mountain; and why people 
 spoke so cautiously about him, as if they 
 
12 HEIDI. 
 
 could not say anything favorable, and 
 would not speak against him. Neither 
 did Barbel know why the old man was 
 always called in Dorfli the Aim uncle. 
 He could not be the real uncle of all the 
 inhabitants ; but as they always called him 
 so, she did the same. 
 
 Barbel had only been married a short 
 time, and came to live in the village after 
 her wedding. She formerly lived in Prat- 
 tigau, and therefore did not know all the 
 ins and outs of the life there, nor the 
 peculiarities of the people in Dorfli and 
 the neighborhood. Her good friend Dete. 
 however, was born in Dorfli, and had al- 
 ways lived there with her mother until 
 her death ; then she went to Ragatz Bad, 
 and served in the big hotel as chamber- 
 maid, with very good wages. 
 
UP TO THE ALM UNCLE. 1 3 
 
 That very morning Dete had come with 
 the child from Ragatz ; a friend had given 
 them a ride in a hay-cart as far as May- 
 enfeld. Barbel, having learned thus far, 
 hastened to improve the opportunity to 
 find out still more. So she laid her hand 
 confidentially on her friend's arm, saying: 
 " From you, Dete, one can know the real 
 truth about the Aim uncle, and not be 
 dependent on what the people here say. 
 Do tell me. What is amiss with the old 
 man ? and has he always been feared, and 
 always seemed to hate his fellow-beings 
 as he does now ? " 
 
 " Whether he has always been like this 
 I cannot be expected to know exactly, as 
 I am just twenty-six years old, and he is 
 at least seventy ; so you will not require 
 me to tell you how he was when young. 
 
;I4 HEIDI. 
 
 If I could only be sure that what I tell 
 you will not be directly known in all 
 Prattigau, I might give you some infor- 
 mation ; for my mother and he both 
 came from Domleschg." 
 
 "O Dete ! " replied Barbel, somewhat 
 offended, " what do you mean ? They are 
 not such terrible gossips in Prattigau. after 
 all ; and I can keep a secret, if necessary. 
 So tell me, do, and you shall never have 
 to be sorry for 't." 
 
 " Well, I will ; but mind you keep your 
 word," said Dete warningly. She turned 
 to look behind, to see if the child were 
 near enough to hear what they said, but 
 Heidi was nowhere to be seen. She must 
 have ceased following for a long time, but 
 they were too busy talking to notice her 
 absence. Dete stopped, and looked about 
 
Ur TO THE ALM UNCLE. 15 
 
 in every direction. The path made one 
 or two curves, but yet the eye could fol- 
 low it almost down to Dorfli. There was 
 no one visible for its whole length. 
 
 " I see her now ! " exclaimed Barbel ; 
 "down there, don't you see her?" and 
 she pointed to a spot quite distant from 
 the mountain path. " She is climbing up 
 the cliff with Peter the goatherd and his 
 flock. I wonder why he is so late to-day. 
 It is lucky for us, for you can go on with 
 your story while he looks after the child." 
 
 "It will not be necessary for Peter to 
 exert himself much in looking after her," 
 said Dete. " She uses her own eyes, and 
 sees all that goes on. I have found that 
 out, and it will be of use to her now, for 
 the old man has only his two goats and 
 the Aim hut.'.' 
 
l6 HEIDI. 
 
 " Used he to have more ? " asked Barbel. 
 
 " He ? Yes, indeed ; he had much more, 
 formerly," repHed Dete eagerly. " He 
 had once the very best peasant's farm in 
 Domleschg. He was the eldest son, and 
 had only one brother, who was quiet and 
 steady. But the elder would do nothing 
 but play the gentleman, and travel through 
 the country with bad company, about whom 
 no one knew anything ; and he lost his 
 whole property at play and in extrava- 
 gance, and when it became known, his 
 father and mother died one after another 
 from mortification, and his brother was 
 reduced to beggary, and obliged to go no 
 one knows where, for vexation ; and the 
 tmcle, who no longer had anything but 
 A bad name, also disappeared. At first, 
 no one knew where he had gone ; but 
 
UP TO THE ALM UNCI.E. 1 7 
 
 after a while they learned that he had 
 joined the army, and gone to Naples. 
 Then nothing more was known for twelve 
 years or more. Then he all at once ap- 
 peared in Domleschg, with a half-grown 
 boy, and sought to introduce him to his 
 relations there ; but every door was closed 
 against him. This made him very bitter. 
 He said he would never set foot in Dom- 
 leschg again, and so he came to Dorfli. 
 He lived here with his boy, and must 
 have had property, for he gave Tobias, 
 his son, a trade. He was a nice fellow, 
 a carpenter, and well liked by every one 
 in Dorfli. But the old man trusted no 
 one. It was said that he had deserted 
 from Naples. He had a bad time of it ; 
 having killed some one, not in battle, you 
 understand, but in a brawl. But we rec- 
 
15 HEIDI. 
 
 ognized the relationship, because my great- 
 grandmother and his mother were sisters ; 
 so we called him uncle, and as we are 
 related to everybody in Dorfli, on our 
 father's side, gradually everybody called 
 him uncle ; and since he has moved up 
 here on to the Aim, he is known to every 
 one as the Aim uncle." 
 
 " But what happened to Tobias?" said 
 Barbel, who had listened eagerly. 
 
 " Only wait, I am coming to that ; I 
 can't tell everything at once. 
 
 " Tobias was sent to learn his trade in 
 Mcls ; and when he had learned it he 
 returned to Dorfli, and married my sister, 
 my sister Adelheid, whom he had always 
 like?d. And when they were married, they 
 got along well enough together ; but that 
 did not last long. Two years after his 
 
UF TO THE ALM UNCLE. 1 9 
 
 marriage, as he was helping to build a 
 house, a beam fell on him, and killed him, 
 and he was brought all crushed to his 
 home ; and Adelheid fell ill from the 
 shock and from sorrow, and had a fever 
 from which she never recovered. She, 
 who was formerly so strong and hearty, 
 fell often into swoons, so that one could 
 not tell if she were waking or asleep 
 Only two months after Tobias's death we- 
 buried Adelheid. Everybody was talking 
 far and wide of the sad fate of these two, 
 and they said softly, and then aloud, that 
 it was the punishment that the uncle de- 
 served for his godless life ; and the pastor, 
 appealing to his conscience, told him that 
 he must now do penance : but he became 
 more and more gloomy and morose, spoke 
 to no one, and at last ever)' one avoided 
 
^^ HEIDI. 
 
 him. Then we heard that he had gone 
 up on to the Aim, never coming down, but 
 hving a solitary life, at war with God and 
 man. 
 / *' We took Adelheid's little child to live 
 with u.s, my mother and I. Heidi was a 
 year old. Then, after my mother's death, 
 I decided to go to the baths to earn some- 
 thing; and taking the child with me, I gave 
 her in charge of old Ur.sel in Pfafferser- 
 dorf. I could remain at the baths during 
 the winter, for there was plenty of work for 
 me, and I can sew and mend very nicely. 
 7^he same family returned early this spring 
 from Frankfort whom I served last year, 
 and they again wish to take me back with 
 them. So I am going the day after to- 
 morrow ; and it is a good place, I assure 
 you." 
 
UP TO THE AI.M UNCLK 21 
 
 " And you will leave the child up there 
 with that old man ? I cannot understand 
 what you are thinking of, Dete," said Bar- 
 bel reproachfully. 
 
 " What do you mean by that?" answered 
 Dete. " I have done my share for the 
 child, and what more can I do ? It is not 
 to be expected that I can carry a child of 
 five years old to Frankfort with me. But 
 where are you going, Barbel ? Here we 
 are already half-way up the Aim." 
 
 " I am almost come to the place," said 
 Barbel. " I have something to say to the 
 mother of Peter the goatherd ; she spins 
 for me in the winter. So good-bye, Dete ! 
 Good luck to you ! " 
 
 Dete held out her hand to her com- 
 panion, and stood still while the latter 
 went toward the small dark-brown cottage 
 
22 HEinr. 
 
 which stood a little way from the path, in 
 a hollow where it was somewhat protected 
 from the mountain winds. Standing half- 
 way up the Aim, it was fortunately situated 
 in the sheltered hollow, and yet looked 
 so crazy and weather-worn that it must 
 have been a dangerous dwelling when the 
 Fohnwind blew strongly over the Aim. 
 making everything shake and tremble, 
 and setting- all the rotten beams a-creak- 
 ing. 
 
 It could not have stood long, in its 
 present condition, on the summit, but 
 would speedily have been swept down 
 into the valley. This was the dwelling 
 of goat- Peter, the eleven years old boy 
 whose business it was to drive the goats 
 from D()rni. every morning, up on to the 
 Aim. to let them pasture on the short, 
 
UP TO THE ALM UNCLE 23 
 
 succulent bushes that grow there. In the 
 evening he led his nimble- footed herd 
 down into Dorfli again, gave a shrill 
 whistle on his finofers, at the sound of 
 which the owners came to the little square 
 to fetch each his own goat. Generally 
 little boys and girls came for the animals 
 
 — such gentle creatures could do no harm 
 
 — and thus Peter was for a short time 
 every day with companions of his own 
 age ; otherwise he lived during the entire 
 summer only with his goats. 
 
 To be sure, he had his mother and his 
 blind grandmother ; but he left the hut 
 »arly in the morning, and returned late 
 i'rom Dorfli, because he liked to amuse 
 himself with the children there as long as 
 possible, spending only enough time at 
 home to swallow his bread and milk as 
 
24 HEIDI 
 
 fast as he could, to get off early with the 
 goats in the morning, and to his pillow at 
 night. 
 
 His father, who followed the same busi- 
 ness, and was called also goat- Peter, had 
 been killed while felling wood the year 
 before. His mother, whose name was 
 Brigitte, was always spoken of as goat- 
 Peterin, or goat- Peter's mother, from the 
 connection ; and for ever)'body, far and 
 near, his blind grandmother had the same 
 name. 
 
 Dete stood waiting for certainly ten 
 minutes, looking in every direction for the 
 children and the goats, who were nowhere 
 to be seen ; then she climbed still higher 
 to get a view of the valley, searching in 
 every direction, with signs of increasing 
 impatience on her face and in her move- 
 
UP TO THE ALM UNCLE. 25 
 
 ments. In the mean time, the children 
 had gone quite round in another direc- 
 tion ; for Peter knew of many spots where 
 all sorts of bushes and herbs grew that 
 were good for his goats to nibble at, and 
 to reach which he twisted and turned about 
 from one place to another with his flock. 
 At first the child climbed after him, but 
 with the greatest difficulty. Enveloped as 
 she was in her heavy wraps, and suffering 
 from their weight and moreover from heat, 
 she was obliged to exert all her litde 
 strength. 
 
 She said nothing, however, but looked 
 now fixedly at Peter, who, with his bare 
 feet and light trousers, sprang here and 
 there without the least trouble ; now ob- 
 serving the goats, which, with their thin, 
 slender legs, climbed still more easily over 
 
26 HEIDI. 
 
 the stocks and stones, and even up the 
 precipices. Suddenly the child sat down, 
 pulled off shoes and stockings as quickly 
 as possible, stood up again, threw off the 
 thick red shawl, unfastened her dress, cast 
 that away, and had still another to strip 
 off; for Dete had put on all the child's 
 Sunday clothes over her every-day gar- 
 ments, for convenience' sake, so that no 
 one else need carry them. In a twinkling 
 the child tore off her every-day dress 
 too, and stood in her light petticoat, and 
 stretched her bare arms with delight out 
 of the short sleeves of her little shirt into 
 the cooling wind. 
 
 Then she folded all her clothes tocrether 
 into a neat little heap, and leaving, climbed 
 up after the goats to Peter ; going with them 
 as lightly and easily as the very best. 
 
UP TO THE ALM UNCLE. 2 7 
 
 Peter had not noticed what the child 
 Was about while she staid behind ; but 
 when she sprang up beside him in her 
 new dress, he grinned in the most comical 
 way; then, looking back, he perceived the 
 little heap of clothes, and his grin became 
 wider, until his mouth seemed to extend 
 from ear to ear ; but he said never a 
 word. 
 
 Now that the child felt herself so free 
 and comfortable, she began to talk to her 
 companion, and he had to answer all sorts 
 of questions. She wanted to know how 
 many goats he had, where he was taking 
 them, and what he did when he reached 
 his destination. At last, however, the 
 children and the goats reached the hut, 
 when Aunt Dete caught sight of them. 
 As soon as the latter saw the little 
 
28 HEIDI. 
 
 company of climbers, she shouted out, 
 "What are you about, Heidi? How you 
 look ! What have )ou done with )Our 
 two dresses and the shawl, and the new 
 shoes that I bought you for the mountain, 
 and the new stockings I knit you myself? 
 Are they all gone, all ? Heidi, what have 
 you done with them all ? " 
 
 The child point(*d quietly down the 
 mountain-side, saying only, "There." Dete 
 looked ; and following the direction of the 
 child's finger, certainly, down there she 
 saw something lying, on the top of which 
 was a red spot. Could that be the shawl ? 
 
 " You mischievous child ! " cried Dete, 
 in great excitement. " What are )ou 
 thinking of? Why have you taken ever)'- 
 thing otil ? What does it mean?" 
 
 " 1 do not need them," replied the child, 
 
UP TO THE ALM UNCLE. 29 
 
 and did not look sorry for what she had 
 done. 
 
 "Oh, you unlucky, thoughtless Heidi! 
 Have you no idea about things ? " said 
 Dete, scolding and complaining at the 
 same time. " Who is to go down for 
 them ? It will be at least a half hour's 
 work. Come, Peter, run down and fetch 
 them for me ; don't stand there staring, as 
 if you were nailed to the ground." 
 
 " I am too late already," said he slowly, 
 and stood without stirring from the spot, 
 with his hands in his pockets, just as he 
 stood when Dete's cry of alarm first 
 reached his ears. 
 
 " You stand there, and open your eyes 
 as wide as you can, but do not stir," cried 
 Aunt Dete to him again. " Come now, 
 you shall have something nice ; do you 
 
30 HEIDI. 
 
 see this ? " showing him a new, shining 
 five-cent piece. 
 
 In an instant he ran down the moun- 
 tain, taking the shortest way, and reach- 
 ing the clothes by great strides, seized 
 them in his arms, and was back agfain so 
 quickly that Dete was forced to praise 
 him, while she gave him the promised five- 
 cent piece without delay. Peter stuck it 
 quickly deep into his pocket, while his 
 face beamed and shone with pleasure ; for 
 a like treasure rarely fell to his lot. 
 
 " You can carry the bundle for us up 
 CO the uncle's, you are going that way, 
 I believe," said Dete, while she applied 
 herself to climbing the steep path that 
 made an abrupt ascent from behind the 
 goatherd's hut. I le was quite ready, and 
 followed her, carrying the bundle under 
 
 t 
 
UP TO THE ALM UNCLE 31 
 
 his left arm, while he swung his rod with 
 his right, 
 
 Heidi and the goats sprang joyfully 
 about in every direction. 
 
 In this manner the little procession 
 reached at last the summit of the Aim, 
 after about three-quarters of an hour's 
 climbing. There stood the old uncle's 
 hut, exposed, it is true, to all the winds 
 of heaven, but getting the advantage 
 of every ray of sunlight, and command- 
 ing too a most beautiful view of the 
 valley. 
 
 Behind the hut stood three big, very old 
 pine-trees, with long, thick, untrimmed 
 branches ; and then the mountain back- 
 ground rose up, up to the old gray rocks, 
 first over beautiful slopes covered with 
 succulent herbs, then through thickly 
 
32 HEIDI. 
 
 Strewn bowlders, and at last came the 
 bald, steep pinnacles. 
 
 On the side of his hut overlooking the 
 valley, and fastened there securely, the 
 uncle had placed a bench. Here he was 
 now seated, his pipe in his mouth, his 
 hands resting on his knees, looking quietly 
 down at the children, the goats, and Aunt 
 Dete, as they came clambering up. 
 
 Heidi reached the summit first, and go- 
 ing directly towards the old man, stretched 
 out her hand to him, saying, " Good-even- 
 ing, grandfather." 
 
 " Well, well, what does this mean ? " 
 answered the Aim uncle harshly.; gave his 
 hand, however, to the child, looking at her 
 with a long, piercing gaze from under his 
 bushy eyebrows. 
 
 Heidi returned his look with equal stead- 
 
UP TO THE ALM UNCLE. 33 
 
 iness, not once letting her eyes swerve 
 from his face. Such a strange-looking 
 man as her grandfather, with his long 
 beard, his gray eyebrows growing to- 
 gether in the middle like a bush, seemed 
 to her worthy of study. 
 
 In the mean time Dete and the goatherd 
 stood beside Heidi, Peter looking on to 
 see what was to happen. 
 
 " I wish you good-day, uncle," said Dete, 
 stepping up. " I bring you Tobias and 
 Adelheid's child. You will scarcely recog- 
 nize her, for you have not seen her since 
 she was a year old." 
 
 ** And what is the child to do with me ? " 
 asked the old man. " You there ! " he 
 called out to Peter, "go on with your 
 goats. You are none too early. Take 
 mine along with you." 
 
34 HEIDI. 
 
 Peter heard, and obeyed ; for the uncle 
 had looked at him, and that was enough. 
 
 "The child must stay here with you," 
 asserted Dete. " 1 have done my share 
 for it these four years past, now it is your 
 turn." 
 
 "Indeed!" said the old man, casting a 
 withering glance at Dete; "and if the child 
 begins to cry for you, and whimper, as 
 these senseless little creatures do, what is 
 ID be done then ? " 
 
 "That is your affair," said Dete. "I 
 mean, no one told me how I was to man- 
 age with her, when she was thrown on my 
 hands a three years old child ; and I had 
 alread)- as much as I could do for my 
 mother and myself. Now I must go with 
 my em plovers, and you are the next of 
 kin to the child. If you won't keep her, 
 
UP TO THE ALM UNCLE. 35 
 
 do with her as you like. If anything 
 happens to her, you know, there will be 
 no further trouble." 
 
 Dete's conscience was not easy about 
 this proceeding ; and therefore she was 
 working herself into a passion, and said 
 more <"han she really meant. As she ut- 
 tereu these last words, the uncle stood up, 
 and looked at her so strangely that she 
 involuntarily drew back several steps. He 
 stretched forth his arm, and said in a com- 
 manding voice, " Go back to the place 
 from whence you came, and do not show 
 yourself here again in a hurry." 
 
 "Then farewell, and you also, Heidi," 
 said Dete, not meaning to wait for a repe 
 tition of these words ; and she ran down 
 the mountain-side, without stopping, till 
 she reached Dorfli, for her inward excite- 
 
36 HEIDI. 
 
 ment drove her onward as if impelled by 
 steam. In Dorfli everybody called to her, 
 even more clamorously than before, for all 
 were curious to know what had become of 
 the child. They knew Dete very well, and 
 to whom the child belonged, and all its for- 
 mer histor)'. So they called from door and 
 window, "Where's the child?" "What 
 have you done with the little one, Dete ? " 
 
 She shouted back impatiently, without 
 stopping: "Up therewith the Aim uncle, 
 I say. Don't you understand?" 
 
 But she was very uncomfortable ; for 
 the w^omen all exclaimed, " How- could 
 you do such a thing?" "That poor 
 child ! " " The idea of leaving such a 
 helpless child up there ! " and again and 
 again, "The poor little tot!" and soon, 
 and so on. 
 
UP TO THE ALM UNCLE. 37 
 
 Dete ran on as quickly as possible, and 
 was soon beyond the reach of their voices ; 
 for she was not happy about her conduct, 
 as her mother had given the child into 
 her charge on her death-bed. But she 
 tried to quiet her conscience by saying to 
 herself that she could do more for the child 
 when she had earned something ; and she 
 was glad to get away as quickly as possible 
 from her old friends, who questioned her 
 too closely, and to go into service with a 
 good family. 
 
38 HEIDI. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 AT THE grandfather's. 
 
 After Dete had left, the old man sat 
 down on his bench again, blowing great 
 clouds of smoke from his pipe, while he 
 looked fixedly on the groimd, and was 
 silent. 
 
 Heidi looked about in the greatest de- 
 light, discovered the goat-shed and peeped 
 in, but finding nothing, pursued her in- 
 vestigations. At last she went behind the 
 hut to look at the old pines. 
 
 The wind was sighing and moaning in 
 the branches, and the topmost bough 
 swayed to and fro. Heidi stood listen- 
 
AT THE GRANDFATHER'S. 39 
 
 ing- ; but the wind lulled, and she went on 
 again until she came to where her grand- 
 father sat as she had left him. Planting 
 herself directly in front of the old man, 
 she put her little hands behind her, and 
 looked fixedly at him. After a few mo- 
 ments he raised his head, and asked, as 
 the child continued to stand motionless 
 before him, *' What will you do now ? " 
 
 *' I want to see what you have in there, 
 in the hut," said Heidi. 
 
 "Well, take up your bundle, and follow 
 me." Her grandfather rose to enter the 
 dwelling. 
 
 " I don't want it any more," said the child. 
 
 He turned, at these words, to examine 
 the little girl, whose black eyes were danc- 
 ing with eagerness to know what the hut 
 contained. 
 
40 HEIDI. 
 
 "At least, she is not wanting in intelli- 
 gence," he said half aloud ; then louder, 
 "Why shall you not need them, my child?" 
 
 " I want to go about like the goats," 
 said Heidi, " they have such light legs." 
 
 " You shall do that," replied her grand- 
 father ; "but bring in the bundle, and we 
 will put it into the press." She raised the 
 bundle as he bade her, and opening the 
 door, they entered the large room which 
 filled the entire hut. 
 
 In one corner was the bed. in another a 
 big kettle hung over the hearth ; there was 
 also a table and a chair. In the wall was a 
 big door ; this the grandfather opened, it 
 was the press. There hung his clothes ; on 
 the shelves were shirts, stockings, handker- 
 chiefs, cups, plates, saucers, and glasses ; 
 above was the smoked meat, cheese, a 
 
AT THE GRANDFATHER'S. 4I 
 
 round loaf of bread — in short, all that was 
 needed for daily use. While he held the 
 door open, Heidi stepped up with her bun- 
 dle, which she stufled in behind her grand- 
 father's things, as far out of sight as 
 possible. After this she looked carefully 
 about the room, saying, " But where shall 
 I sleep, grandfather ? " 
 
 " Wherever you like," was his answer. 
 
 This pleased the little girl. She ran 
 about the room, searched every corner, to 
 find the place that would best suit her. 
 Opposite her grandfather's bed was a lad- 
 der, that led into the hay-loft ; up this ran 
 Heidi, and found it strewn with fresh, 
 sweet-smelling hay, while from a round 
 hole in the rafters one could look far, far 
 away into the valley, 
 
 " Oh, I must sleep here ! it really is 
 
42 HEIDI. 
 
 beautiful," cried the child. "Come up!" 
 she called to the old man, " come up, and 
 see how beautiful it is here." " I know 
 ail about it," he answered from below. 
 
 " I am making my bed here," said Heidi 
 again, while she worked busily away; "but 
 )'ou must come up, and bring me a sheet. 
 There must be a sheet on the bed to lie on." 
 
 "Well, well," replied her grandfather; 
 and he went to the press, searched about, 
 and at last pulled out from under his 
 shirts a long, coarse linen cloth, that was 
 certainly something like a sheet. 
 
 He then mounted the ladder with it; and 
 behold! there was a dear little bed all piled 
 up with hay, and where the head was to lie 
 it was raised (juite hii^h, and so arranged 
 that the occupant could look directly 
 through the open hole. 
 
AT THE GRANDFATHER'S. 43 
 
 " That is well done," said the old man. 
 *' Now wc must put on the sheet ; but 
 stop a bit." He took more hay, piling the 
 bed up till it was twice as thick as Heidi 
 had made it, that she might not feel the 
 floor through the hay. " Now bring me 
 the sheet." Heidi seized the sheet, but 
 could hardly lift it, the linen was so heavy 
 — and that was good, for the hay could not 
 penetrate such thick stuff — and now they 
 both spread this sheet over the hay ; and, 
 as it was much too lone for such a little 
 bed, Heidi busily tucked it well under. 
 Now it w^as a charming resting-place to 
 look at, and the child stood in admiration 
 of it for a long time, thoughtfully. " We 
 have forgotten one thing, grandfather," 
 said she at last. 
 
 "What is that?" 
 
44 HEIDI. 
 
 " A coverlid, to be sure ; for when one 
 goes to bed, one must creep in between 
 the sheet and the coverHd." 
 
 " Do you think so?" said he. " I fear I 
 have none." 
 
 " Oh, then, no matter! " said Heidi. " I 
 can get more hay instead," and ran to fetch 
 some ; but her grandfather stopped her. 
 
 " Wait a moment," he said ; descended 
 the ladder, and went over to his bed ; 
 then, climbing up again, placed a heavy 
 linen sack on the floor, saying, " Is not 
 this better than hay ? " 
 
 Heidi strove with might and main to 
 spread out the sack, but her little hands 
 could not manage the heavy stuff. With 
 her grandfather's help, however, it was soon 
 arranged ; and then the bed looked so nice 
 and firm, that Heidi stood entranced in 
 
AT THE GRANDFATHER'S. 45 
 
 admiration, and exclaimed, "This is a 
 beautiful coverlid, and a perfect bed ! I 
 wish it were night, grandfather, that I 
 might lie down." 
 
 " I think, however, that we could eat 
 something first. What is your opinion 
 about that ? " asked the old man. 
 
 Heidi had been so much interested 
 about her bed that she had forgotten 
 everything else. Now she remembered, 
 and felt suddenly very hungry ; for she had 
 eaten nothing since breakfast, when she 
 had a piece of bread and a little weak 
 coffee, had also made a long journey. 
 Heidi replied heartily to her grandfather's 
 question, " Yes, I think so, indeed." 
 
 "Well, go down then, since we agree," 
 said the old man, and followed his grand- 
 child down the ladder. Then going over 
 
 L. 
 
46 HEIDI. 
 
 to the fireplace, he removed the big kettle, 
 and hung a smaller one in Its place on 
 the chain, seated himself on the three- 
 legged stool, with a round seat before him, 
 and blew the fire till there was a blaze, 
 and the ketde began to boil. Next, he 
 held a lonof iron fork over the fire, with a 
 big piece of cheese, which he turned slowly- 
 round and round till it was of a "olden 
 yellow, 
 
 Heidi watched him with keen interest ; 
 but suddenly an idea came into her head, 
 and she sprang away to the press, then 
 back to the table, antl again many times. 
 When her grandfather came with the pot, 
 and the roasted cheese on the fork, there 
 lay alrcad)- th(^ round lc>af, two plates, 
 two knives, all ncatl) arranged , for Heidi 
 had noticed ever)lhing in the press, and 
 
AT THF, f. RANI) FATHER'S. 47 
 
 she knew what was needed for the 
 table. 
 
 " Now this is nice, that you can think 
 of things yourself," said the old man, and 
 put the cheese upon the Ijread ; " but 
 there is something more needed still." 
 
 Heidi saw how invitingly the pot was 
 steaming, and dashed to the press again. 
 Only one mug could she find, but did not 
 remain long in perplexit)'. Two glasses 
 stood at the back of the press ; in an in- 
 stant the child was back again, with the 
 glass and the mug. "That is right; you 
 are very helpful. But where will you sit?" 
 said he ; for he sat on the only high stool 
 himself. Like an arrow the child was at 
 the fireplace, brought the little three- 
 legged stool back again, and sat down. 
 
 "Well, you have a seat, at any rate," 
 
48 HEIDI. 
 
 said the grandfather, " but rather low down. 
 You would be rather too short, even on 
 mine, to reach the table ; but you must 
 have something to eat at once, so begin." 
 
 He stood up, filled the mug with milk, 
 set it upon the high stool, drew the latter 
 up to Heidi so that she had a table to 
 herself, and sitting on the corner of the 
 table began his dinner, bidding her also 
 to eat. 
 
 Heidi seized her little mug, and drank 
 and drank without once stopping ; for all 
 the thirst of her journey seemed to rise 
 up at once. Then she drew a long breath 
 — for in her eagerness to drink, she had 
 not been able to stop to breathe — and 
 set down her mug. 
 
 " Does the milk taste o-ood ?" asked her 
 grandfather. 
 
AT THE GRAXDKATIIKR'S. 49 
 
 " I never drank such good milk," said 
 the chikl. 
 
 " Then you must have more," said he, 
 and filled the mug again quite to the top, 
 and placed it before the child, who was 
 eating her bread, spread thickly with the 
 hot cheese, which was like butter from the 
 heat, and tasted deliciously. She now and 
 then drank her milk, and looked mean- 
 while perfectly happy. 
 
 When they had finished eating, the old 
 man went out to the goats' house, and put 
 things to rights there, while Heidi ob- 
 served him carefully, how he first swept 
 everything up with the broom, then strewed 
 fresh straw about for the animals to sleep 
 upon. He then went to the woodpile 
 near by, cut round sticks of the right size, 
 cut a board to the right shape, bored 
 
50 iiKini. 
 
 holes in it, sluck tlic sticks in, and had 
 soon a stool like his own, only higher. 
 Heidi watched hini at this work, speechless 
 with wond(M-. 
 
 " What do you call this, Heidi ? " asked 
 he. 
 
 "That is my stool, because it is so high. 
 How cjuickly you have made it ! " said the 
 little one, in the greatest wonder and ad- 
 miration. 
 
 " She knows what she sees. She has 
 her e)es in the right place," remarked the 
 old man to himself, as he moved round 
 the hut, and drove a nail here, or made 
 something fast there, going with his ham- 
 mer and nails and pieces of wood from 
 one place to another, finding constantly 
 something to do, or to mend. Heidi fol- 
 lowed him step b)- step, watched every- 
 
AT THE GRANDFATHER'S. 5 I 
 
 thing that he did with unflagging atten- 
 tion, for all that happened interested her 
 very much. 
 
 At last it was evening. The wind be- 
 gan to sigh through the old trees ; as it 
 blew harder, all the branches swayed back 
 and forth. Heidi felt the sounds not only 
 in ears, but in her heart; and she was so 
 happy, so happy, she ran out under the 
 pines, and sprang and leaped for joy, 
 as if she had found the greatest pleasure 
 imaorinable. 
 
 Her grandfather meanwhile stood in the 
 doorway, and watched the child. 
 
 Suddenly a shrill whistle was heard. 
 Heidi stopped her jumping, and the old 
 man went out. Down from the mountain 
 streamed the Qroats, one after ;he other, 
 and Peter was in their midst. 
 
52 HEIDI. 
 
 With a joyous shout Heidi vanished into 
 the midst of the flock, to greet her old 
 friends of the morning, one and all. 
 
 When they reached the hut, they all 
 stopped ; and from out the herd came two 
 beautiful slender goats, one white and one 
 brown. They went to the old man, and 
 licked his hands ; for he held a little salt for 
 them every evening when they came home. 
 Peter vanished with the rest. Heidi stroked 
 the goats gently, one after the other, then 
 ran to the other side, and did the same. 
 She was as joyful as possible over the 
 charming creatures. 
 
 "Are they both ours, grandfather? Will 
 they go into our stall ? Will they always 
 stay here with us ? " Heidi poured out 
 her questions in her excitement, her grand- 
 father having hardly a chance to repeat a 
 
AT THE GR AVI (FATHER'S 53 
 
 continual " Yes, yes. child," now and then. 
 When the goats had licked up all the salt, 
 her grandfather said, " Go fetch your little 
 mug and some bread." 
 
 Heidi obeyed ; and he milked the goats 
 into the mupf, into which he cut bits of 
 bread, and said: "Now eat your supper, 
 and then go to bed. Dete left another 
 bundle for you, there are your night 
 o-owns, and so on, in it. You will find 
 them in the press. I must put up the 
 goats now. Go, and sleep soundly." 
 
 " Good-night, grandfather, good-night," 
 shouted Heidi after him, as he disappeared 
 with the sfoats. " What are their names ? " 
 
 " The white one is called Schwanli, the 
 other Barli." 
 
 "Good-night, Schwanli; good-night, 
 Barli," shouted the child, at the top of 
 
54 HEIDI 
 
 her voice, to the goats, who were already 
 going" into their stall. 
 
 The little girl sat down on the bench to 
 eat her bread and milk, but the wind w-as 
 so strong that it almost blew her oH her 
 seat ; so she ate as fast as she could, went 
 into the cottage, climbed up to her bed, 
 and was soon fast asleep. Indeed, she 
 slept all night as comfortably as a princess. 
 
 Not long after, but before it was quite 
 dark, the okl man also went to bed ; for he 
 was always up l)y sunrise, and that was 
 v^ery earl)- in summer on the mountain. 
 Durinpf the ni^rht the wind arose. It blew 
 so hard that the hut shook, and the beams 
 all cracked. The wind roared and moaned 
 through the big chimney as if in anguish : 
 in the old pine-tree, too, it blew a blast 
 that broke the old branches off as if in 
 
AT THE GRANDFATHER'S. 55 
 
 anofer. In the midsfof it all the old man 
 rose, saying" to himself, "The child will be 
 afraid." He mounted the ladder, and went 
 softly into Heidi's chamber. The moon 
 was shining brightly in the clear sky, but 
 in a moment the driving clouds flew across, 
 and everything was dark. In another mo- 
 ment she shone clearly forth, through the 
 round hole in the roof, and her beams fell 
 on Heidi's bed. The little one slept with 
 rosy red cheeks under her heavy covering, 
 quiet and peaceful, with one round arm 
 under her head, and certainly dreaming of 
 something that made her happy ; for her 
 little face beamed with contentment. Her 
 grandfather stood long, looking at the 
 lonely, sleeping child, until the clouds again 
 obscured the moon ; then he turned, and 
 went down the ladder. 
 
56 HEIDI. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 IN THE PASTURE. 
 
 Heidi was awakened on the following 
 morning by a loud whistle ; and as she 
 opened her eyes a )ellow sunbeam, shin- 
 ing through the opening, fell on her bed, 
 and turned it, and all the hay that was 
 spread about the loft, to glistening gold. 
 She looked about her with astonishment, 
 and could not make out where she was. 
 
 Soon she heard her grandfather's deep 
 voice, and it all came back to her : how 
 she came there, and that now she lived 
 with her grandfather up on the Aim, and 
 no longer with the old Ursel, who was 
 
IN T!IK rASTURK. 57 
 
 quite deaf, and so chilly that she was 
 alvva)'S sitting by the kitchen fire or by 
 the Stove, where the child must sit also, or 
 quite near, in order that the old woman 
 might see what she was doing, as she 
 could not hear. Poor Heidi always felt it 
 stifling and close in the room, and longed 
 to get out. How glad she was to awake 
 in her new home ; to remember how much 
 she had seen the day before, that was new; 
 and to think of all the coming day had 
 in store for her, above all Schwanli and 
 Barli ! 
 
 Springing up. she soon had on all her 
 clothes of the da)- before ; and they were 
 few enough. Down the ladder she ran, 
 and away out-of-doors. There stood Peter 
 with his ofoats; and her c^randfather brought 
 
 o o O 
 
 out his from the stall, that they might join 
 
58 IIKIDI. 
 
 the Hock. Mcidi bade both him and the 
 goats a good morning. 
 
 " Would )ou like to go with them to the 
 pasture?" asked the old man. 
 
 And the child could only jump for joy, 
 she was so delighted. 
 
 " First, however, )ou must wash and 
 make yourself clean ; or the sun will laugh 
 at you, while he is shining so brightly up 
 there, and sees )ou all dirty and black. 
 Look there, everjthing is reach' for )ou ; " 
 and he pointed to a big tub of water that 
 stood in the sun before the door. Heidi 
 splashed and rubbed herself till she shone 
 again. Her grandfather in the mean while 
 went into the hut. and .soon called out to 
 Peter, — 
 
 " Come here, goat -general, and bring 
 your knapsack." 
 
IN THE PASTURI-: 59 
 
 Peter obeyed in surprise, and opened 
 his bag. in which was his poor httle dinner. 
 
 "Wider, wider," said the old man, and 
 put in a big" piece of bread and another 
 piece of cheese. Peter opened his eyes 
 as wide as ever he could, for the pieces 
 vvere each twice as large as his own. 
 
 " Now the muo- croes in, too, for the 
 little one can't drink as you do from the 
 goats themselves ; no, indeed. And you 
 must milk this twice full at noon ; for the 
 child will go with you, and stay till you 
 come back in the eveninor. Now, take care 
 that she does not fall off the cliffs." 
 
 Heidi was soon ready, and came running 
 to say, " Now can the sun make fun of 
 me. grandfather?" In her fear of the 
 laughter of the sun, she had rubbed her 
 face, neck, and arms so roughly with the 
 
60 HEIDI. 
 
 coarse towel she found by the tub, thai 
 she was as red as a lobster, as she stood 
 there before him. 
 
 He laughed a little, but said soothingly, 
 " No, he will find nothing to make fun of 
 now. But do you know something? In 
 the evening, when )'ou come home, you 
 must go into the tub all over, like a fish ; 
 for when you go about like the goats, )ou 
 will get very black feet. Now^ go on )our 
 way " 
 
 And on they went, climbing joyfully up 
 the Aim. The wintl had swept the last 
 trace ol cloud from the sk)-. which was ot a 
 wonderful dark blue. The green Alp was 
 covered with biue and )ellow flowers, and 
 their wide-open ' petals seemed laughing 
 back at the sun, while everything shim- 
 mered and shone. 
 
IN TFFE PASTURE 6l 
 
 Heidi scampered hither and thither, 
 shouting for joy. Now it was a whole 
 group of red primroses ; one place was 
 perfectly blue with lovely gentians ; and 
 here and everywhere the tender blossoms 
 of the yellow buttercups nodded and 
 laughed in the sunlight. Carried away 
 with delight by all the beckoning, glisten- 
 ing flowers, the child forgot the goats, and 
 Peter also. Running now forwards, now 
 back aofain ; first on this side, then on that 
 side ; for here they were like red, and 
 there like yellow sparkles, and she was 
 tempted in every direction. Gathering 
 great handfuls of flowers, she stuffed 
 them all into her apron; for she must carry 
 them home with her, and place them in the 
 hay in her bedroom, to make it look there 
 as it did on the Alp. 
 
62 HEIDI. 
 
 Poor Peter was obliged to keep his eyes 
 about him to-day ; and those round eyes, 
 that were not in the habit of moving very 
 quickly, had enough to do. For the goats 
 were like Heidi, they ran about every- 
 where, while Peter must whistle and shout 
 and swing his rod to bring together all the 
 wanderers. 
 
 " Where have you gotten to now, 
 Heidi ? " he called out, somewhat angrily. 
 "Here," came back the reply from — 
 somewhere. Peter could see no one ; for 
 Heidi sat on the ground behind a little 
 mound that was covered with the sweetest- 
 smelling prune flowers, and the whole air 
 was perfumed. Heidi hatl never breathed 
 anything so perfectl)- delicious. She seated 
 herself among the bushes, and drew in the 
 scent in long, full -drawn breathings. 
 
IN THE PASTURE 63 
 
 " Come here now," shouted Peter 
 " You must not fall over the precipicesi 
 your grandfather has forbidden it." 
 
 "Where are the precipices?" asked the 
 child, but did not stir from her seat ; foi 
 with every breeze the sweet perfume was 
 wafted to her nostrils. 
 
 *' Up there, aloft. We have still a good 
 bit to climb : so come along. Up there, 
 at the ver)' top, sits the old eagle, and 
 screams ! " 
 
 This stirred the little girl. She jumped 
 up, and ran towards her companion, with 
 her apron full of flowers. 
 
 " Now you have picked enough of 
 these," said he, " else you will be always 
 stopping ; and besides, if to-day you pick 
 them all, to-morrow you will find no more." 
 
 This last reason convinced Heidi ; more- 
 
64 HEIDI 
 
 over, she had stuffed her apron so full that 
 there was not room for another riower, 
 and to-morrow she must see them again. 
 
 She now kept along with Peter ; and the 
 goats, too, went in better order, for they 
 scented the sweet herbs from their pasture 
 on the heights afar, and pushed forward 
 without pausing. 
 
 The pasture where Peter usually stopped 
 and made his resting-place for the day, lay 
 at the foot of the peak, which rose steep 
 and naked towards the sky, from its base 
 clothed with scrub trees and bushes. On 
 one side of the Alp the great rocks were 
 divided by steep clefts and chasms, and 
 the old man was quite right to warn them 
 against that danger. 
 
 As they now had reached the highest 
 point, Peter took oil his knapsack, placing 
 
IN THE PASTURE. Of 
 
 it carefully in a little hollow where it would 
 be sheltered from the wind, which blew 
 often in strong gusts up so high on the 
 mountain. This Peter knew very well, 
 and did not mean to see his knapsack, with 
 the nice dinner, go rolling down the hill- 
 side. Having put this in a place of safety, 
 Peter stretched himself his full leno-th on 
 the sunny sod, to rest after the steep 
 Ascent. 
 
 Heidi had also tucked her apron into 
 the same hollow with the knapsack, hav- 
 ing rolled it up with all the flowti-s in it; 
 then she seated herself beside Peter, and 
 looked about her on every side. Below 
 lay the valley in the full glow of the 
 morning sun ; before her was a huge 
 white snow-field rising towards the dark- 
 blue heaven ; to the left, an enormous 
 
66 HEIDI. 
 
 mass of rocks was piled up, on each side 
 of which stood a piDar of rock, bald and 
 jagged against the blue sky. Heidi 
 thought the pinnacles were looking down 
 at her ; and she sat there as still as a little 
 mouse, and looked and looked on every 
 side. All was still ; only a light, soft 
 breeze stirred the blue harebells, and the 
 shining yellow buttercups, that grew all 
 about, and stood nodding^ to her on their 
 slender stalks. Peter had fallen asleep 
 after his exertions ; and the goats climbed 
 here and there, and up into the bushes. 
 
 Never was the child so happy in her 
 life. She drank in the golden sunlight, 
 the fresh air, the sweet perfume of the 
 flowers, and lonoed for nothino- but to 
 stay where she was forever. 
 
 Thus a long, long time passed ; and 
 
IN THE PASTURE. 67 
 
 Heidi gazed at the needles of rock above 
 her so long and steadfastly that they 
 seemed to have gotten faces, and to be 
 returning her gaze like old friends, wher 
 suddenly she heard above her a loud, 
 sharp scream. As she looked up, a huge 
 bird circled overhead, such as she had 
 never seen before ; with wide-spread wings 
 il soared through the air, and in great 
 sweeps came back again and again, scream- 
 ing loud and piercingly over Heidi's head. 
 
 " Peter, Peter ! wake up ! " cried Heidi 
 aloud. " See, the eagle is here ; look, 
 look ! " 
 
 Peter roused himself at her cry ; and the 
 children gazed at the bird, which rose 
 higher and higher, disappearing at last in 
 the blue ether over the gray rocks. 
 
 ** Where is he now ? " asked Heidi, who 
 
68 HEIDI. 
 
 had watched the bird with breathless in 
 terest. 
 
 " In his home up there." 
 
 "Oh, how beautiful to live up there! 
 But why does he scream so ? " 
 
 " Because he must." 
 
 " Let us climb up there to see his 
 home," suggested Heidi. 
 
 " Oh, oh, oh ! " cried Peter ; and each 
 "oh" was louder than the last. "Even 
 the goats are not able to climb up there, 
 and the Aim uncle said you must not fall 
 over the precipice." 
 
 After this Peter beofan to whistle and 
 call so loudly that Heidi did not know 
 what had happened ; but the goats knew 
 well enough, and all came running and 
 jumping, and were soon all gathered on 
 the green field. Some nibbled at the sweet 
 
IN THE PASTURE. 69 
 
 grass, others ran here and there, while 
 some stood opposite each other a httle way 
 apart, and butted playfully with their horns. 
 Springing to her feet, Heidi ran in amidst 
 the ofoats, for she found it a new and 
 indescribable pleasure to see the dear 
 little creatures gambolling together so hap- 
 pily ; and she, too, jumped from one to 
 another to make herself acquainted with 
 each separately, for each had its own 
 peculiarities, and looked and behaved dif- 
 ferently. 
 
 While Heidi played with the goats, Peter 
 had fetched the knapsack, and arranged the 
 four parcels in a square on the grass, the 
 big ones on Heidi's side, and the little 
 ones on his ; then he filled the mug with 
 fresh milk from Schwanli, and placed it in 
 the middle of the square." 
 
) 
 
 70 HEIDI. 
 
 Then he called to Heidi to come, but 
 he had to call again and again, longer 
 than to the goats ; for the child was so 
 delighted with the thousand movements 
 and pranks of her new playfellows, that 
 she saw and heard nothing further. Peter 
 understood how to make himself heard. 
 He shouted so veiy loud that he could 
 have been heard up on the rocks, causing 
 Heidi to run as fast as she could ; and 
 then the table looked so very inviting, 
 that she hopped about it for very joy. 
 
 " Stop dancing about, it is time to eat," 
 said Peter,' seating himself and beginning. 
 
 "Is the milk for me?" asked Heidi, as 
 she took her seat, surveying the four 
 corners and the centre ornament with 
 pleasure. 
 
 "Yes," he replied, "and the two big- 
 
IN THE PASTURE. yi 
 
 gest packages are yours also ; and when 
 you have emptied the mug, you can have 
 another one full from SchwiinH ; and when 
 you have finished 'tis my turn." 
 
 "And where do you get your milk?" 
 asked the little girl curiously. 
 
 " From my goat, from Snail. Do be- 
 gin." 
 
 Heidi began at last, with the milk ; and 
 when she had emptied the mug, Peter 
 rose and filled it again. Heidi broke 
 some of her bread into it, and then 
 handed the rest of it to Peter. It was a 
 big piece, twice as large as his, which he 
 had already eaten, together with the rest 
 of his dinner. She gave him also her big 
 lump of cheese, saying, " You can have it 
 all, I have had enough." Peter stared at 
 Heidi with his big eyes in speechless 
 
72 HEIDI. 
 
 astonishment ; for never in his Hfe had he 
 been able to say what she had just said, 
 nor to give anything away. He hesitated 
 a Httle, for he could not beheve that Heidi 
 was in earnest ; but the child held her 
 pieces towards him again, and when he 
 did not take them, she at last laid them 
 on his knee. 
 
 When he saw that she was serious, he 
 took his present, nodded for thanks and 
 pleasure, and made forthwith the heartiest 
 meal that had fallen to his share since he 
 first tended the goats. While he ate, 
 Heidi watched the flock. 
 
 " What are all their names, Peter ? " said 
 she. 
 
 He knew^ them, and could carry them 
 in his head easily enough ; for he had little 
 else there. So he began and named them 
 
IN THE PASTURE. 73 
 
 one alter the other without hesitating, and 
 pointed at each with his finger as he 
 spoke. To this lesson Heidi gave all her 
 attention, and soon could also name them 
 all ; for each had its peculiarity, which was 
 easily learned with a little pains. 
 
 There was the big Turk with his strong 
 horns, who was forever butting the others ; 
 so that they generally scampered away 
 when he came towards them, and would 
 have nothing to do with such a rough com- 
 rade. Only the bold and slender This- 
 tlebird did not avoid him, but struck out 
 sharply, once, twice, sometimes six times, 
 until the great Turk stood still in astonish- 
 ment, and did not tr)' again soon ; for 
 Thistlebird stood always ready for battle, 
 and had sharp horns, too. 
 
 And the little white Snowball, who was 
 
74 HEIDI. 
 
 always bleating beseechingly, often Heidi 
 ran to it, takino- its head between her 
 hands to comfort it. Even now the child 
 sprang towards it again, for she heard its 
 wailing cry ; she put her arm round the 
 little creature's neck, saying .sympathiz- 
 ingly, "What ails you. Snowball? Why 
 do you call for help so piteously ? " 
 
 The animal nestled confidingly against 
 the little girl, and was quiet again ; and 
 Peter called out from his seat, explain- 
 ing Snowball's trouble between each 
 mouthful. 
 
 " She does that because her old one 
 does not come with us any more. She 
 has been sold to Mayenfeld, the day 
 before yesterday, and will not come any 
 more to the Aim." 
 
 " Who is the old one ? " asked Heidi. 
 
l^ THE PASTURE. 75 
 
 " Pooh ! its mother," was the reply. 
 
 " Where is the grandmother ? " usked 
 the child. 
 
 " Has none." 
 
 "Or the grandfather?" 
 
 " Has none." 
 
 " Oh, you poor little Snowball ! " said 
 Heidi tenderly, pressing the goat softly 
 to her side. " But now don't cry so any 
 more; I will come here every day with 
 you, then you will not be lonely ; and if 
 )0u are feeling very badly, you ma)' come 
 to me." 
 
 Snowball rubbed her head trustingly 
 on Heidi's shoulder, and bleated no more. 
 
 When Peter had finished his dinner, he 
 came again to look after his flock, which 
 had already begun its researches. 
 
 By far the loveliest and cleanest of the 
 
76 HEIDI. 
 
 goats were Schwanli and Barli. who cer- 
 tainly behaved with greater decorum than 
 the others, generally went their own way 
 and avoided them, despising the Turk 
 particularly, who was very forward. The 
 animals had begun again to climb up 
 towards the bushes, each in its own way; 
 one springing lightly over every obstacle, 
 others carefully searching all along the 
 way for a good mouthful ; Turk trying 
 now and then to give some one a blow ; 
 Schwanli and Barli climbing prettily and 
 lightly, finding the best bushes, and eating 
 in a delicate and dainty manner. Heidi 
 stood with her hands behind her back, 
 watching all that went on. 
 
 " Peter," said she to him, as he lay again 
 stretched on the ground, " the prettiest of 
 all are Schwanli and Barli." 
 
IN THiE PASTURE. ^7 
 
 " I know that," was his reply ; " the Aim 
 uncle cleans them and combs them, gives 
 them salt, and has such nice stalls." Sud- 
 denly the lad sprang to his feet, and was 
 after the goats with great leaps ; and Heidi 
 after him, for something must have hap- 
 pened, and she could not stay behind. 
 
 Away went Peter through the Hock 
 towards the side of the Alp, where the 
 rocks rose up steep and naked, and where 
 a heedless goat might easily fall, and get 
 its legs broken, while climbing. He saw 
 that the giddy Thistlebird had strayed in 
 that direction, and he ran after her only 
 just in time, for she had reached the very 
 edge of the precipice. As he was about 
 to seize her, he tripped and fell, catching 
 her only by the leg as he came down ; 
 but he held her fast, though she bleated 
 
78 HEIDI. 
 
 with surprise and anger to find herself 
 held, and unable to go on with her frolic- 
 some amusements, while she persisted in 
 pressing forward. Peter called loudly for 
 Heidi ; he was unable to rise, and seemed 
 to himself almost pulling the little goat's 
 leg off, she was so determined to go on. 
 In a trice Heidi was there, saw the dan- 
 ger of his situation and of the goat's. 
 Pulling quickly a sweet-smelling herb, she 
 held it under Thistlebird's nose, saying 
 soothingly, " Come, come, little goat ; 
 come and be orood, Thistlebird. See, 
 now, you might have fallen and broken 
 your leg, and that would have hurt )ou 
 sadly." The goat turned quickly about 
 to nibble at the herb held out by Heidi, 
 and was quite content. But Peter, having 
 regained his feet, hastened to seize the 
 
IN THE PASTURE. 79 
 
 String that hung from her collar, while 
 Heidi took the collar from the other side ; 
 and they led the wanderer between them 
 to rejoin the rest of the flock, which was 
 peaceably feeding below. 
 
 Once Peter had his goat in safety again, 
 he raised his rod, and was about to whip 
 her soundly ; while Thistlebird drew back 
 in alarm, for she saw what was coming. 
 Heidi, however, screamed out in terror : 
 " No, Peter, no ! you must not strike 
 her ; see how frightened she is ! " 
 
 " She deserves it," said he angrily, and 
 was about to strike ; but the child seized 
 him by the arm, calling out, " You must 
 let her alone ! " 
 
 Her companion stood staring in surprise 
 at her commanding tones and flashing 
 eyes, while he involuntarily dropped his 
 
80 HEIDI. 
 
 arm, saying, "So. then, she may go, if 
 you will give me some of }oiir cheese to- 
 morrow." He felt that he must have 
 "omethinof to console him for his fricrht. 
 
 "You may have it all, to-morrow and 
 every day, for I do not care for it," said 
 Heidi, " and a big piece of bread also, as 
 I gave you to-day ; but you must promise 
 me not to strike Thistlebird nor Snowball, 
 nor any of the goats." 
 
 " It's all the same to me," said Peter. 
 That was his equivalent for a promise, 
 and he let the offender go. Away sprang 
 the happy goat with great leaps, in amongst 
 the others. 
 
 Almost unheeded the day had passed, 
 and now the sun was beginning to sink 
 behind the mountain. Heidi sat quietly 
 on the ground, gazing at the harebells 
 
IN THE PASTURE. 8 I 
 
 and bluebells, as they shone in the golden 
 light, observing how the grass took a 
 golden hue, and how the rocks above be- 
 gan to shimmer and flash, when suddenly 
 she started to her feet, shouting, "Peter, 
 Peter! it is burning, it is on fire! All the 
 mountains flame, and the great snow 
 yonder, and the sky. Look, look ! the 
 highest peak is glowing. Oh, the beauti- 
 ful fire ! Now look, Peter, it has reached 
 the eagle's nest. See the rock ! see the 
 pines ! everything burns ! " 
 
 " It is always like that, but it is no fire," 
 said Peter kindly. 
 
 " What is it, then ? " cried Heidi, and ran 
 about in every direction to look ; for she 
 could not see enough of it standing still, 
 it was so beautiful everywhere. " What is 
 it, Peter? what is it?" she asked again. 
 
52 HEIDI. 
 
 " It comes of itself," explained the lad. 
 
 " Look, look now ! " she screamed, in 
 the wildest excitement, "just this minute 
 it is all as red as roses. Look at the snow 
 and those high, pointed rocks ! What are 
 they called ? " 
 
 " Mountains have no names," was the 
 answer. 
 
 " Oh, the lovely, rosy snow ! and all over 
 the rocks are roses. Oh, now they are 
 growing gray ! It is going ! it has all gone, 
 Peter ! " and little Heidi threw herself on 
 the ground, looking as unhappy as if there 
 were an end to all beauty in the world. 
 
 " It will be just so again to-morrow," 
 said the lad. " Get up, we must go home 
 now." So, whistling the herd together, 
 they set out on their homeward track. 
 
 " Will" it be so every day, always when 
 
IN THE PASTURE. 83 
 
 we go up to the pasture ? " asked the 
 child, longing for an assuring reply, as she 
 descended the Aim with the goatherd. 
 
 " Generally," he said. 
 
 *' But certainly to-morrow?" 
 
 " Yes, to-morrow, of course." 
 
 This promise quieted the child, who had 
 to-day received so many new impressions, 
 and through whose little head such a mul- 
 titude of thoughts was running, that she 
 scarcely spoke a word, until the Aim hut 
 came in siofht, and she discerned her 
 grandfather sitting on his bench outside, 
 waiting for the goats. 
 
 Then she ran to him quickly, with 
 Schwanli and Barli at her heels. 
 
 Peter called out, " Come again to-mor- 
 row, good-night." He was ver^^ anxious 
 for Heidi to go again. And the child ran 
 
84 HEIDI. 
 
 to him, gave him her hand, promising to 
 go to-morrow, and bidding good-bye to 
 the departing goats. She put her arm 
 about the neck of Httle Snowball es- 
 pecially, saying, " Good-night, Snowball ; 
 sleep well ; don't forget that I am going 
 with you again to-morrow, and you must 
 not bleat so sadly again," 
 
 The goat looked at her with friendly 
 eyes, and then sprang joyfully after the 
 others. 
 
 Then Heidi came back under the pine- 
 tree, calling out before she could reach 
 her grandfather : " Oh, it was so beauti- 
 ful ! The fire, and the roses on the rock, 
 the blue and yellow flowers. Look ! what 
 I have brought you." 
 
 She shook out all the flowers from her 
 apron, before her grandfather. 
 
IN THE PASTURE. 85 
 
 But how the poor little flowers looked ! 
 The child did not recognize them ; they 
 were like hay, not one was open. 
 
 " What is the matter with them, grand- 
 father?" cried she, frightened. "They 
 did not look like that when I got them." 
 
 "They want to be out in the sun, and 
 wot in your little apron," said the old 
 man. 
 
 "Then I will not bring any more. But 
 why did the eagle scream so ? " she asked 
 anxiously. 
 
 " Now you must go and wash yourself, 
 while I go to the goats' stall to fetch the 
 milk ; and afterwards we will go into the 
 hut for supper, and then I will answer 
 your questions." 
 
 Heidi obeyed ; and later, when she sat 
 on her stool, and ate her bread and milk. 
 
to 
 
 86 HETDI. 
 
 she began again, "Why does the eagle 
 scream so, and scold so loud ? " 
 
 " He is scornfid about the people down 
 ^ : below, who huddle together in their vil- 
 / lages, and tease each other ; and so he 
 scolds at them. If they would separate, 
 and each go his own way, and climb up a 
 mountain, as 1 do, it would be far better." 
 Her grandfather said this in a half-wild 
 way, that reminded the child of the scream- 
 ing eagle. 
 
 " But why have the mountains no 
 names ? " asked she, after a pause. 
 
 "They have names," he said. " If you 
 can describe one to me so that I recognize 
 it, I will tell you the name." 
 
 Heidi described the pile of rocks with the 
 two pinnacles on each side, exactly as she 
 saw it ; and her grandfather replied, well 
 
IN THE PASTURE. 87 
 
 pleased : " That is right, I know it, it is 
 called Falkniss, Have you seen others ? " 
 
 "There was another with the bie snow- 
 field, which looked as if it was on fire, 
 and then grew pink, and was suddenly 
 quite gray, and died out." 
 
 " I know that, too," said he ; " that i? 
 the Casaplana. So you liked it up there 
 on the pastures ? " 
 
 Then Heidi told him all that had hap 
 pened during the day ; how beautiful i'- 
 was, and particularly about the fire at 
 sunset, and begged her grandfather to 
 explain it to her, for Peter knew nothing 
 whatever about it. 
 
 *' Yes," said her grandfather, " the oun 
 does that when he says good-night to the 
 mountains. He casts his most beaut'ful 
 beams across them, so that they will not 
 
s$ 
 
 HEIDI. 
 
 forget that he is coming again in the 
 morning." 
 
 This pleased the httle girl, and she 
 could scarcely wait until the morrow, she 
 was in such haste to go again to see 
 the sun bid good-night to the mountains. 
 But first she must go to sleep ; and she 
 did sleep through the whole night soundly 
 in her little hay bed, and dreamed of pink 
 mountains covered with roses, in the midst 
 of which Snowball jumped gayly about. 
 
WITH THE GRANDMOTHER. 89 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 WITH THE GRANDMOTHER. 
 
 On the following day the bright sun 
 came again, as well as Peter with the 
 goats, and they all climbed up again to 
 the pasture. Many days passed thus; 
 and the life agreed so well with little Heidi 
 that she became strong and brown, and 
 had never an ailment, but was as merry as 
 the merry bird on the trees in the green 
 woods. 
 
 As autumn came on, and the wind blew 
 harder over the mountains, her grandfather 
 would sometimes say : " You must stay at 
 home to-day, Heidi. Such a little one as 
 
qO HFIDI. 
 
 you might be carried off by the wind, at 
 one blast, down into the valley." 
 
 When Peter learned this, he did not 
 look happy, and foresaw all sorts of un- 
 pleasant things that would happen. He 
 was so lonely that he did not know what 
 to do without Heidi ; and then he would 
 not have his fine dinner ; and the goats 
 were also very unrul)' when the child was 
 not with them, and gave him twice as 
 much trouble, for they were so accustomed 
 to her companionship that they could not 
 go forward properly without her, and ran 
 about on all sides. 
 
 Heidi, for her part, was never unhappy. 
 There was always something that inter- 
 ested and amused her. But of all she 
 liked to go with the herd and the herds- 
 boy to the pasture, to be sure ; for there 
 
WITH THE GRANDMOTHER. 9I 
 
 were the flowers and the eagle, and always 
 something- new and exciting happening to 
 the different goats. Still, in her grand- 
 father's room there was always hammering 
 and sawing that delighted her also. Once 
 when he was making a new trough for the 
 goats, she watched him working with his 
 bare arms in the round tub ; and he was so 
 skilful that she was enchanted. 
 
 But Heidi's greatest joy came on the 
 windy days, when the soughing and sigh- 
 ing in the big pines behind the hut began. 
 Then she was always running to listen to 
 the wind, and left anything she might be 
 about to hear the deep, mysterious tones 
 in the high branches. She would stand 
 looking up, and never get tired of won- 
 dering at the swaying and rushing and 
 p loaning of the trees. 
 
 '^ 
 
92 HEIDI. 
 
 The sun was now no longer hot, as in 
 the summer, and the child was glad to get 
 out her shoes and stockings, and also her 
 frock, for it was every day colder ; and 
 when she stood out under the trees she 
 was blown about as if she were a little 
 thin leaflet. But she always was scamper- 
 ing out, and could never stay in the hut 
 when once she heard the call of the wind. 
 
 At last it was very cold. Peter blew 
 upon his fingers as he came up early, but 
 he did not come much longer ; for one 
 night there was a deep snowfall, and in 
 the morning the whole Aim was white, and 
 not a green leaf to be seen anywhere. 
 Now the goatherd came no more with his 
 flock ; and Heidi sat looking through the 
 tiny window, for it was snowing again, and 
 the thick flakes filled the air, and the snow 
 
 I 
 
WITH THE GRAXDMOTHER. 93 
 
 was piled up at last on a line with the 
 window, then higher still, so that they 
 could not open it, and were quite boxed 
 up in the hut. 
 
 Heidi found this much to her mind. 
 She was constantly running from one win- 
 dow to another, to see the view from each, 
 and wondering if they were to be quite 
 buried up, for then they would have to 
 light a lamp in the daytime. 
 
 It did not get to be quite so bad as that, 
 however. On the following day the old 
 man went out, as it had ceased to snow ; 
 and he shovelled a path round the house, 
 throwing up the snow in great shovelfuls 
 till it was piled into big heaps, and formed 
 a mountain here, and another there, all 
 about. 
 
 Now at last the windows were free, and 
 
94 HEIDI. 
 
 the door, which was a good thing ; for when 
 Heidi and her grandfather sat at dinner 
 together, each on a three-legged stool, 
 suddenly came a great knocking at the 
 door, and some one struggled and kicked 
 violently at it. Open it came at last, and 
 there stood Peten, who had not indeed 
 kicked and stamped so rudely without 
 reason. It was to clear his shoes of the 
 snow, for they were quite covered with it ; 
 in fact, the whole Peter was a mass of 
 snow, for he had forced his way through 
 the drifts, and great masses clung to him 
 all over, and were frozen on, it was so 
 cold. He had persevered, however, for he 
 wished to see Heidi. A whole week was 
 too long for him to be awa)' from her. 
 
 " Good-evening," said he, and came as 
 near to the fire as possible, and spoke not 
 
WITH THE GRANDMOTHER. 95 
 
 another word. His whole face, however, 
 laughed for joy, he was so glad to be 
 there, Heidi stared at him wonderingly ; 
 for now that he stood so near the fire, 
 the snow began to melt on every side, so 
 that he resembled a waterfall rather than 
 Peter. 
 
 " Well, general, how are you getting 
 on?" said the old man. "Now that you 
 have no army, you must gnaw your slate- 
 pencil, I suppose," 
 
 " Why must he gnaw his slate-pencil ? " 
 asked Heidi curiously. 
 
 " He has to go to school in the winter," 
 explained her grandfather, " There you 
 must learn to read and write, which is 
 difficult ; and it helps a little, sometimes, 
 to bite the slate-pencil. Is not that so ? 
 Hey, general ? " 
 
96 HEIDI. 
 
 •' Yes, it is true," assented Peter. 
 
 By this time the Httle girl's interest 
 was fully aroused. She asked such a vast 
 number of questions about the school, 
 what happened there, what one saw and 
 did, that the time flew ; and while they 
 talked Peter became quite dry from top to 
 toe. 
 
 It cost him always a great effort to ex- 
 plain himself clearly, so as to make his 
 meaning plain ; but this time it was es- 
 pecially hard, for no sooner had he made 
 one statement than Heidi had two or three 
 more questions ready, and generally such 
 as required a whole sentence for answer. 
 
 During this conversation the old man 
 was quite silent ; but often the corners of 
 his mouth twitched with amusement, show- 
 ing that he listened. 
 
WITH THE GRANDMOTHER. 97 
 
 " Now, general, you have been under 
 hre, and need some nourishment. You 
 must call a halt now," said he ; and ris- 
 ing, he brought what was needed for the 
 supper from the cupboard, and Heidi set 
 the seats at the table. 
 
 A bench had been recently hammered 
 to the wall ; for now that the old man no 
 longer lived alone, he had made all sorts 
 of seats for two people, as Heidi had a 
 way of following him about wherever he 
 went or stood or sat. 
 
 So now they had all three comfortable 
 seats ; and Peter opened his round eyes 
 very wide indeed, when he saw what a big 
 piece of the beautiful dried meat the Aim 
 uncle set before him on his thick slice of 
 bread. It was long since the lad had had 
 such a good time ; but at last the agreeable 
 
98 HEIDI. 
 
 meal was over, and he prepared to go 
 home, for it was growing dark. 
 
 So he said good- night, and God bless 
 you, and stood already in the doorway, 
 when turning back he said, " Next Sunday 
 I shall come again, a week from to-day; 
 and you must cornie to see my grandmother, 
 she says so." 
 
 Now Heidi became possessed of an 
 entirely hew idea, that of going to make 
 a visit herself; but it took root in her 
 mind at once, and on the very next day 
 the first thinor she said was : " Grandfather, 
 now I must go to see Peter's grandmother. 
 She expects me." 
 
 "There is too much snow," he replied 
 evasively. 
 
 But the project had taken a deep hold 
 of her; for the- grandmother had sent her 
 
WITH THE GRANDMOTHER. 99 
 
 -w.'rfi and SO it must be done. Not a 
 day passed that she did not say at least 
 five Of six times, " Grandfather, now I must 
 go, surely, for the grandmother expects 
 me." 
 
 On the fourth day, although everything 
 snapped and cracked from cold outside, 
 and the snow all about was frozen hard, 
 yet the sun shone beautifully through the 
 window on Heidi, as she sat on her high 
 stool at dinner ; and she began her little 
 speech again, "To-day I must certainly go 
 to the grandmother, or it will seem too 
 long to her." 
 
 Suddenly her grandfather rose from 
 the table, went into the loft, and brought 
 down the thick sack that had served 
 Heidi for a coverlid all winter, saying, 
 " Well then, come ! " 
 
lOO HEIDI. 
 
 Joyfully the child ran out after him, into 
 the glistening snow. The old pines were 
 quiet now, and the white snow lying 
 heavily on their branches so sparkled and 
 shone in the sunlight, that Heidi leaped 
 into the air for joy, calling out repeatedly, 
 " Come out, grandfather, come out. It 
 is all silver and gold all over the pines ! " 
 
 The grandfather now appeared from the 
 shed, with a very big sledge, that had a 
 bar across the front ; and from the seat, 
 with his feet against the snow, any one 
 could steer it in any direction. After the 
 old man had looked at the pine-trees with 
 Heidi, he seated himself on the sledge, 
 and taking her in his lap, wrapped her 
 round and round in the sack, so that sh'^ 
 was snug and warm. He held her Nv-th 
 his left arm tightly to his side, which »*"\s 
 
WITH THE GRANDMOTHER. lOl 
 
 a wise arrangement, considering the jour- 
 ney they were to take. Then he seized 
 the pole with his right hand, gave a shove 
 with his feet, and away went the sledge 
 down the Aim, with such rapidity that the 
 child believed that they were flying, and 
 shouted aloud for joy. 
 
 Directly in front of goat- Peter's door, 
 the sledge all at once stopped. Heidi was 
 placed on the ground by her grandfather, 
 after he had taken off her wraps, and 
 bidden to go in ; but to come out as soon 
 as it began to grow dark, and to start for 
 home. Then, turning back, he began to 
 climb the mountain. 
 
 Heidi opened the door, and entered a 
 small room. Very black it looked inside. 
 She could see a hearth, and some plates 
 and dishes on the shelves ; it was in fact 
 
I02 HEIDI. 
 
 a little kitchen. She opened another door, 
 and came into another narrow little apart- 
 ment ; for the house was not a mountain 
 cottage like the Aim uncle's, consisting 
 of one large room, with a hay-loft above, 
 but was a litde, old, very old dwelling, 
 where every thing was narrow, small, and 
 uncomfortable. 
 
 When our little girl stepped into the 
 room, she came directly against a table 
 at which sat a woman mending trousers, 
 Peter's trousers. Heidi recognized them 
 at once. 
 
 In the corner a bent little old woman 
 was sitting at a spinning-wheel. The 
 chUd knew in a moment who that was. 
 She went straight over to the spinning- 
 wheel, and said: "Good day, grandmother; 
 at last 1 have come to see you. Did 
 
WITH THE GRANDMOTHER. IO3 
 
 you think it was too long that you had 
 to wait for me ? " 
 
 The grandmother raised her head, and 
 felt for the hand that was stretched out 
 towards her ; and when she had held it 
 thoughtfully in her own for a while, she 
 said : "Is this the child who lives up with 
 the Aim uncle ? Are you Heidi ? " 
 
 " Yes, yes, I am Heidi. I have just 
 come down here with my grandfather on 
 the sledge." 
 
 " How can that be, you have such ' 
 nice warm hands ? Tell me, Brigitte, did 
 the Aim uncle come himself with the 
 child ? " 
 
 Peter's mother, Brigitte, who had been 
 mending the trousers, stood up now, and 
 looked at the child curiously, from head to 
 foot. • 
 
I04 HEIDI. 
 
 " I do not know, mother, whether the 
 uncle himself came with her," she said. 
 " It is not credible, the child may not 
 know exactly." 
 
 Heidi looked fixedly at the woman, not 
 in the least as if she did not know what 
 she was talking about, and replied : " I 
 know perfectly well who wrapped me in 
 the coverlid, and brought me down on the 
 sledge in his arms. It was my grand- 
 father." 
 
 " It must be true what Peter has told us 
 all summer, though we thought he was 
 mistaken," said the old woman. " Who 
 would have believed such a thing to be 
 possible ! I did not think that the child 
 could live three weeks up there. How 
 does she look, Brigitte ? " 
 
 The latter had examined the little one 
 
WITH THE GRANDMOTHER. IO5 
 
 SO carefully all over, that she was quite 
 able to answer by this time, 
 
 " She is as finely built as Adelheid her 
 mother was, but she has the black eyes 
 and curling hair of Tobias, and the old 
 man up there. I think she looks like 
 them both." 
 
 Heidi had not been idle all this time ; 
 she had looked about, observed everything 
 in the room, and noticed each peculiarity. 
 Now she said : " Look at the shutter, 
 grandmother ; it is swinging to and fro. 
 My grandfather would drive a nail into 
 that at once, to hold it fast ; it will soon 
 break one of the panes. Look, how it 
 goes ! " 
 
 " My good child," said the old woman, 
 " I cannot see it ; but I hear it only too 
 well, and much more besides. Not only 
 
I06 HEIDI. 
 
 the shutter, but everything" creaks and 
 cracks when the wind blows ; and we feel 
 the wind itself, too. Nothing holds to- 
 gether now ; and in the night, when the 
 other two are asleep, I am often very anx- 
 ious lest it should all fall in upon us, and 
 we should all be killed. Oh, there is no 
 one to do anything to the house, for Peter 
 does not understand it at all." 
 
 " But why can you not see what the 
 shutter is doing, grandmother ? fust look 
 there, now, over there, right there ! " and 
 Heidi pointed carefully to the spot v.ith 
 her fino-er. 
 
 " Oh, child, I can see nothing at all ! 
 not only the shutter, but nodiing else," 
 said the grandniother sadly. 
 
 " But if I go out and open the shut- 
 ter wide, so diat it is quite light in the 
 
WITH THE GRANDMOTHER. (07 
 
 room, can you not see then, grand- 
 mother?" 
 
 . '•' No, not then, not even then. Nobody 
 can make it Hglit ior me any more." . 
 
 " But when you go out into the bright 
 snow, then surely it is bright for you. 
 Come out with me, grandmother, I will 
 show it to you ; " and Heidi took the old 
 woman by the hand to draw her out, for the 
 child began to be terribly troubled that it 
 could never be lisfht ao-ain to her. 
 
 " Let me sit here quietly, you good little 
 child. It will always remain dark for me, 
 in snow and in sunshine. The light can 
 never pierce my eyeballs again," 
 
 " But in summer," said the child, who 
 was seeking more and more anxiously for 
 some point of comfort, " in summer, when 
 the sun gets hot again, and then says good- 
 
loS HEIDI. 
 
 night to the mountains, until they glow as 
 if they were on fire, and all the yellow 
 flowers glisten, then it will be light again 
 for you." 
 
 " My child, I cannot see the fiery 
 mountains nor the golden flowers. It 
 will never be light for me on the earth, 
 never again." 
 
 At this, Heidi broke forth with tears 
 and sobs. Full of grief she cried out : 
 " Who can make it bright for you again ? 
 Can nobody? Is there nobody that can ?" 
 
 The grandmother must now comfort 
 the little one, but that was not easy. 
 Heidi very seldom cried, but when she 
 once began it was almost impossible for 
 her to check herself. Everything was 
 tried that could be thought of to distract 
 her from her grief, for it went to the 
 
WITH THE GRANDMOTHER. IO9 
 
 old woman's heart to hear the child sob- 
 bing so piteously. At last she said : 
 " Come here, you good little Heidi ; I 
 have something to tell you. When one 
 can see nothing, then listening becomes a 
 pleasure ; and I listen so gladly when you 
 tell me something pleasant. Come, sit 
 down by me, and talk to me. Tell me 
 what you do up there, and what your 
 grandfather does. I used to know him ; 
 but I have heard nothing about him for 
 many a year, except what Peter tells me, 
 and that is not much." 
 
 Now Heidi had an idea. She wiped 
 away her tears as quickly as possible, and 
 said consolingly: "Only wait a bit, grand- 
 mother ; I will tell my grandfather all 
 about it. He can surely make it light 
 again for you, and he will manage so 
 
I lO HEIDI. 
 
 that the cottage will not fall to pieces 
 He can bring everything right." 
 
 The old woman remained silent ; and 
 Heidi began to tell her, in the most 
 lively manner, about her life up on the 
 mountain with her grandfather, and about 
 the days spent in the pasture, and the 
 present winter life indoors ; how her 
 grandfather could make an)thing what- 
 ever out of wood, benches and chairs, 
 and mangers into which he could put ha)" 
 for Schwanli and Barli ; and how he had 
 just finished a big new water-trough for 
 summer bathing, a new porringer, and 
 some spoons. Heidi became more and 
 more excited as she recounted the won- 
 derful things that his skilful hand fash- 
 ioned from a single piece of wood, and 
 how carefully she had watched the proc- 
 
WITH THE GRANDMOTIIKR. I I I 
 
 esses, and how she meant to do all that 
 some tinie herself. 
 
 To all this the grandmother listened 
 with the greatest interest, only calling- out 
 now and then, " Brigitte, do you hear 
 what the child tells me about the uncle?" 
 
 Suddenly there was such a stamping 
 and noise at the door that the conversa- 
 tion was interrupted, and Peter burst into 
 the room, and stood stock still with his bigf 
 round eyes wide open ; but he made most 
 friendly grimaces at Heidi when she cried 
 out immediately, " Good-evening, Peter." 
 
 "Is it possible that you are already let 
 out of school ? " said the grandmother. 
 " I have not known an afternoon pass so 
 quickly for many a long year. Good- 
 evening, Peterkin. How goes the read- 
 mg? 
 
112 HEIDI. 
 
 "Just the same," was the reply. 
 
 " Well, well ; I thought perhaps tha. 
 there would be a little change by this 
 time. You will be twelve years come 
 February," said the old woman, sighing a 
 little. 
 
 "Why should there be a change then?" 
 asked Heidi, full of interest. 
 
 " I only mean that perhaps he might 
 have learned a little — to read, I mean," 
 said his grandmother. " I have up there 
 on the shelf an old prayer-book, in which 
 there are beautiful hymns. I have not 
 heard them this longr time, and can no 
 longer remember them. So I hoped when 
 Peterkin had learned to read, he could 
 sometimes read me a good hymn ; but it 
 is of no use, he can't learn, it is too hard 
 for him." 
 
WITH THE GRANDMOTHER. II3 
 
 " I think that I must hght the lamp, 
 mother ; it is quite dark," said Brigitte, 
 who had been working all this time at the 
 lad's trousers. "The afternoon has flown 
 away without my knowing it." 
 
 Heidi sprang up from her chair at 
 this, and stretched out her hand to the 
 grandmother, saying, "Good-night; I must 
 go straight home, for it is dark." And 
 she shook hands with Peter's mother, and 
 went towards the door. 
 
 " Wait a moment ; wait, Heidi," cried 
 the grandmother anxiously. " You must 
 not go alone. Peterkin must go with 
 you ; do you hear ? And take care of 
 the child ; do not let her fall, Peter ; 
 and she must not stand still, lest she get 
 frostbitten. Has she a thick shawl ? " 
 
 " I haven't any shawl, but I shall not 
 
I 
 
 114 HEIDI. 
 
 be cold," said Heidi ; and she was out of 
 the house qiiickh', running on so nimbly 
 that Peter could hardly overtake her, while 
 the grandmother called out tremulously : 
 "Run after her, Brigitte ; do run. 1 hat 
 child will freeze ; so near night, too ! 
 Take my shawl with you, and run ! " 
 
 Brigitte obeyed ; but the children had 
 not gone far up the mountain when they 
 saw the Aim uncle coming towards them, 
 and with a few prodigious strides he stood 
 beside them. 
 
 "That is right, Heidi, you have kept 
 your [promise," he said ; and taking the 
 child, whom he had wrapped carefuky 
 again in the coverlet, in his arms, he 
 turned back towards home. 
 
 Brigitte went back with Peter to their 
 cottage, to tell her mother what thc)' had 
 
\vrrii THE (iraxdmotiier. 115 
 
 seen. The old woman's surprise was 
 o-reat ; and she said once and aofain : " God 
 be praised diat die Ahn uncle is so kind 
 to Heidi ! God be praised ! I hope he 
 will let the little one come to me again, 
 it has done me so much good, \\1iat 
 a good heart she has, and how she caR 
 tell about things ! " So the poor old 
 grandmother rejoiced, and kept sa)'ing, 
 until she went to bed : " If only she can 
 come arain ! Now I have somethino- to 
 look forward to, something to make me 
 happy." Brigitte agreed with her mother 
 heartily each time ; and Peter grinned from 
 ear to ear, saying, " I knew as much," 
 while he nodded his head vigorously. 
 
 All the time that Heidi went up the 
 niountain on her grandfather's arm, she 
 chattered incessantly ; but as nothing could 
 
Il6 HEIDI. 
 
 penetrate the covering so closely folded 
 about her, he said at last, unable to 
 distinguish a single word, " Wait a little, 
 until we reach home, child, and then 
 tell me." 
 
 So as soon as they reached the hut, 
 and Heidi was free from her wrappings, 
 she began: "To-morrow we must take 
 the hammer and the big nails, and go 
 down there, grandfather ; for the shutters 
 shake so. We must make them fast, and 
 we must drive in a good many other nails, 
 too, for everything shakes terribly." 
 
 " Must we, must we, indeed ? Who 
 told you that ? " asked the old man. 
 
 " Nobody told me. I know it myself. 
 Nothing holds together there ; and it 
 makes the grandmother so uneasy and 
 afraid, because she cannot sleep when 
 
WITH THE GRAN'DMOTHER. II7 
 
 there is such a noise, and she fears that 
 ever)'thing will fall to pieces on their 
 heads. And oh ! no one can make it 
 light for her again. She doesn't know 
 how any one can do it ; but you can, 
 grandfather. Only think how sad it must 
 be. always to sit in the dark, and how 
 sorrowful it is for her ! No one can help 
 her as you can. To-morrow we will go 
 and help her, won't we. grandfather? 
 
 Heidi was clincjinor to her grandfather, 
 and looking up at him with confident 
 eyes. He looked at her for a long time 
 in silence, then replied: "Yes, Heidi, 
 we will make things fast for the grand- 
 mother, so that it will no longer clatter, 
 and keep her awake. We can do that, 
 and to-morrow we will." 
 
 The child danced round and round the 
 
Il8 HEIDI. 
 
 room for joy at these words, crying out 
 " To-morrow we will go ! to-morrow, to- 
 morrow ! " 
 
 And the old man was as cjood as his 
 word. On the following afternoon they 
 took their sledore-ride as before, Ao-ain 
 he placed the child on the ground before 
 the cottage door, saying, " Now go in, 
 and when it is evening come out ; " then 
 la}ing the sack on the sledge, he went 
 round about the cottage. 
 
 Heidi had scarcely opened the door, and 
 stepped into the room, when the grand- 
 mother's voice from the corner was hcanl, 
 "There comes the child ! there is Heidi ! " 
 and the thread hung loosely on the wheel, 
 as she stretched out her arms for joy to 
 embrace her little friend. 
 
 Pushing a little stool as closely to the 
 
WITH THE GRANDMOTHER. I ig 
 
 old woman's knees as possible, Heidi 
 seated herself, and had ali'ead}" begun nar- 
 rating" and questioning, when suddenly 
 there resounded such a pounding and 
 bano-inp" from the outside of the cottage, 
 that the grandmother started up trem- 
 bling, almost overturnino- her wheel in her 
 fright. " Oh, heavens ! " she cried, " now 
 it lias come ; now the cottage is fallino 
 down ! " 
 
 Holding her fast by the arm, Heidi 
 said soothingly, "No, no, grandmother! 
 don't be afraid ; it is my grandfather with 
 his hanimer. He is making things fast 
 about the house, so that you need not 
 feel uneasy nor frightened any more." 
 
 "Can that be true? Is it possible? 
 Then die gootl God has not forgotten us," 
 cried the old woman. " Do you hear, 
 
1 20 HEIDI. 
 
 Brigitte? It certainly is a hammer. Go 
 out, and if it is the Aim uncle, beg him 
 to come in for a moment that I may 
 thank him." 
 
 And Brigitte obeyed. Just at that mo- 
 rnent the uncle was propping up an in- 
 secure place in the wall. She went up 
 to him, saying: "I wish you good-even, 
 uncle, and the mother greets you also ; 
 and we are much obliged for doing us 
 such a good turn, and my mother would 
 like to thank you herself in there. Cer- 
 tainly no one has ever done us such a 
 kindness before, and we wish to thank — " 
 
 " You have said enough," interrupted 
 the old man. " What )'our opinion of 
 the Aim uncle is, I know well. Go now, 
 what more there is to be done here I 
 can find out for myself." 
 
WITH THE GRANDMOTHER. 12 1 
 
 Brigitte retreated immediately, for the 
 uncle had a way with him that made it 
 difficult for any one to oppose his will. 
 He pounded and hammered on all sides 
 of the little cottao^e ; then climbed the 
 narrow steps to the roof, hammering here 
 and there until he had used up every nail 
 he had brought with him. By this time it 
 was quite dark ; and he had scarcely come 
 down to fetch his sledge from behind the 
 goat-shed than there stood Heidi at the 
 door, and her grandfather took her on 
 his arm, and dragging the sledge behind 
 him, up they went to their home. For 
 had he drawn her sitting alone on the 
 sledge, her wraps would never have staid 
 in place, and she would have been quite 
 frozen. 
 
 And thus the winter passed. Into the 
 
122 HEIDI. 
 
 joyless life of the blind woman a ray of 
 happiness had come, after many years of 
 sorrow, ller da)s were no longer dark 
 and tedious, one just like the other ; now 
 there was always something in prospect. 
 In the early morning she began to listen 
 for the tripping footsteps she loved so 
 well ; and when the little one came danc- 
 ing in, she called out joyfully each time 
 as the door flew open, " God be praised, 
 she has come again ! " 
 
 On her little stool at the grandmother's 
 feet, Heidi would seat herself, chattering 
 to her of all sorts of pleasant things ; so 
 that she felt well and happy, and the hours 
 flew by without lutv asking as formerly, 
 " Brigitte, is not the tla) almost over?" 
 
 Instead, each time that Heitli in depart- 
 ing closed the door behind her, she said, 
 
WITH THE GRANDMOTHER. I 23 
 
 " How short the afternoon has been, hasn't 
 it, Brigltte ! " 
 
 To which the daughter would answer, 
 " Yes, mother, it seems to me as if I had 
 just cleared away the dishes from dinner." 
 
 And the grandmother added : " Oh, I 
 hope the good God will keep the dear 
 child in health, and will preserve the Aim 
 uncle's good-will ! Does the little one 
 look well and strong ? " 
 
 And the answer was always the same, 
 " As strong and well as an apple." 
 
 Heidi had become sincerely attached to 
 the grandmother, and when the recollec- 
 tion of the old woman's blindness came 
 over her, and she thoufdit that no one, 
 not even her grandfather, could restore 
 the lost sicrht, her heart was sad ; but the 
 grandmother's constant assurance that she 
 
124 HEIDI. 
 
 suffered least from her misfortune when 
 Heidi was with her, somewhat consoled 
 the little girl, who came down to her on 
 the sledge every fine winter's afternoon, 
 to do what she could to lighten her days. 
 Without anything more being said, the 
 Aim uncle had each time taken his ham- 
 mer and all the necessary tools with him 
 on the sledge, and had pounded and 
 mended, and put things in excellent con- 
 dition on the outside of goat- Peter's cot- 
 tage. The effect was most satisfactor)^ 
 It no longer rattled and banged the long 
 nights through ; and the grandmother de- 
 clared that she had not had so comfort- 
 able nights and such good sleep for many 
 years, and that she should never cease to 
 be grateful to the Aim uncle. 
 
A VISIT, AND ANOTHER. 12? 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 A VISIT, AND ANOTHER, AND THE CONSE- 
 QUENCES. 
 
 Quickly passed the winter, and still 
 more quickly another summer, and yet 
 another winter approached its end. Heidi 
 was as gay and happy as the birds in 
 the sky, and rejoiced daily in the coming 
 of the spring, when the warm south wind 
 would again blow through the pines, and 
 sweep away the snow ; when the bright 
 sun would coax out the blue and yellow 
 flowers ; when the days foi^ the pasture 
 would come, which were for the child the 
 most beautiful days that could be im- 
 
126 HEIDI. 
 
 agined. She was now in her eighth yeai, 
 and had learned all sorts of useful thino-s 
 from her Qrrandfather. She could take care 
 of the goats, and Schwanli and Barli ran 
 after her like faithful dogs, and bleated 
 loud for joy when they so much as heard 
 her voice. 
 
 Twice during the winter Peter had 
 brought a message from the schoolmaster 
 to the Aim uncle, that he should send 
 Heidi to school ; she was more than old 
 enough, and indeed should have come 
 the winter before. The answer returned 
 each time was that if the schoolmaster 
 had anything to say to him, he would 
 always be found on the Aim ; but there 
 was no thouirht in his mind of sendine 
 the child to school. Peter had delivered 
 the message correctly. 
 
A VISIT, AND ANOTHER. 1 27 
 
 Now that the March sun began to melt 
 the snow eveiywhere, and the white snow- 
 drops peeped up in the valley, and on 
 the Aim the pines had shaken off their 
 burden, and the boughs waved merrily 
 in the wind once more, Heidi began to 
 scamper back and forth with delight, from 
 the house to the stalls, then to the pines, 
 and again into the hut to tell her grand- 
 father how much larger the strip of 
 green had become under the trees ; for 
 she coidd not wait, in her impatience, for 
 the summer to cover the mountain with 
 grass and flowers. One sunny morning, 
 as the child was running- about, and had 
 just bounded for the tenth time over the 
 threshold, she almost fell backwards for 
 fright, for before her stood an old man 
 all in black, who gazed at her earnestly. 
 
/28 HEIDI. 
 
 Seeing her fear, however, he said in a 
 kindly tone : " You must not be afraid of 
 me, for I love children very much. Give 
 me your hand. You must be Heidi. 
 Where is your grandfather ? " 
 
 " He is sitting at the table, cutting 
 round spoons out of wood," explained 
 the child, and opened wider the door. 
 
 It was the good pastor from Dorfli, 
 who had known the uncle long ago, 
 when he lived down below, and they had 
 been neighbors. He now went into the 
 hut, approached the old man, who was 
 stooping over his work, and said, " Good- 
 morning, neighbor ! " 
 
 The latter looked up in surprise, and 
 rising said, "Good-morning, pastor!" and 
 immediately placed his own chair for the 
 guest, adding, " If the pastor does not 
 
A VISIT, AND ANOTHER. I29 
 
 object to a wooden seat, here is one 
 for him." 
 
 " It is a long time since I saw you, 
 neighbor," said the pastor. 
 
 "Yes; it is a long while since we met," 
 replied the Aim uncle. 
 
 " I came here to-day to speak to you 
 about something," began the pastor afresh. 
 '' I think that you already surmise what 1 
 allude to, what I wish to talk over with 
 you, and learn your intention about." 
 
 The good man stopped, and looked 
 towards Heidi, who was now standing 
 in the doorway, examining him with atten- 
 tion. 
 
 " You may go to the goats, Heidi," 
 said her grandfather. " Take a little salt 
 with you, and stay until I come." 
 
 Heidi disappeared at once. 
 
130 HEIDI. 
 
 " That child ought to have gone to 
 school this year, if not a year ago," said 
 the pastor. "The teacher sent you word 
 to that effect, and you have not replied. 
 What do you mean to do about it, 
 neighbor ? " 
 
 " I mean not to send her to school," 
 was the reply. 
 
 The pastor stared in astonishment at 
 the old man, who sat with folded arms 
 upon his bench, and certainly did not 
 look like yielding. 
 
 "What do you mean to do for the 
 child?" he asked again. 
 
 " Nothing. She grows and thrives with 
 the goats and birds. With them she can 
 learn no evil ; she is safe." 
 
 " But she is not a cfoat, nor is she 
 a bird ; she is a human child. If she 
 
A VISIT, AND ANOTHER. I3I 
 
 learns nothing evil from such company, 
 she learns, on the other hand, nothing at 
 all. But she should learn ; and it is high 
 time, too, that she began. I have come ' 
 to warn you, neighbor, so that you can 
 be thinking it over, and making your 
 arrangements, during the summer. This 
 must be the last season that the child 
 passes thus, without instruction. Next 
 winter she must begin to go to school, 
 and go ever)' day." 
 
 " I shall not do it," replied the other, 
 unmoved. 
 
 " Do }'Ou mean to say that there is no 
 way of bringing you to your senses ? 
 How can you be so obstinate in your 
 foolishness ? " said the pastor, now getting 
 roused, " You have been about a great 
 deal, and must have learned much ; I 
 
132 HEIDI. 
 
 thought that you had more wisdom than 
 this, neighbor," 
 
 "Well," replied the old man, and his 
 voice betrayed that he was no longer 
 quite tranquil, " and does the pastor 
 think that it really would be a wise 
 thing for me to send such a tender child 
 as this down the mountain every day 
 next winter, in snow and wind, a two 
 hours' journey? to say nothing of her 
 coming up again every evening, when 
 we ourselves can scarcely brave it ? Per- 
 haps the pastor remembers the child's 
 mother, Adelheid. She was delicate, and 
 had nervous attacks. Shall I let this child 
 also become ill through over-exertion ? 
 Just let some one try to force me ; I will 
 go with him before the judge, to see if I 
 can be forced." 
 
A VISIT, AND ANOTHER. 1 33 
 
 ** You are right, neighbor," repHed the 
 pastor, in a friendly tone ; "it would not 
 be possible to send the little one down to 
 school from here. But I can see that you 
 are fond of her ; so do something for 
 her sake that you should have done long 
 aoo, come down into the villaofe, and live 
 acrain amongfst us there. What sort of 
 life is this that you lead up here, in bit- 
 terness with God and man ? If anything 
 should happen to you here in the winter, 
 how could any help reach you ? I cannot 
 even understand how you can manage to 
 get through the winter, with this tender 
 child, without freezing." 
 
 "The child has young blood and good 
 clothing, this much I can tell you ; and 
 this too, that I know where to get wood, 
 and the best time to fetch it. If the pas- 
 
134 HEIDI. 
 
 tor pleases, he can look into my shed; 
 there is plenty of fuel there ; in my hearth 
 the fire never goes out all winter long. 
 What the pastor proposes about moving 
 down into the village, that will not suit 
 me. The people down there despise me, 
 and I them. We must remain apart ; so 
 is it best for all." 
 
 " No, no, it is not good for you ! I know 
 what is lacking with you, though," said 
 the pastor earnestly. " As for the con- 
 tempt of the village people, what does that 
 amount to ? Believe me, neighbor, seek 
 to make your peace with God. ask his for- 
 giveness in whatever way )Ou need it, and 
 then come and see how differently men 
 will regard you, and how pleasant it will be 
 for you." 
 
 The good man now stood up. He held 
 
A VISIT, AND ANOTHER. 1 35 
 
 out his hand to the Aim uncle, and con- 
 tinued cordially : "I shall count upon it 
 for next winter to have you again amongst 
 us. We are good old neighbors, and it 
 would be very disagreeable to me to have 
 any force used towards you ; so give me 
 your hand upon it, that you will come 
 back and live with us again, at peace 
 with God and man." 
 
 The Aim uncle gave his hand to the 
 pastor, but said also decidedly: "I know 
 that the pastor feels kindly to me, but I 
 shall not do as he wishes. I say it plainly, 
 without circumlocution. I shall neither 
 send the child to school, nor come my- 
 self." 
 
 " So may God help you!" said the pastor 
 sadly, and passed out of the door and 
 down the mountain. 
 
136 HEIDI. 
 
 The old man was out of hun.'.Y, and 
 when Heidi said, " Now shall we o , to the 
 grandmother ? " he answered, " Not to- 
 day," and did not speak again th it whole 
 day long; and the next morning, when 
 the child said, "To-day shall \vi go to 
 the grandmother ? " he was very short with 
 her in word and tone, only answtfing. 
 "We'll see." 
 
 But before there was time to clear the 
 table after dinner came another visitor. 
 It was no other than Dete. She had a 
 fine hat with a feather, and a dress that 
 swept up everything in its path ; and in 
 the mountain cottage all sorts of things 
 lay on the floor that might have soiled a 
 nice dress. The uncle looked at Ik r from 
 head to foot, but did not speak. 
 
 Dete, however, had the intention of 
 
A VISIT, AND ANOTHER. I37 
 
 making herself very agreeable, and began 
 at once to praise what she saw; saying that 
 Heidi looked wonderfully well, that she 
 should hardly have recognized the child, 
 that it was plain that the grandfather had 
 cared well for her. She declared that she 
 had always meant to take the child back 
 again, for she fully understood that it must 
 be very inconvenient for him to have the 
 charge of her ; but that there had never 
 been a time, day or night, when she had 
 been able to come for her, or even to bring 
 her anything, and that to-day she came 
 because she had just heard of something 
 that might be of such advantage to Heidi 
 that she herself could scarcely believe it 
 possible. She had looked well into it at 
 once, and now she could safely say that 
 such a piece of luck rarely happens once 
 
13S HEIDI. 
 
 in -J thousand times to any one. Very rich 
 relations of the famil)' with whom she 
 hved, who owned ahnor.t the handsomest 
 house in Frankfort, had only one daughter, 
 who was ill, and obliged to remain all the 
 time in a rolling-chair, because she was 
 parrvlyzed on one side. This girl was al- 
 most always alone, and had to study alone 
 with her teachers, which was tedious for 
 her. It was thought desirable to find a 
 companion for her, to live in the house. 
 Dete had learned all this, she said, from 
 the family with whom she lived, and they 
 wanted to find a child ; and when Dete 
 heard the description of what the)' wanted, 
 which the housekeeper said must be a per- 
 fectly unspoiled little girl, unlike all other 
 children, she thought at oiw:e of Heidi ; 
 and she went to the lady, and told her 
 
A VISIT, AND ANOTHER. 1 39 
 
 about her little niece, and CTave such a 
 good character for the child that the lady 
 agreed at once that she was just what she 
 wished for. 
 
 Nobody could realize, said Dete, what 
 was in store for Heidi. Such luck ! such 
 comfort ! And when she once came to 
 live with these people, she would have 
 everything that the daughter had ; and 
 no one could tell, the daughter was so 
 delicate — if the family should be left 
 without a child, what wonderful piece of 
 luck — 
 
 "Have you almost finished?" said the 
 grandfather, who thus far had not spoken 
 a word. 
 
 " Pah ! " said Dete. and threw back her 
 head. " You behave exactly as if I had 
 brought you a commonplace piece of 
 
140 HEIDI. 
 
 news ; and there is not in all Prattigau 
 a single person who would not have 
 thanked God for such tidings as I have 
 just given you." 
 
 "Take them, then, where you choose. 
 I'll have none of them," said the old man 
 dryly. 
 
 At these words, off went Dete's tongue 
 like a sky-rocket. 
 
 "Well, if such is your opinion, I will 
 tell you then, uncle, what I think. This 
 child is now eight years old, and knows 
 nothing, and can do nothing ; and you 
 will not let her learn, nor send her to 
 school, nor to church. They told me, 
 down in Dorfii. She is my only sister's 
 child, and I must be responsible for her, 
 and what happens to her ; and when such 
 a chance falls to a child's share as this, 
 
A VISIT, AND ANOTHER. I4I 
 
 there can be but one opinion about it ; 
 for no one has any particular interest in 
 her, and no one feels disposed to do any- 
 thing for her. I will not yield, that I tell 
 you plainly, for I have everybody on my 
 side ; and there is not one single person 
 down in Dorfli who will not help me 
 against you. And if you wish to come 
 before the court, though you'd better think 
 twice of that, there are things that can be 
 brought up against you that you will not 
 care to hear ; for when once an affair is 
 brought before a court, much is raked up 
 that has almost been forgotten." 
 
 " Hold your tongue ! " thundered the 
 old man, and his eyes flashed fire. "Take 
 the child, and ruin her ; but never let 
 me sec her with such a hat and feather 
 on her head, and such words in her mouth 
 
142 HEIDI. 
 
 as you have used to-day." And with 
 great strides he went out of the house. 
 
 "You have made my grandfather angry," 
 said Heidi, her sparkHng eyes showing an 
 expression that was far from friendly to- 
 wards Dete. 
 
 " Oh, he will soon be all right again. 
 Come along, now Where are your 
 clothes, child ? " 
 
 " I am not going," said Heidi. 
 
 "What did you say?" said Dete. Then 
 changing her tone a little, she continued, 
 half In friendly, half in angry fashion, 
 " Come, come , you do not know what 
 you are talking about. It will be far 
 pleasanter for you there than you have 
 the least idea of." 
 
 Then going to the press, Dete took 
 out Heidi's things, and packed them to- 
 
A VISIT, AND ANOTHER. 1 43 
 
 gether. *' Come, now , get your hat. It 
 does not look very nicely, I must say ; 
 but it will pass, for the present. Put it 
 on, and let us get ofif." 
 
 " I am not going," repeated Heidi. 
 
 " Do not be stupid and obstinate, like 
 a goat. You must have learned it of 
 them. Think a little, child ; your grand- 
 father is angry, you saw that )Ourself 
 You heard him tell us not to come be- 
 fore his eyes again. He is quite deter 
 mined that vou shall cfo with me Do 
 not anger him still more You have no 
 idea how delightful it is in Frankfort, 
 nor what you will see there , and if you 
 don't like it, you can come back here 
 again, and by that time )'our grandfather 
 will have recovered his temper " 
 
 " Can I turn ricrht about, and come 
 home this evening ? " 
 
144 HEIDI. 
 
 "What? Come alonor. now. Did I not 
 tell you that you could come back when- 
 ever you wished ? To-day we go as fai 
 as Mayenfeld, and early to-morrow morn- 
 ing we take our places in the railway , 
 and in that you can come back here in 
 a twinkling. It is like flying," 
 
 Aunt Dete had taken the little girl's 
 hand in hers , and with the bundle on 
 her arm, they went down the mountain- 
 side together. 
 
 As it w^as not yet quite time to take 
 the goats to pasture, Peter still went to 
 school in Dorfli ; or rather, should have 
 gone, but he now and then took a holi- 
 day. For he thought- "It is not of the 
 least use for me to go to school, I can- 
 not learn to read , and to go about a 
 little, searching for big sticks, is of use, 
 
A VISIT, AND ANOTHER. 1 45 
 
 for they can be burned." So it happened 
 that he was in the neighborhood of his 
 cottage, with most unmistakable evidence 
 of his day's occupation on his shoulder ; 
 for he carried an enormous bundle of 
 sticks of hazel-wood. He stood still, and 
 stared at the pair as they came towards 
 him. When they drew near, he said, 
 *' Where are you going ? " 
 
 " I must go straight to Frankfort with 
 Aunt Dete," said Heidi ; " but first I will 
 run in to see the grandmother." 
 
 " No, no ! No stopping to talk ; it i«* 
 already too late ! " said Dete anxiously, 
 and held the child, who was already has- 
 tening away, fast by the hand. " You can 
 come back again to see her soon ; but 
 now come with me." And she drew 
 Heidi quickly along, and did not release 
 
146 HEIDI 
 
 her again. She was afraid that it mirht 
 again come into the child's head not to 
 go with her, and that the grandmother 
 might also induce her to remain. 
 
 Into his cottage went Peter at one 
 leap, and flung his whole bundle of sticks 
 down on the table with such violence that 
 everything quivered, and his grandmother 
 started from her spinning, and cried aloud. 
 Peter had to give vent to his feelings. 
 
 "What is the matter? What has hap- 
 pened ? " asked the old woman. And his 
 mother, who had been sitting quietly at 
 the table, almost flew into the air at the 
 noise, crying: "What is it, Peterkin ? 
 Why are you so wild ? " 
 
 " Because she has taken Heidi away 
 with her," exclaimed Peter. 
 
 " Who ? who ? Where, Peterkin ? " cried 
 
A VISIT, AND ANOTHER. 1 47 
 
 the grandmother. She must have soon 
 guessed what had happened, however, for 
 Brigitte had told her, a Httle while before, 
 that she had seen Dete going up the 
 mountain to the Aim uncle's. Trem- 
 bling all over with haste, the old woman 
 opened the window, and called beseech- 
 ingly, " Dete, Dete ! do not take the child 
 away! Do not carry Heidi off!" 
 
 The fugitives were still within sound of 
 her voice ; and Dete must have heard 
 perfectly what she said, for she held the 
 child faster, and increased her speed to a 
 run. Heidi resisted, saying, "The grand- 
 mother is calling me, I must go." 
 
 Now Dete forced Heidi along, lest they 
 should not be in time to take the train 
 for Frankfort, she said ; and once there, 
 Heidi would not want to return, but if 
 
148 HEIDI. 
 
 she did, there might be something to 
 bring to the grandmother that the old 
 woman would like. 
 
 This idea pleased the little one, and she 
 began to run of her own accord. 
 
 "What can I bring the grandmother?" 
 she asked, after a while. 
 
 " Something good," said Dete. " Some 
 beautiful, soft, white bread ; for she can 
 scarcely eat the hard, black bread. That 
 would be nice for her." 
 
 " Yes, ye^:. She always gives it to 
 Peter, and says it is too hard for her. I 
 have often seen her do that. Let us go 
 quick, Aunt Dete ; and perhaps we can 
 get to Frankfort to-day, so that I can 
 come back at once with the white bread." 
 And now it was Heidi who urged her 
 aunt along, and ran so quickly that Dete 
 
A VISIT, AND ANOTHER. 1 49 
 
 with the bundle found it hard to follow. 
 But she was glad to hasten along, for they 
 were near to the first houses in Dorfli, 
 and there might begin a new set of 
 questions and remonstrances, that would 
 bring Heidi again to another mind. 
 
 Through the village they raced along, 
 therefore, and the child dragged her aunt 
 by the hand ; and Dete reflected with sat- 
 isfaction that everybody might see that 
 she was hurrying along in this way for 
 the child's sake. So she called to all who 
 would stop her, from the houses: "You 
 see. I can't possibly stop, Heidi is in such 
 a hurry ; and we have still far to go." 
 
 " Are you taking her with you ? " " Are 
 you running away from the Aim uncle ? " 
 *' It is a miracle that the child is living ! " 
 " And so rosy-cheeked too ! " Such re- 
 
150 HEIDI. 
 
 marks reached her from all sides ; and 
 she was glad to get off without hinder- 
 ance, and that she was not obliged to 
 give explanations ; also, that Heidi spoke 
 not a word, but urged forward in the 
 greatest haste. 
 
 From this day forward the Aim uncle 
 looked more and more wicked; and when 
 he chanced to be in Dorfli he spoke to 
 no one, and looked so repulsive that 
 the women said to the litde children, 
 " Take care, get out of his way. or the 
 Aim uncle will harm you." The old man 
 held no intercourse with any one in Dorfli, 
 but went through the little town and deep 
 down into the valley, where he exchanged 
 his goat cheese for provisions of bread and 
 meat. When he passed through Dorfli, 
 the people gathered together in little 
 
A VISIT, AND ANOTHER. I5I 
 
 groups behind his back, and each one had 
 something strange to tell about the old 
 man, how he looked wilder and wilder, 
 and how he never even exchanged a greet- 
 ing with anybody ; and all agreed it was 
 very fortunate that the child had escaped, 
 for it was easy to see that the little one 
 ran as if afraid that her grandfather were 
 pursuing her to carry her back. 
 
 Only the blind grandmother stood up 
 for him always ; and whoever came to her 
 cottage to bring her stuff to spin, or to 
 take away something that she had done 
 for them, to such she always repeated how 
 good and careful the Aim uncle had been 
 with the child, and how he had worked on 
 her cottage for many an afternoon, and 
 had mended it, and made it safe, or it 
 would certainly have fallen in pieces long 
 
152 HEIDI. \^ 
 
 ago. And this information had come also 
 down to Dorfli ; but most of those wlio 
 heard it said that the orrandmother was 
 too old to understand rightly, for she 
 probably did not hear very well just as 
 she could no longer see. At any rate, the 
 Aim uncle never appeared again at the 
 goatherd's cottage ; but it was true that 
 he had mended it very thoroughly, for it 
 held together for a long time, and was 
 perfectly safe. 
 
 The days came again to be days of 
 sighing for the old grandmother ; and not 
 one passed upon which she did not say 
 mournfully: "All that is good, and all 
 that is pleasant, has gone with the little 
 one, and the days are empty. Oh, if I 
 might only be permitted to hear Heidi's 
 voice once more before I die ! " 
 
A NEW CHAPTER- 1 53 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 A NEW CHAPTER, AND ALTOGETHER NEW 
 THINGS. 
 
 In the house of Mr. Sesemann, in Frank 
 fort, lay his Httle sick daughter, in the 
 comfortable armchair in which she re- 
 clined all day, and was rolled from one 
 room to another. She was in the so- 
 called study, which adjoined the big dining- 
 room, and in which all sorts of pretty 
 things were arranged and disposed in such 
 a way as to make it look attractive, and 
 prove that it was the place where the 
 family usually lived. A large, handsome 
 bookcase with glass doors showed whence 
 
I 5 4 HETDT. 
 
 the room derived its name, and here the 
 lame daughter of the house had her daily 
 lessons. 
 
 Klara had a small, pale face, out of 
 which looked two gentle blue eyes, which 
 were fixed at this moment on the face of 
 the large wall-clock, whose hands seemed 
 to-day, especially, to move slowly ; for 
 Klara, who was seldom impatient, was 
 certainly so now, and said, with decided 
 symptoms of irritation in her voice, " Will 
 the time never come. Miss Rottenmeier ? " 
 
 The lady so addressed sat bolt upright 
 by a little work-table, embroidering. She 
 wore a mysterious kind of wrap, half 
 collar, half mantle, which invested her per- 
 son with a majestic appearance, height- 
 ened by a kind of built-up cupola upon 
 her head. 
 
A NEW CHAPTER. I 55 
 
 Miss Rottf; nmeier had lived in the house 
 ever since t\e death of Mrs. Sesemann. 
 She directed the housekeeping, and had 
 the management of the servants. As the 
 master of ihe house was almost always 
 ^iway travelling, he gave up the entire care 
 -of everything to this lady, with the under- 
 standing, however, that his daughter should 
 he consulted, and that nothing should be 
 done contrary to her wishes. 
 
 As Klara asked for the second time, with 
 every sign of impatience, if it was not 
 getting late for the arrival of those whom 
 they were expecting, Dete, with Heidi's 
 hand in hers, stood below before the house 
 door, and asked of John the coachman, 
 who had just driven up with the carriage, 
 if it was too late to venture to disturb 
 Miss Rottenmeier. 
 
156 HEIDI. 
 
 " That is no affair of mine," said John 
 gruffly. " Go into the hall, and ring for 
 Sebastian." 
 
 Dete did so ; and the house-servant 
 came down-stairs, with big round buttons 
 on his coat, and almost as big eyes in 
 his head. 
 
 *' I should like to inquire if at this hour 
 I might venture to disturb Miss Rotten- 
 meier," launched forth Dete again. 
 
 " That is not my business. Ring for 
 Miss Tinette. That is her bell over there." 
 And without other information Sebastian 
 disappeared. 
 
 So Dete rang again ; and presently Miss 
 Tinette made her appearance on the stairs, 
 with a dazzling little white cap on the 
 top of her head, and a very mocking 
 expression on her face. 
 
A NEW CHAPTLR. I 57 
 
 " What is wanted ? " said she from the 
 top step, without coming down. 
 
 Dete repeated her demand. 
 
 Miss Tinette disappeared, but came 
 quickly back again, saying, " You are ex~ 
 pected." 
 
 They now mounted the stairs, following 
 Tinette, Dete still holding Heidi by the 
 hand, and entered the study. Dete stood 
 politely near the door, but never letting 
 go of Heidi ; for she did not know what 
 the child might do in this strange place. 
 
 Miss Rottenmeier rose slowly from her 
 seat, and came nearer, to examine the 
 newly arrived playmate of the daughter 
 of the house. The sight did not seem 
 to please her. Heidi had on her simple 
 woollen dress, and her old and defaced 
 straw hat was on her head. The child 
 
158 HEIDI. 
 
 looked in the most innocent way round 
 about her, and examined the turret on 
 the lady's head with astonishment. 
 
 " What is your name ? " asked Miss 
 Rottenmeier, after she had looked at the 
 child searchingly for several minutes, dur- 
 ing which Heidi had never dropped her 
 eyes. 
 
 " Heidi," was the answer, given dis- 
 tinctly, in a clear, ringing tone. 
 
 "What? That is certainly no Chris- 
 tian name. You were not baptized by 
 that name. What name was given you 
 at your baptism ? " asked the lady. 
 
 " I don't know that now." 
 
 "Is that a proper reply?" said the 
 housekeeper, slowly shaking her head. 
 " Is the child simple, or pert, Miss 
 Dete ? " 
 
A NEW CHAPTER. 1 59 
 
 " If the lady will allow me, and with 
 her consent, I will reply for the child, 
 for she is very inexperienced," said Dete, 
 while she gave her niece secretly a push, 
 for her inappropriate answer. " She is 
 certainly not simple, nor is she imperti- 
 nent, of that she knows nothing ; she 
 means everything just as she says it. To- 
 day is her first appearance in the presence 
 of gentle-folk, and she has no knowledge 
 of good manners ; but she is a docile child, 
 and willing to learn, if the lady will teach 
 her, and show her what to do. Her name 
 at baptism is Adelheid, for her mother, 
 my late sister." 
 
 "Good, now! That is something like 
 d name, that one can say," replied Miss 
 Rottenmeier; but added: "Miss Dete, 
 I must say to you that the child strikes 
 
l6o HEIDI. 
 
 me as very strange, considering her age 
 I had informed you diat the companion 
 needed for Miss Klara should be about 
 the same age as she is, in order to follow 
 her lessons, and share the same general 
 occupations. Miss Klara has passed her 
 twelfth year. How old may this child 
 be?" 
 
 " With your leave, madam," began 
 Dete again, " I am not exactly sure 
 about the age, how old she is. She 
 is really somewhat younger than that ; 
 not much, however. I cannot say with 
 precision — perhaps in her tenth year, or 
 thereabout, as I believe." 
 
 " I am just eight years old. My grand- 
 father told me so," said Heidi. 
 
 " What do you say, only eight years 
 old ? Four years too young ! What does 
 
A NEW CHAPTER. l6l 
 
 this mean ? And what have you learned ? 
 What books have you studied ? " broke 
 forth Miss Rottenmeier. 
 
 " None," was the answer. 
 
 *' What ? How then have you learned 
 to read, child ? " 
 
 " I have not learned to read, nor Peter 
 either." 
 
 " Merciful heavens ! you cannot read, 
 cannot really read at all?" cried Miss 
 Rottenmeier in great surprise. "Then 
 what have you learned ? " 
 
 " Nothing-," replied Heidi truthfully. 
 
 " Miss Dete," said the housekeeper after 
 a pause, in which she strove to regain her 
 composure, " I find nothing here that 
 accords with our agreement. How could 
 you bring me such a creature ? " 
 
 Dete, however, had no idea of allowing 
 
1 62 HEIDI. 
 
 herself to be frightened off in this wise 
 She repHed with confidence: " If the lady 
 v.'ill pardon me, the child exacdy agrees 
 with what is wanted. The lady told me 
 that she sought for some child utterly un- 
 like any other children ; and I chose this 
 little one, for bigger children are no longer 
 so simple and truthful, and she seemed to 
 me to answer the description as if made to 
 order. But now I must be going, for my 
 employers expect me. I will come again 
 as soon as they can spare me, and in- 
 quire how it is with her." 
 
 With a courtesy Dete was away, out of 
 the door and down the stairs very quickly. 
 Miss Rottenmeier stood still a moment, 
 then ran after Dete, for it occurred to her 
 that there were many things still of which 
 she must speak, if the child were to re- 
 
A NEW CHAPTER. 1 63 
 
 main ; and she plainly saw that Dete's 
 intention was to lea\e her with them. 
 
 Heidi stood still in the same place by 
 the door. Klara had until now remained a 
 passive observer in her chair, and noticed 
 all that took place without interfering. 
 Now she beckoned to Heidi : " Come here 
 to me." 
 
 Heidi approached the rolling-chair. 
 
 " Do you prefer to be called Heidi rather 
 than Adelheid ? " 
 
 " My name is Heidi, and nothing else," 
 said the child. 
 
 '' Then I will alwa)s call you so. The 
 name pleases me for you. I never heard 
 it before, and I have never seen a child 
 like )'ou. Have you always had such short 
 curly hair ? " 
 
 ** Yes, I think so." 
 
1 64 HEIDI. . 
 
 "Were you glad to come to Frankfort?" 
 pursued the older child. ^ 
 
 " No ; but to-morrow I am going home I 
 
 again, to carry the grandmother some \ 
 
 white rolls," said Heidi. 
 
 " Well, you are a strange child," replied | 
 
 Klara. " You have been sent for expressly ] 
 
 to Frankfort to take lessons with me, and ^ 
 
 now it turns out that you cannot read. It 
 will be great fun for me, now there will be 
 something new during the lessons. It has 
 always been so dreadfully tedious ; the ; 
 
 mornings seem to have no end. Just 1 
 
 think ! every morning at ten o'clock the 
 professor comes, and then the lessons 
 begin, and continue until two o'clock. 
 That is so long ! Often the professor j 
 
 holds his book before his face quite near, I 
 
 as if he were suddenly near-sighted ; but it ' 
 
A NEW CHAPTER. 1 65 
 
 is really to yawn. He yawns frightfully; 
 and Miss Rottenmeier also takes out her 
 handkerchief, and holds it over her whole 
 face, as if she is ver}^ much amused at 
 something that we are reading ; but I 
 know well enough that she too is yawning 
 horribly behind it. And then I should 
 like to yawn too ; but I have to smother 
 it, for if I once yawned outright, Miss 
 Rottenmeier would say that I was weak, 
 and would fetch the cod-liver oil at once ; 
 and of all things I hate to take that stuff, 
 so 1 much prefer to swallow my yawns. 
 But now that you are here, it will be 
 much pleasanter, for I can listen while 
 you learn to read." 
 
 Heidi shook her head very thoughtfully, 
 when the question came of learning to 
 read. 
 
1 66 HEIDI. 
 
 " Of course, Heidi, you must learn to 
 read. Everybody must. And the pro- 
 fessor is very good. He is never angry, 
 and he explains everything. But only 
 think ! when he explains anything, then 
 you don't understand a word of it. It is 
 best to wait, and say nothing at all, or 
 else he will keep on explaining ; and the 
 more he does so, the less you will see 
 what he means. Later, however, when 
 you have learned a little, and know about 
 it, then you will understand what he 
 meant." 
 
 At this moment Miss Rottenmeier came 
 back into the study. She had not been 
 able to call Dete back, and felt very much 
 excited, as she had many things to ask 
 her and to tell her that seemed absolutely 
 necessary. She had undertaken this busi- 
 
A NEW CHAPTER. 167 
 
 ness on her own responsibility, and now 
 that it did not seem likely to prove satis- 
 factory, she was anxious to get out of it. 
 So she ran, in her agitation, from the 
 study to the dining-room, and back again, 
 turning immediately about, to go again 
 through the same process-, when lo ! 
 there was Sebastian, and she ran plump 
 against him. He was casting his round 
 eyes anxiously over the table, which he 
 had just set for the dinner, to see if any- 
 thing was wanting to his work. 
 
 "This train of thought can be followed 
 out to-morrow ; but to-day dinner may 
 be served at once." 
 
 With these words, Miss Rottenmeier 
 pushed past Sebastian, and called for 
 Tinette with such a disagreeable tone that 
 the lady's maid tripped forward with much 
 
t68 HEIDI. 
 
 shorter steps than ever, and stood before 
 the housekeeper with such a mocking 
 expression on her face that Miss Rotten- 
 meier did not venture to attack her, but 
 tried, instead, to control herself 
 
 "The room for the child must be made 
 ready," said the lady, with a great effort 
 at calmness. " Everything is there ; it is 
 only necessary to dust the furniture." 
 
 "Well, that is worth while," said Tinette 
 ironically, and went away. 
 
 Sebastian now threw back the folding- 
 doors between the dining-room and the 
 study with a decided bang. He, too, was 
 very much excited, but dared not show it 
 before Miss Rottenmeier. So he walked 
 into the study, to roll Klara's bath-chair 
 to the table. Whilst he was adjusting 
 the handle at the back into its proper 
 
A NEW CHAPTER. 1 69 
 
 position, Heidi placed herself in front of 
 him, and regarded him fixedly, till sud- 
 denly, as he could bear it no longer, he 
 shouted out, " Well, what do you find so 
 wonderful about me ? " and returned the 
 child's stare in a way he would not have 
 dared to do, had the housekeeper been 
 present ; but she already stood on the 
 threshold, and heard Heidi's answer: 
 "You look exactly like goat- Peter." ' 
 
 Horrified, Miss Rotten meier could only 
 clasp her hands. " Now that child is 
 t/ioinnir the servants," said she half aloud ; 
 " the creature passes all understanding." 
 
 The chair being rolled to the table, and 
 
 ' Literally translated, she said, " T/ioit iookest " etc.; but 
 this form has been avoided in the English rendering, as 
 being too nuich at variance with our modes of speech; 
 therefore the following little scene loses its significance. 
 
170 HEIDI. 
 
 Klara carefully placed in her seat, the 
 housekeeper took that next her young 
 mistress, and Heidi was directed to take 
 the opposite chair. As there was no one 
 else at table, Sebastian had plenty of 
 room for the service, the seats being far 
 apart. 
 
 Near Heidi's plate lay a beautiful white 
 roll. The child looked at it with delight. 
 The resemblance to Peter that she had 
 discovered must have inspired her with 
 confidence, for she sat perfectly still and 
 did not stir, until Sebastian came round 
 to her with the big dish, to help her to 
 baked fish ; then she pointed to the bread, 
 and asked, "May I have that?" 
 
 The servant nodded assent, castinof 
 meanwhile a little glance at Miss Rot- 
 tenmeier, for he was curious to see the * 
 
A NEW CHArTER. I "J I 
 
 effect it had on her. In a moment the 
 child had seized the roll, and stuffed it 
 into her pocket. Sebastian made a wry 
 face, for the desire to laugh overtook 
 him ; but he knew that it would not be 
 tolerated. Stolid and unmoved he stood 
 before Heidi, as he dared not speak, and 
 still less leave the room, until the ser- 
 vice was over. 
 
 Heidi stared at him for some time, 
 and then asked, " Shall I eat some of 
 that ? " 
 
 Sebastian nodded ao^ain. 
 
 " Then help me," she said, and looked 
 quietly at her plate. 
 
 Sebastian's grimaces now became alarm- 
 ing, and the dish in his hand began to 
 shake ominously. 
 
 "The dish may be set upon the table; 
 
172 HEIDI. 
 
 we are served for the present," said Miss 
 Rottenmeier with severity. 
 
 Sebastian vanished instantly. 
 
 " I see, Adelheid, that I must instruct 
 you in everything from the beginning," 
 said the housekeeper, with a deep sigh. 
 " In the first place, 1 will tell you what 
 is proper when you are at table ; " and a 
 minute description followed of all the 
 etiquette required while being served. 
 " Then you must particularly remember 
 not to talk to Sebastian while he is wait- 
 mg on us at table, and indeed never to 
 speak to him unless you have a message 
 to deliver, or a necessary question to ask, 
 and then only as you or he. Do you 
 hear? Never let me again hear you ad- 
 dress him otherwise. Tinette, too, should 
 be addressed as yoti, Miss Tinette. You 
 
A NEW CIIAITER. I 73 
 
 must address me as all the others do. 
 Klara will tell you herself what she wishes 
 to be called." 
 
 *' Klara, of course," said the latter. 
 
 Now followed a quantity of instructions 
 and rules about getting up and going to 
 bed, entering and quitting a room, about 
 being orderly, and closing the doors ; and 
 in the midst of it all, Heidi fell fast 
 asleep, for she had risen that morning at 
 five o'clock, and had made a long jour- 
 ney. The poor child leaned her head 
 back in her chair, and slumbered. At 
 last the lady had finished her directions. 
 *' Now think it over, Adelheid," she said 
 •'Have you understood it perfectly?" 
 
 " Heidi has been asleep this long time," 
 said Klara, smiling with delight. Cer- 
 tainly, for the lame girl, this dinner had 
 
1 74 HEIDI. 
 
 been the most diverting that she had 
 ever known. 
 
 " I have never imagined anything like 
 what one must endure with this child," 
 said Miss Rottenmeier very angrily ; and 
 she rancr the bell with such violence that 
 Sebastian and Tinette came runninsr in 
 together. The child did not waken, in 
 spite of all the noise ; and it was with 
 the greatest difficulty that they could get 
 her sufficiently roused to lead her to her 
 bedroom, for they had to go through the 
 dining-room, the study, Klara's room, and 
 Miss Rottenmeier's, before they reached 
 the corner chamber which was hers„ 
 
A NEW CHAPTER. I 75 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 MTF.S ROTTENMEIER HAS A DAY OF TROUBLES. 
 
 When Heidi opened her eyes on her 
 first day in Frankfort, she could not in 
 the least understand what she saw. She 
 rubbed her eyes very hard, and looked 
 and looked again, and saw the same 
 thinijs each time. She was sitting in a 
 high white bed, and before her she saw 
 a large, wide room ; and where the light 
 entered, hung long white curtains. Near 
 them stood two chairs, with grreat flowers 
 thereon. Against the wall was a sofa, also 
 covered with flowers, before which stood 
 a round table. In the corner was the 
 
176 IIKIDI. 
 
 washstand, with things upon it such as 
 Heidi had never seen. 
 
 Now she remembered that she was in 
 Frankfort ; and the whole of the day be- 
 fore came to her mind, and lastly the 
 instructions given by the lady, as well as 
 she had heard them. Heidi sprung down 
 from her bed, and got herself dressed. 
 She now went to one window, then to 
 the other. She must see the sky, and 
 the earth outside ; it seemed as if she 
 were in a cage behind the big curtains. 
 As she could not draw them aside, she 
 crept under them to get to the window ; 
 but this was so high that she could only 
 just look out, nor did she find what she 
 wanted. She ran from one window to 
 another, and then back again ; but the 
 same things were always before her eyes, 
 
A DAY OF TROUBLES. I 77 
 
 walls and windows, and another wall and 
 more windows. The child began to be 
 troubled. 
 
 It was still early ; for Heidi was accus- 
 tomed to rise early on the Aim, and to 
 run out at once before the door to see 
 what the weather was, if the wind sung 
 in the pines, and if any little flowers had 
 opened their eyes. Like a bird, that for 
 the first time finds itself in a beautiful 
 glittering prison, and runs here and there, 
 tr\i:!^; on all sides to retrain its freedom, 
 so the child ran from one window to 
 another, trying to open them, for she 
 felt that she must .see something besides 
 walls and windows. There must be green 
 grass on the earth beneath, and the last 
 traces of melting snow on the precipices ; 
 and Heidi longed for the sight. 
 
178 " HEIDI. 
 
 All the windows were tightly fastened 
 down, however ; and no matter how the 
 child lifted and tugged, and tried to get 
 her little fingers under the sash, in hope 
 to get hold enough to force it open, it 
 was in vain ; everything was as firm as 
 if made of iron. After a long time she 
 became convinced that her efforts were 
 useless. She gave up trying, and won- 
 dered if she could not perhaps get out 
 of the house door, and run round the 
 corner until she found the grass ; for she 
 remembered that when they came, on the 
 preceding evening, they had passed over 
 stones all the way. But just then some 
 one knocked on the door; Miss Tinette's 
 head appeared, and she uttered the words, 
 " Breakfast ready ! " 
 
 Heidi had no idea that this meant that 
 
A DAY OF TROUBLES. I 79 
 
 she was to q-q to breakfast ; and on the 
 scornful face of the lady's maid the child 
 saw much more a warning not to approach 
 too nearly than anything" of a friendly 
 nature, and read the face too truly to wish 
 to tr)' familiarities. 
 
 She now took a little footstool from 
 beneath the table, set it in the corner, and 
 taking her seat there, waited patiently to 
 see what would happen next. After a 
 while, something came with a good deal 
 of noise. It was Miss Rottenmeier, who 
 was again in great excitement, and came 
 hurriedly into the room, saying, "What is 
 the matter with you, Adelheid ? Don't you 
 know what breakfast means ? Come at 
 once ! " This Heidi understood, and fol- 
 lowed into the dinintr-room, where Klara 
 had long been seated. She greeted her 
 
l8o HEIDI. 
 
 little friend with pleasant words, and had 
 a far more cheerful expression than usual, 
 for she anticipated all sorts of adv'intures 
 in the day that had just begun. 
 
 Breakfast, however, proceeded without 
 accident. Heidi ate her bread and butter 
 very properly ; and when Klara was rolled 
 into the library. Miss Rottenmeier gave 
 the child to understand that she was to 
 remain wuth Klara until the professor 
 came. 
 
 As soon as the children were alone to- 
 gether, the little girl asked at once, " How 
 can one look out, Klara, and see quite 
 down to the ground ? " 
 
 " You open the window, and peep out, 
 of course," said the other, much amused. 
 
 " But these windows won't come open," 
 said Heidi very sadly. 
 
A DAY OF TROUBLES. l8l 
 
 " Oh, yes ! they will," was Klara's 
 reassuring answer. " You cannot open 
 them, nor can I help you. But when you 
 get a chance to speak to Sebastian, he 
 will open one at once." 
 
 It was a great relief to our little moun- 
 tain girl to know this, for she had felt as 
 if she were in prison. 
 
 Soon Klara began to question Heidi 
 concerning her life at home ; and Heidi 
 told with pleasure all about the Aim, and 
 the goats, the pasture life, and all that 
 she loved up there. 
 
 While the girls talked, the professor 
 arrived ; but he was detained by Miss 
 Rottenmeier in the dining-room, before 
 she allowed him to go to the study. 
 There she seated herself before him, aijd 
 began excitedly to explain the dilemma 
 
152 HEIDI. 
 
 she was in, and how it had all happened; 
 how she had written to Paris a while ago, 
 to tell Mr. Sesemann that his daughter had 
 long wished for a companion, and that 
 she herself was convinced that were there 
 some one to join Klara in her studies, it 
 would act as a spur to her learning. Miss 
 Rottenmeier felt that it would also be most 
 agreeable to herself to be released from 
 the necessity of being always with her 
 young mistress. 
 
 Mr. Sesemann had replied that he 
 should gladly comply with his daughter's 
 wish, only making the condition that such 
 a playfellow should be treated in every 
 way as if she were a daughter of the 
 house, for he would have no tormenting 
 of children in his home ; which indeed 
 was a most unnecessary remark, said Miss 
 
A DAY OF TROUBLES. 183 
 
 Rottenmeier, for who would wMsh to be 
 cruel to a child ? Now the professor must 
 hear how very unlucky she had been in 
 her choice, and there followed a detail of 
 every instance of ignorance that Heidi 
 had shown. Not only must the child's 
 education begin with the alphabet, but 
 every point of good breeding must be 
 taught her from the very rudiments. 
 
 Out of this unbearable position she 
 could see but one hope of escape, which 
 was for the professor to declare that it 
 would be very unprofitable for two chil- 
 dren who were in such different stages of 
 advancenient to study together, especially 
 for the more proficient. Such a statement 
 would afford Mr. Sesemann a plausible 
 ground for withdrawing from the bargain, 
 and he would agree that the child should 
 
184 HEIDI. 
 
 be sent back to her home ; which step she 
 dared not take, now that the master of 
 the house was aware that the child had 
 arrived. But the professor was cautious, 
 and never one-sided in his decisions. He 
 comforted Miss Rottenmeier with many 
 words, and with the prospect that if the 
 Httle girl were so backward on one side, 
 she might be as forward upon others, 
 and that a well-regulated method of teach- 
 ing would soon bring things to a proper 
 balance. 
 
 At last the housekeeper became aware 
 that she could hope for no support from 
 the professor, but that he intended to 
 begin with teaching the alphabet. She 
 opened the study door for him, shutting 
 it behind him quickly ; for of all things 
 she dreaded to be obliged to listen to 
 
A DAY OF TKOU15LP:s. 1 85 
 
 the teaching of ABC. Up and down the 
 dining-room with great strides, she now 
 tried to decide the momentous question 
 of how the servants were to address Adel- 
 heid. Mr. Sesemann had certainly written 
 that she must be treated as if she were 
 his daughter ; and this order must par- 
 ticularly have reference to the conduct of 
 the servants, thought Miss Rottenmeier. 
 She was not, however, allowed to pursue 
 her train of thought without interruption, 
 for suddenly a startling crash as of some- 
 thing falling was heard in the study, 
 followed by a call for Sebastian. She 
 hastened in. On the floor, in the great- 
 est confusion, lay the whole collection of 
 schoolbooks, copy-books, inkstands, and 
 other aids to study, and over all the table- 
 cloth, from beneath which a black rivulet 
 
1 86 HEIDI. 
 
 ran down the whole length of the room. 
 Heidi had vanished. 
 
 "Now we have it!" cried Miss Rot- 
 tenmeier, wringing her hands. " Carpet, 
 books, work-basket, everything in the ink ! 
 Never has the like happened before. This 
 is the work of that wretched child, with- 
 out doubt." 
 
 The professor stood, much disturbed, 
 and looked at the wreck, which wreck 
 certainly had only one side, and that a 
 very distressing one. Klara, on the other 
 hand, was regarding the whole thing with 
 a pleased look, and now explained: "Yes, 
 Heidi did it, but not intentionally. In- 
 deed she must not be punished. She 
 was so dreacllull)- quick in her movements 
 that she dragged the table-cloth with her, 
 and so everything fell down. A number 
 
A DAY OF TROUBLES. 1 87 
 
 of carriages drove by, one after the otlier, 
 and that made her fly off. She has proba- 
 bly never seen a coach." 
 
 "There! Is it not just as I told you. 
 professor ? Not one proper idea has the 
 creature ; not the least suspicion of what 
 a lesson is, nor that she should orive atten- 
 tion, and keep still. But where has the 
 mischievous child gone? If she should 
 have run away, what shall I tell Mr. Sese- 
 mann ?" 
 
 Miss Rottenmeier hurried down-stairs. 
 There in the open house door stood 
 Heidi, looking up and down the street 
 ]uite puzzled. 
 
 "What is the matter? What are you 
 thinking of? How dare you run off in 
 this way ! " cried out Miss Rottenmeier 
 to die child. 
 
1 88 HEIDI. 
 
 " I heard the wind In the pines ; but I 
 don't know where they stand, and now 
 I do not hear it any more." And she 
 stood staring with disappointment toward 
 the side from which the sound had come. 
 It was the sound of rumbhng of heavy 
 carriages, which seemed, to her unwonted 
 ears, to be the rushing of the F'ohn in 
 the pines, and which had filled her with 
 the greatest delight. 
 
 "Pine-trees! Are we in the forest? 
 What kind of notions are these ? Come 
 up-stairs with me, and see the mischief 
 you have done ! " 
 
 Miss Rottenmeier went up-stairs again, 
 followed by Heidi, who looked at the 
 heap of things that she had spilled 
 on the floor in consternation ; for in 
 her joy at hearing the wind, she had 
 
A DAY OF TROUHI.ES. 189 
 
 thought of nothing hut getting to the 
 pines. 
 
 " You have done this once ; a second 
 time it must not happen," said the 
 housekeeper, pointing to the floor. " In 
 order to learn, one must sit still, and pay 
 attention. If you cannot do it of your- 
 self, then I must bind you fast to your 
 chair. Can you understand what I say?" 
 
 " Yes," answered Heidi, " but indeed I 
 will sit still ; " for she understood now, 
 that it was a rule that during study hours 
 she was to sit quiet. 
 
 Sebastian and Tinette came in to put 
 things in order again. The professor 
 withdrew, for there could be no more 
 lessons that day. There had certainly 
 been no yawning. 
 
 It was Klara's habit to rest for a while 
 
190 HEIDI. 
 
 in the afternoon ; and Heidi was to 
 choose her own occupation for that time, 
 as the housekeeper had that morning 
 explained to her. So when Klara had 
 settled herself to rest in her bath-chair, 
 and Miss Rottenmeier had withdrawn to 
 her own room, the child realized that 
 she was free to do as she liked. She 
 was glad enough, for she had something 
 in her mind that she longed to accom- 
 plish. For this, however, she needed 
 assistance ; so she stationed herself in 
 the corridor, before the entrance to the 
 dining-room, in order that the person to 
 whom she wished to speak could not 
 escape her. 
 
 In a short time, up came Sebastian 
 with a tray, bringing the silver from the 
 kitchen, to put it away in the sideboard 
 
A DAY OF TROUBLES. I9I 
 
 in the dining-room. As he reached the 
 topmost step, there stood Heidi before 
 him, and very distinctly she said, " You 
 or he ! " 
 
 Sebastian's round eyes opened to their 
 utmost capacity, and he said rather 
 sharply, "What do you mean, mamselle?" 
 
 " I want to ask you something ; but it 
 is nothing naughty, Hke this morning," 
 she said deprecatingly, for she thought 
 he was angry, and she supposed it was 
 because of the ink on the carpet. 
 
 " Oh ho ! But why must I be called 
 You or he ? First tell me that," said 
 the man still sharply. 
 
 " That is what I must always say, for 
 Miss Rottenmeier has ordered it so." 
 
 At these words, Sebastian burst out 
 laughing so loudly, that Heidi stared at 
 
192 HEIDI. 
 
 him in surprise, for she saw nothing to 
 laugh at. The man, however, understood 
 at once what it all meant, and said, " All 
 right ; now go on, mamselle." 
 
 " I am not mamselle, I ani Heidi," 
 said the child, now somewhat nettled in 
 her turn. 
 
 " That is true enouofh ; but the same 
 lady has ordered me to say mamselle." 
 
 "Has she? Well, then, I must be 
 called so," said Heidi resignedly ; for she 
 had learned that everything in the house- 
 hold must be as Miss Rottenmeier wished. 
 
 " Now I have three names," she added 
 with a sigh. 
 
 " But what did the little mamselle wish 
 to ask ? " asked Sebastian at last, as he 
 went into the dining-room to put away 
 the silver. 
 
A DAY OF TROUBLES. 1 93 
 
 " How can one open these windows, 
 Sebastian ? " 
 
 " So, just so ; " and he opened one <ii 
 the great windows. 
 
 The child ran to look out, but she 
 was too small ; she only reached to the 
 sill. 
 
 Sebastian brought a high wooden stool 
 to the window. " Now the little mam- 
 selle can look out," he said, as he helped 
 her up on to it. 
 
 But the child withdrew her head 
 quickly, with a look of keen disappoint- 
 .nent on her face. "There's only the 
 stone street, and nothing else," said she 
 sadly. " But if you go all round the 
 house, what can you see on the other 
 side, Sebastian } " 
 
 "Just the same." 
 
194 HEIDI. 
 
 " Is there no place where you can see 
 the whole valley far down and away ? " 
 
 "To do that you must climb up a 
 high tower, a church tower, like that 
 one over there with the golden ball on 
 the top. You can look down from that, 
 and see about on every side." 
 
 In a twinkling Heidi had clambered 
 down from her high stool, was off to 
 the door, out into the street, and away. 
 Things did not happen as she expected, 
 however. When she saw the tower out 
 of the window she thought that she could 
 go to it by simply crossing the street ; 
 it seemed directly before her. She went 
 the whole length of the street, but did 
 not come to it, nor could she see it any- 
 where. She turned a corner, going farther 
 and farther, still no tower to be seen. 
 
A DAY OF TRC)U1!1,ES. 1 95 
 
 A great many people passed her by ; 
 but they all seemed in such haste that 
 the child thought they would not find 
 time to give her any information ; but 
 on the next corner she saw a bo)' stand- 
 ing, who carried a small hand-organ on 
 his back, and on his arm a queer-look- 
 ing animal. Running up to him, the 
 child asked, " Where is the tower with 
 the golden ball at the top ? " 
 
 " Don't know." 
 
 "Who can I ask to tell me?* 
 
 " Don't know." 
 
 " Do you know of any other church 
 with a high tower ? " 
 
 "Yes, I do." 
 
 " Then come and show me." 
 
 '.' Tell me first what you will give me." 
 
 The boy held out his hand. Heidi 
 
196 HEIDI. 
 
 searched in her pocket, and drew out a 
 httle picture of a pretty wreath of red 
 roses. She looked at it rather regret- 
 fully, for Klara had given it to her that 
 very morning ; but to look down into 
 the valley, to survey the green preci- 
 pices ! 
 
 " Here," she said, and held the card 
 towards the lad, "will you take this?" 
 
 He withdrew his hand, and shook his 
 head. 
 
 " What do you want, then ? " asked 
 she, tucking her picture away gladly. 
 
 " Money." 
 
 " I have none, but Klara has ; she will 
 certainly give you some. How much do 
 you want ? " 
 
 " Five cents." 
 
 "Well, then, come along.** 
 
A DAY OF TROUBLES. 1 97 
 
 They wandered down a long street, 
 and the child asked her guide what he 
 carried on his back. He explained that 
 there was a beautiful oro^an under the 
 cloth, that made charmino- music, if he 
 turned the handle. All at once he stood 
 still before an old church with a high 
 tower. "This is it," he said. 
 
 " But how can I get in ? " asked Heidi, as 
 she discovered that the door was fastened. 
 
 " Don't know." 
 
 " Do you think I could ring, as they do 
 for Sebastian ? " 
 
 " Don't know." 
 
 The child had discovered a bell, at which 
 she pulled with all her might. 
 
 "When J go in, you must wait for me 
 here, for I do not know my way back, and 
 I want you to show me." 
 
198 HEIDI. 
 
 "What will you give me for it?" 
 
 "What do you want?" 
 
 ** Another five cents." 
 
 The creaking lock was turned from with- 
 in, the creaking door was opened, and an 
 old man stepped out ; he stared some- 
 what curiously at first at the children, 
 then in surprise and anger demanded : 
 " What do you mean by ringing me 
 down, you two? Can't you read what is 
 written here over the bell ? — ' For those 
 who wish to climb the tower.' " 
 
 The lad pointed to Keidi with his fore- 
 finger, and said nothing. Heidi said at 
 once, "That is just what I want to do." 
 
 " W^hat business have you up there ? 
 Did any one send you ? " 
 
 " No ; I want to go up so that I can 
 look down." 
 
A DAY OF TROUBLES. 1 99 
 
 *' Make haste and get you home, and 
 do not try this joke again, for you will not 
 get off so easily the second time ! " The 
 tower-keeper turned away, and was going 
 to shut the door ; but Heidi held him by 
 the coat, and begged, " Only just once." 
 
 He looked round, and Heidi's eyes 
 gazed up at him so beseechingly that he 
 was moved, and took the child by the 
 hand, saying kindly, " If you're so very 
 much set upon it, come with me." 
 
 The boy had seated himself on a stone 
 seat beside the door, to show that he did 
 not wish to accompany them. 
 
 They climbed many, many steps, Heidi 
 holding by the tower-keeper's hand. Soon 
 the stairway became much narrower, and 
 at last it was only the smallest passage, 
 and they were at the top. The tower- 
 
200 HEIDI. 
 
 keeper raised her in his arms, and held 
 her at the open window. "There, now! 
 Look down," said he. 
 
 Heidi looked down over a sea of roofs, 
 towers, and chimneys ; she drew back 
 quickly, saying, quite downcast, " It isn't 
 anything like what I thought it would 
 be." 
 
 " Now you see how it is. How could 
 such a little girl understand about a 
 view ? Come now, and ring no more 
 tower-bells." 
 
 Setting the child again on the floor, 
 he led the way back down the narrow 
 stair. Where the passage grew wider, 
 they came to the keeper's room. Near 
 the door the floor extended under the 
 steep roof, and there stood a big basket. 
 A large gray cat sat there growling ; fof 
 
 I 
 
A DAY OF TROUBLES. 20I 
 
 her family lived in the basket, and she 
 warned everybody who passed not to 
 meddle with her household affairs. Heidi, 
 who had never seen so huge a cat, 
 stopped to admire her. Armies of mice 
 lived in the old tower ; and Mrs. Puss 
 fetched every day without trouble a good 
 half-dozen for dinner. 
 
 Seeing Heidi's interest, the keeper 
 said : " She will not hurt you while I am 
 here. You may look at her kittens." 
 
 Heidi drew near the basket, and broke 
 out into exclamations of delight. " Oh, 
 the pretty little creatures ! the beautiful 
 kittens ! " she cried again and again, and 
 ran round and round to see all the funny 
 movements and gambols that the seven 
 or eight little things were making, as 
 they rolled about in the basket, spring- 
 
202 HEIDI. 
 
 ing, crawling, and tumbling over each 
 other. 
 
 " Would you like to have one of them ?" 
 asked the keeper, who was regarding the 
 child with pleasure, as she jumped about 
 for joy. 
 
 "For myself? for always?" said she 
 excitedly, and could not believe in such 
 happiness. 
 
 " To be sure. You may have more ; 
 you may have them all, if you have room 
 for them," said the man, who was glad 
 to get rid of his kittens without being 
 obliged to kill them. 
 
 Heidi's delig^ht was at its climax. In 
 that big house the kittens could have 
 so much room, and how surprised and 
 pleased Klara would be when she saw 
 the dear little things ! 
 
A DAY OF TROUBLES. 2O3 
 
 *' But how can I take them home with 
 me?" Heidi now asked, and put out her 
 hand to take one immediately; but the 
 big cat sprang on to her arm, spitting 
 at her so angrily that she drew back 
 afraid. 
 
 " I will bring them to you, if you will 
 tell me where." 
 
 The keeper said this, while he stroked 
 the old cat to quiet her. She was his good 
 friend, and they had inhabited the tower 
 for many years. 
 
 " To Mr. Sesemann's big house," an- 
 swered Heidi. " There is a golden dog's 
 head on the door, holding a thick ring 
 in his mouth." 
 
 It was not necessary to give all these 
 directions to the tower-master, who had 
 lived all his life in the tower, and knew 
 
204 HEIDI. 
 
 every house far and near, and was also an 
 old friend of Sebastian. 
 
 " I know the house well. But to whom 
 shall I bring the little things ? for whom 
 shall I ask ? You do not belong to Mr. 
 Sesemann." 
 
 " No, but Klara. She will be delighted 
 when the little kits come home." 
 
 The child could scarcely tear herself 
 away from the enchanting basket, though 
 the keeper said it was time to go down. 
 
 "If I could only take one or two of 
 them with me ! one for myself, and one 
 for Klara! Oh, may I?" 
 
 " Wait a moment," said the keeper, 
 and drew the old cat cautiously into his 
 little room. He set her down to a dish 
 of milk, shut the door upon her, and 
 came back, saying, " Now take two." 
 
A DAY OF TROUBLES. 2O5 
 
 Her eyes dancing with joy, Heidi chose 
 a white one and a yellow one striped 
 with white, and stuck one into her righ - 
 hand and the other into her le^^ hand 
 pocket. They then went down 
 
 The lad still sat on the steps where 
 they had left him, and wnen the keeper 
 had closed the door and gone a^vay, Heidi 
 asked, " Which way must we take to go 
 to Mr. Sesemann's house?" 
 
 " Don't know." 
 
 She described the house, the door, the 
 steps, and the windows ; but her com- 
 panion only shook his head. He knew 
 nothing about all these. 
 
 " Now look ! " said she, with a new idea. 
 ** From one of the windows can be seen a 
 big, big gray house, and the roof goes 
 so,'' and she drew great notches in the 
 air with her finger. 
 
206 HEIDI. 
 
 Up jumped the boy at this. These were 
 the signs that he needed. Now he knew 
 the way. Off he started, and the little 
 girl after him, and soon they stood before 
 the door with the big metal dog's head. 
 Heidi pulled the bell. Sebastian quickly 
 appeared, and seeing the child, cried 
 out, " Come at once, as fast as you can ! " 
 
 In sprang Heidi ; the door slammed to. 
 The servant had not even noticed the boy, 
 who stood abashed outside. 
 
 " Quick, mamselle ! " urged Sebastian 
 again. "Run into the dining-room. 
 They are already at table, and Miss Rot- 
 tenmeier looks like a loaded cannon. 
 What possessed the little mamselle to run 
 away ? " 
 
 Heidi entered the room. Miss Rotten- 
 meier did not look up. Klara also took 
 
A DAY OF TROUBLES. 20/ 
 
 no notice. The silence was rather oppres- 
 sive. Sebastian placed Heidi's chair for 
 her. As the child took her place, the 
 housekeeper began, with a severe expres- 
 sion and a very solemn voice: "Adelheid, 
 I wish to speak to you later. I will only 
 say now that you have misbehaved your- 
 self greatly, and deserve punishment for 
 having left the house without asking per- 
 mission, or letting anybody know, and for 
 running about until this late hour. It is 
 most unheard-of conduct." 
 
 " Miew ! " came for reply. 
 
 At this the ladv's an^er rose to a terrible 
 pitch. "How is this, Adelheid.'^" she 
 cried, speaking louder and louder. " Do 
 you dare, in addition to your misbehavior, 
 to make game of me ? Beware what you 
 are about ! I warn you ! " 
 
208 UElDl. 
 
 "I am not" — began Heidi. Miewl 
 miew ! 
 
 Sebastian now almost flung his dish on 
 the table, and fled from the room. 
 
 " It is too much ! " This is what Miss 
 Rottenmeier tried to say, but her voice 
 was quite gone from excitement. " Rise, 
 and leave the room," she stammered. 
 
 Very much frightened, the child rose, 
 trying once more to explain. 
 
 "I truly am not" — Miew! miew! 
 miew ! 
 
 " But, Heidi," interposed Klara, " when 
 you see that it makes Miss Rottenmeier 
 so angry, why do you keep on making 
 that noise ? " 
 
 "I am not making it; it's the kittens," 
 Heidi at last found chance to answer. 
 
 " How ? What ? Young cats! " screamed 
 
A DAY OF TROUBLES. 2O9 
 
 the lady. " Sebastian ! Tinette ! find the 
 horrid things. Get rid of them." With 
 the words she ran into the study, boUing 
 the door, to make herself more secure, 
 for of all created things young cats were 
 the most terrible to her. 
 
 Sebastian stood outside, where he was 
 fain to have his laugh out before he again 
 entered. He had seen, while he was 
 serving Heidi, a small feline head, and 
 then another, peeping out of her pockets 
 on either side, and foresaw the trouble 
 that was brewing. When the storm fairly 
 broke, he could contain himself not another 
 moment, hardly long enough even to set 
 his dish on the table. At last he went 
 again into the room, but not until the 
 terrified lady's cries for help had been 
 repeated over and over again. Every 
 
2IO HEIDI. 
 
 thing now seemed quiet and tranqui'l 
 enough. Klara held the kittens in her 
 lap, Heidi knelt on the floor by her side, 
 and the children were playing most hap- 
 pily with the tiny, graceful creatures. 
 
 " Sebastian," said Klara to him as he 
 entered, " you must help us. You must 
 find a nest for the kittens where Miss Rot- 
 tenmeier will not see them ; for she is afraid 
 of them, and will send them away. But 
 we do want to keep the little darlings, and 
 have them here to play with whenever we 
 are alone. Where can you hide them ? " 
 
 *' I will take care of them, Miss Klara," 
 said Sebastian willingly. " I will make a 
 nice little bed for them in a basket, and 
 put it somewhere so that the lady who 
 is so afraid of them shall not find it. 
 Leave it all to me." 
 
A DAY OF TROUBLES. 211 
 
 Sebastian went at once to work, and 
 snickered to himself as he thought, "There 
 will be some fun out of this ; " for he was 
 not sorry to see the housekeeper stirred 
 up now and then. 
 
 The particular scolding that Miss Rot- 
 tenmeier intended to administer to Heidi 
 passed over till the following day, for she 
 felt herself too much exhausted, after all 
 the emotions of anxiety, anger, and fear, 
 that the child had so unintentionally caused 
 her, to do anything that evening. She 
 withdrew early, and the little girls followed 
 in perfect contentment, knowing that the 
 kittens were safe. 
 
2ia HEIDL 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 IN THE SESEMANN HOUSE THINGS DO NOT 
 GO SMOOTHLY. 
 
 When Sebastian had opened the door 
 for the professor on the following morning, 
 and had shown that gentleman, as usual, 
 into the study, suddenly the door-bell 
 rang again, and with such violence that 
 the servant flew down-stairs again as if 
 ihot ; for he said to himself, "It must be 
 Mr. Sesemann himself, who has returned 
 unexpectedly." 
 
 Opening the door as quickly as possible, 
 a ragged boy with a hand-organ on his 
 back confronted him. 
 
THINGS DO NOT GO SMOOTHLY. 213 
 
 '* What do you mean ? I will teach )ou 
 to pull the door-bell hard enough to tear 
 it out [ What do you want here ? " cried 
 the angry servant. 
 
 *' I must see Klara," was the answer. 
 
 " You dirty street-boy, you ! Can't you 
 at least say Miss Klara, as the rest of us 
 do ? What business can you have with 
 Miss Klara ? " asked the man, still more 
 roughly. 
 
 " She owes me ten cents," said the lad. 
 
 " There is something wrong with your 
 head, I think. How do you know, in the 
 first place, that there is a Miss Klara ? " 
 
 " I showed her the way yesterday, 
 comes to five ; and then the way back 
 again, comes to ten." 
 
 " Now what stuff you are making up I 
 Miss Klara never walks out, can't even 
 
214 HEIDI. 
 
 do it. Be off now ! Go home, where 
 you belong, before I help you ! " 
 
 But the lad was not intimidated by 
 these threats. Standing his ground, he 
 said stolidly : " I saw her yesterday in the 
 street, I can tell you how she looks. She 
 has short hair that curls, and is black ; 
 her eyes are black, too, and her frock is 
 brown. She does not talk as we do." 
 
 "Oh ho!" thought Sebastian, and snick- 
 ered to himself. " That is the little mam- 
 selle. She has started something new ! " 
 
 He told the lad to follow him inside, 
 then to wait at the study door until allowed 
 to enter, and once in, to begin to play his 
 organ immediately ; that would please Miss 
 Klara. 
 
 Knocking at the study door, Sebastian 
 was told to come in. " There is a lad 
 
THINGS DO NOT GO SMOOTHLY. 215 
 
 here who insists that he has something 
 to say to Miss Klara herseHV he an- 
 nounced. 
 
 Klara was dehghted at this unusual 
 occurrence. 
 
 " Let him come in at once," she said. 
 '•May he not, professor?" 
 
 The lad had already stepped into the 
 room, and as directed, had begun to play. 
 
 Now this morning Miss Rottenmeier had 
 found all sorts of things to attend to in 
 the dining-room, in order to avoid hearing 
 the teaching of the alphabet. Suddenly 
 she stopped, and listened. Did those 
 sounds come from the street ? Yet they 
 sounded so near ! Could there be a 
 hurdy-gurdy in the study ? Yes, yes ; in 
 there it certainly was. She flew through 
 the long dining-room, and tore open the 
 
2l6 HEIDI. 
 
 door. There, incredible ! there, in the 
 middle of the study, stood a ragged boy, 
 turninpf the handle of his instrument with 
 the greatest diligence ! The professor 
 seemed standing as if about to speak, 
 but could not get a chance. Klara and 
 Heidi were listening, entranced. 
 
 " Stop ! stop at once ! " cried Miss Rot- 
 tenmeier, coming into the room ; but her 
 voice was drowned by the music. She 
 ran toward the lad, when suddenly some- 
 thing came between her feet, and she 
 stooped to look on the floor. A grayish, 
 blackish animal was crawling almost under 
 her feet; it was a tortoise. Miss Rotten- 
 meier made one spring into the air, such 
 as she had not made for many a year. 
 Then she screamed with all her might, 
 " Sebastian ! Sebastian ! " 
 
THINGS DO NOT GO SMOOTHLY. 217 
 
 The organ-grinder stopped suddenly, for 
 this time the voice was louder than the 
 music. Sebastian stood behind the half- 
 open door, all doubled up with laughter, 
 for he had seen the leap Miss Rottenmeier 
 had made. At last he came in. The 
 housekeeper had sunk down into a chair. 
 " Drive them out ! man and beast ! Get 
 rid of them, Sebastian, at once ! " 
 
 The servant obeyed ; drew the lad, who 
 had quickly caught up his tortoise, out 
 of the room, pressed something into 
 his hand, saying, " Ten cents for Miss 
 Klara, and ten cents for the music. You 
 did it very well ; " and shut the house 
 door. 
 
 In the study it was now quiet again ; 
 the lessons were resumed, and this time 
 Miss Rottenmeier remained stationary, to 
 
2iS HEIDI. 
 
 prevent, if possible, any new outbreak 
 She had determined to investigate the mat- 
 ter after lessons, and to punish the wrong- 
 doer so that it would never be forgotten. 
 
 But soon another knock was heard at 
 the door ; Sebastian appeared again, with 
 the announcement that a great basket had 
 come, to be delivered to Miss Klara. 
 
 "To me?" asked Klara in surprise, and 
 very curious. " Let me see at once how it 
 looks. What can it be ? " 
 
 Sebastian brought in a covered basket, 
 and withdrew as quickly as possible. 
 
 " I think we will first finish our lessons, 
 and unpack the basket afterwards," said 
 Miss Rottenmeier. 
 
 Klara could not imagine what had been 
 sent to her ; she looked longingly towards 
 the basket. 
 
THINGS DO NOT GO SMOOTHLY. 219 
 
 " Professor," she said, interrupting her- 
 self in her declension, " may I not take- 
 one look, just to see what there is in it ? 
 then I would go on with my lessons." 
 
 " In one point of view there is reason 
 for your request, and in another against 
 it," replied he. " In its favor, lies the 
 fact that as long as your whole attention 
 is concentrated on this object — " 
 
 The professor's speech was never fin- 
 ished ; for the covering of the basket was 
 quite loose, and behold ! out leaped one, 
 two, three, and again two, kittens upon 
 kittens, till the whole room seemed full 
 of these creatures, they were everywhere 
 ivith such inconceivable rapidity. One 
 jumped over the professor's boots, and bit 
 at his trousers. Another crawled over Miss 
 Rottenmeier's feet, and clambered up her 
 
220 HEIDI. 
 
 dress, while a third sprang upon Klara's 
 chair. They scratched, they clawed, they 
 mewed ; it was a perfect turmoil ! Klara 
 cried out, in the greatest delight : " Oh, 
 what darlings ! What little beauties ! How 
 they jump ! See, Heidi ! look at this 
 one ! Oh, at that ! " Heidi ran after 
 them, here and there, into all the corners. 
 The professor stood much embarrassed by 
 the table, lifting first one foot, then the 
 other, out of the way of the unpleasant 
 little skirmishers. 
 
 At first the housekeeper sat speechless 
 from terror, glued to her chair. Soon 
 she recovered voice, and began to scream 
 with all her might, " Tinette ! Tinette ! 
 Sebastian ! Sebastian ! " It would have 
 been impossible for her to rise from her 
 seat, with all these little horrors around 
 
THINGS DO NOT GO SMOOTHLY. 221 
 
 her. At last the servants came in, caught 
 the kittens, one after another, and stuffed 
 them into the basket, and carried them 
 off to the attic, to their companions of 
 the previous evening. During to-day's 
 study hours, as yesterday's, there had been 
 no room for yawning. 
 
 In the evening, when Miss Rottenmeier 
 had recovered (sufficiently from her alarm, 
 she called Sebastian and Tinette into the 
 study, and instituted a thorough investiga- 
 tion into this most objectionable occur- 
 rence. It now came to light that Heidi, 
 during her excursion of the day before, 
 had arranged the whole affair. The house- 
 keeper sat perfectly white with dismay, 
 and could find no words to utter after 
 this disclosure. She made signs with her 
 hand for them to leave. After a while 
 
222 HEIDI. 
 
 she turned to Heidi, who was standing 
 by Klara's chair with but slight idea of 
 what crime she had been guilty. 
 
 "Adelheid," she began, in a severe tone, 
 ** I know of only one punishment that 
 would touch you in the least, for you are a 
 barbarian ; but we will see if you do not 
 get tamed down, in our cellar with the rats 
 and lizards, until you are cured of your 
 taste for such things." 
 
 Heidi listened in quiet surprise at her 
 sentence, for she had never been in a 
 frightful cellar. The room adjoining the 
 mountain cottage that her grandfather 
 called the cellar, where the cheese was 
 kept and where the milk-pans stood, was 
 a pleasant and attractive place ; and as 
 for rats and lizards, she had never seen 
 any. 
 
THINGS DO NOT GO SMOOTHLY. 22 j 
 
 Klara, however, raised a loud protest. 
 " No, no, Miss Rottenmeier ! we must wait 
 until papa comes. He will soon be here, 
 and then he will decide, after I have told 
 him all about it, what is to be done to 
 Heidi." 
 
 Against this there could be no objec- 
 tion, as the master was really coming in 
 a few days. Miss Rottenmeier rose, and 
 said somewhat wrathfully, " Very well, 
 Klara, very well ! I shall also have a few 
 words to say to your father," and sailed 
 out of the room. 
 
 Several quiet days now passed by, but 
 the housekeeper did not recover her com- 
 posure. She hourly felt her disappoint- 
 ment about Heidi, and it seemed to her 
 as if, since the child's arrival, everything 
 had been out of joint, and could not be 
 
2 24 HEIDI. 
 
 adjusted again. Klara, on the contrary, 
 was well pleased. Heidi's ways were so 
 diverting, that the hours devoted to in- 
 struction were no longer tedious ones. 
 She always got the letters confused with 
 each other, and could not learn to dis- 
 tinguish them. The good professor would 
 be in the midst of explaining their forms, 
 and in order to make them more strik- 
 ing would compare one to a horn, and 
 another to a beak, when Heidi, in a tone 
 of great excitement, would cry out, "It is 
 a goat ! " or, "It is the eagle ! " The de- 
 scription had called up all sorts of notions, 
 but not the names of letters. 
 
 Late one afternoon, Klara having rested 
 for the usual time, Heidi sat beside her, 
 and told her yet more about her life on 
 the Aim ; and as she talked about it, the 
 
THINGS DO NOT GO SMOOTHLY. 225 
 
 desire to return became so great that she 
 said at last, " Now I certainly must go 
 back to-morrow ! " 
 
 She had often said so, and Klara had 
 always been able to quiet her, and to per- 
 suade the child that it would be better to 
 wait until her father came, then they would 
 hear what he said about it ; and Heidi 
 always yielded, and was content, being 
 helped by the secret thought that every 
 day she staid, the heap of rolls for the 
 blind grandmother would become larger. 
 Morning and evening she added to her 
 collection the beautiful white roll that lay 
 beside her plate. She stuffed them quickly 
 into her pocket, and could not have eaten 
 them herself, because the thought of how 
 the poor old woman could not eat the hard 
 black bread rose always in her memory. 
 
226 HEIDI. 
 
 After luncheon, Heidi sat always alone 
 in her room for two long hours, and did 
 not move ; for she understood that she 
 was not allowed to go out alone in Frank- 
 fort, as if she were on the Aim, and she 
 never tried aofain to do so. She was also 
 forbidden to go to the dining-room to talk 
 to Sebastian ; while to have any conv^ersa^ 
 tion with Tinette never occurred to the 
 child, who always got out of the way 
 of the lady's maid as quickly as possible, 
 because she only spoke to her in a mock- 
 ing tone, making fun of her; a disposition 
 Vv'hich Heidi only too well understood. 
 
 So the little girl sat alone, and had 
 plenty of time to imagine how the Aim 
 was again green, how the yellow llowers 
 glistened in the sunshine, and how every- 
 thing shone in the bright light, the snow 
 
THINGS DO NOT GO SMOOTHLY. 22/ 
 
 and the mountain, and the whole valley, 
 until she could scarcely wait another mo- 
 ment, so great was her longing to be 
 back there as^aln. Her aunt had assured 
 her that she could go home whenever she 
 wished ; and so it came to pass that the 
 child one day restrained herself no longer. 
 She packed up all her rolls in the great 
 red kerchief, put her old straw^ hat on her 
 head, and started off. 
 
 No further than the house door, how- 
 ever, Heidi encountered an insuperable 
 obstacle, in the shape of Miss Rotten- 
 meier, just returning from a walk. She 
 stood still in blank amaze, and stared at 
 the child from head to foot, her gaze 
 resting especially on the red kerchief evi- 
 dently full of something. At length she 
 burst forth. 
 
228 HEIDI. 
 
 " What sort of costume is this ? What 
 does the whole thing mean ? Have I not 
 strictly forbidden you to go running about 
 the streets any more ? Now you are doing 
 so again, and looking like a tramp into the 
 bargain ! " 
 
 " I am not going to stroll about the 
 streets, I am only going home again," 
 answered Heidi, a little frightened. 
 
 "How? What? Go home? Do you 
 wish to go home?" Miss Rottenmeier 
 clasped her hands in her agitation. " Do 
 you mean to run away ? If Mr. Sesemann 
 were to know of this! Running away 
 from his house ! Never let him hear of 
 it ! Pray, then, what does not suit you 
 here ? Have you not been far better 
 treated than you deserved ? Do you miss 
 anything ? Have you ever in your life had 
 
THINGS DO NOT GO SMOOTHLY. 229 
 
 a dwelling, or food, or service, as you have 
 had here ? Speak, I say ! " 
 
 " No," replied Heidi. 
 
 " I am sure of that," continued the 
 housekeeper angrily. " You want for 
 nothing. You are an entirely incompre- 
 hensible, thankless creature ; and for sheer 
 well-being, you do not know what mis- 
 chief to be at next." 
 
 At last there rose up in Heidi's heart 
 all that had been surging within her, and 
 she broke out : "I must and will go 
 home ; for if I do not. Snowball will be 
 always crying, and the grandmother will 
 get no white bread, and Thistlebird will 
 be whipped because goat- Peter will have 
 no more cheese. And here you can't see 
 the sun say good-night to the mountains ; 
 and if the eagle was to fly over Frank 
 
230 HEIDI. 
 
 fort, he would scream a good deil loudei 
 to see so many people living close to- 
 gether, and making each other wicked, 
 instead of living on the mountain, and 
 being happy." 
 
 " Heaven help us ! the child has gone 
 crazy ! " screamed Miss Rottenmeier, as 
 she rushed up the stairs in terror, running 
 not at all gently against Sebastian, who 
 was just descending. 
 
 ** Carry that wretched child up-stairs at 
 once," she said to him, while she rubbed 
 her head ruefully ; for she had hit her- 
 self very hard. 
 
 " Yes, yes, at once. Many thanks," 
 muttered Sebastian, while he, too, rubbed 
 his pate ; for he had suffered most in the 
 encounter. 
 
 Heidi stood all the while in the same 
 
THINGS DO NOT GO SMOOTHLY. 23 1 
 
 place, with flashing eyes, and trembhng 
 all over with emotion. 
 
 "What! Have you been up to more 
 mischief ? " asked Sebastian gayly of her. 
 But seeing that Heidi did not move, he 
 looked at her more closely for a moment, 
 then, patting her kindly on the shoulder, 
 said consolingly: "Fie, fie! The litde 
 mamselle must not take it so much to 
 heart. Only be gay ; that is the best 
 thing. She has just run against me, and 
 almost made a hole in my head ; but 
 we must not be frightened. What ! Are 
 you going to stay in that one spot ? 
 We must go up-stairs. She has ordered 
 it." 
 
 Heidi went up-stairs, but slowly and 
 heavily, not at all in her usual way. It 
 made Sebastian sorry to see her, and as 
 
232 HEIDI. 
 
 they went he spoke encouragingly to her: 
 " Now don't give way ! Be brave ! Don't 
 be sad ! She has always been s'jch a 
 good little mamselle, never crying once 
 since she has been with us. Generally 
 children cry a dozen times a day at her 
 age, I know that. The kittens are all 
 so jolly up-stairs in the attic, and act so 
 droll ! We'll go up there soon, when she 
 is out of the way, shall we ? " 
 
 Heidi nodded a little in reply, but was 
 so sorrowful that it went straight to Sebas- 
 tian's kind heart, and his eyes followed her 
 very sympathetically as she moved away 
 to her own room. 
 
 At dinner-time the housekeeper did not 
 say one word, but kept casting wrathful 
 glances at Heidi, as if she expected some- 
 thing extraordinary to break out even while 
 
 I 
 
she ate her dinner ; but the child sat as 
 still as a mouse, and did not stir, nor eat, 
 nor drink, only stuck her roll quickly in 
 her pocket, as usual. 
 
 The next day, as the professor came 
 up-stairs, Miss Rottenmeier beckoned him 
 into the dining-room mysteriously, and 
 proceeded to confide to him her anxiety 
 lest the change of air, and the new way 
 of life and strange surroundings, should 
 have affected the child's brain. She told 
 him about Heidi's attempt to run away, 
 and go home ; also repeating to him as 
 much of her conversation as she could. 
 The professor, however, comforted her with 
 the assurance that he had convinced him- 
 self, by observation, that although Adel- 
 heid was certainly on the one side very 
 eccentric, yet on the other she was per- 
 
234 HEIDI. 
 
 fectly sane ; and that little by little, by a 
 carefully considered education, the neces- 
 sary balance might be established, which 
 was what he had in his mind to effect. 
 He found the situation somewhat difficult, 
 only because he could not, thus far, get 
 beyond the ABC. 
 
 Miss Rottenmeier felt calmed by this 
 conversation, and released the professor 
 to his duties. Later in the day she be- 
 thought herself of the strange costume in 
 which Heidi appeared when arrayed for 
 her journey, and she decided to alter some 
 of Ivlara's dresses for the child's use, that 
 she might look properly dressed when 
 Mr. Sesemann returned. Klara, whom she 
 consulted about this new plan, was quite 
 agreed, and gave at once a quantity of 
 dresses, jackets, and hats for Heidi's use. 
 
THINGS DO NOT GO SMOOTH I. Y. 
 
 -^JD 
 
 The housekeeper now repaired to Heidi's 
 bedroom to inspect her wardrobe, and 
 decide what should be kept and what 
 rejected. In a few minutes she returned, 
 with strong signs of disgust on her coun- 
 tenance. 
 
 " What have I discovered now, Adel- 
 heid ? Something that was never before 
 in a clothes-press ! A clothes-press is for 
 clothes, Adelheid, But what do I find in 
 the bottom of yours ? A heap of white 
 rolls ! Bread ! bread I say, Klara, and 
 such a pile in under the clothes ! Ti- 
 nette ! " she cried, " carry away all that old 
 bread out of the press in Adelheid's room ; 
 and the old straw hat that lies on the 
 table." 
 
 " No, no ! " exclaimed Heidi ; " I must 
 keep the hat, and the rolls are for the 
 
236 HEIDI. 
 
 grandmother ! " and she tried to run after 
 Tinette, but was stopped by Miss Rotten- 
 meier. 
 
 " You must stay where you are," was 
 the severe order; "and the rubbish must 
 be thrown away where it belongs." 
 
 Heidi threw herself passionately oh the 
 floor by Klara's chair, and wept, louder 
 and yet louder, sobbing out, in her dis- 
 tress : " Now I have no rolls at all for 
 the grandmother. They were all for her ; 
 and now they are thrown away, and the 
 grandmother won't get them ; " and she 
 cried as if her heart would break. 
 
 Miss Rottenmeier ran out of the room, 
 leaving Klara very much frightened at the 
 distress of her little friend. 
 
 " Heidi ! Heidi ! " she said entreatingly, 
 " do not cry so. Listen to me ! I will 
 
THINGS DO NOT GO SMOOTHLY. 237 
 
 give you just as many rolls for the grand- 
 mother, and even more, when you go 
 home, and they shall be fresh rolls, soft 
 and nice. Yours would have become quite 
 hard, they were so already. Heidi, listen, 
 and do not cry an)- more ! " 
 
 But it was a long time before the torrent 
 of grief could be checked. Heidi under- 
 stood what Klara said, and believed in her 
 promise, or she would have gone on for 
 much longer. As it was, she had to be 
 reassured many times before she was quite 
 tranquil, and asked every now and then, 
 " You will give as many, just as many as 
 I had, for the cfrandmother ? " 
 
 And Klara repeated kindly, "Yes, Heidi ! 
 as many, and more, if only you will be 
 happy again." 
 
 At table that evening, Heidi's eyes were 
 
238 HEIDI. 
 
 red from crying ; and as she caug-ht sight 
 of her usual roll, she began again to sob. 
 But this time she controlled herself with 
 all her mio-ht, for she understood the rule 
 that she must be quiet at table. Through- 
 out the meal Sebastian made the most 
 wonderful gestures every time that he 
 came into Heidi's neighborhood. He 
 pointed first to her head, then to his 
 own, and nodded and winked, as if to 
 say: "Don't be down-hearted! I have 
 looked out for things, and it is all right." 
 When the child went to her room, and 
 was about to climb into bed, she found 
 tucked away under the coverlet her old 
 crumpled straw hat. She pulled the be- 
 loved thing out, and hugged it for joy, 
 adding thereby another dent ; then she 
 wrapped it in a pocket handkerchief, and 
 
THINGS DO NOT GO S:\IOOTIII.V. 2^9 
 
 Stuffed it in the farthest corner of her 
 press. It was Sebastian who had rescued 
 the hat for his httle friend. He had 
 been in the dining-room with Tinette at 
 the moment when she was called upon, 
 and had heard Heidi's cry of anguish. 
 When Tinette passed through the room 
 with the pile of rolls, and the hat on the 
 top of all, he had snatched the latter, say- 
 inof, " I'll take care of this ! " and had 
 saved it for Heidi. And that was what 
 his pantomime at supper meant. 
 
240 HEIDI. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE MASTER OF THE HOUSE ARRIVES, AND 
 HEARS ALL SORTS OF THINGS NOT HEARD 
 BY HIM BEFORE. 
 
 Several days later the arrival of Mr, 
 Sesemann caused a great commotion in 
 the house. There was much running up 
 and clown stairs, and carrying big parcels 
 and boxes here and there ; for Mr. Sese- 
 mann always brought with him a quantity 
 of beautiful things upon his return home. 
 
 He himself went first of all into his 
 daughter's room, to get his kiss of wel- 
 come, and found Heidi sitting beside her; 
 ic vt was late in the afternoon, when they 
 
THE MASTER OF THE HOUSE ARRIVES. 24 1 
 
 were always together. Klara greeted her 
 father very tenderly, for she loved him 
 dearly ; and her good papa returned her 
 kisses with equal affection. Then he 
 stretched out his hand towards Heidi, 
 who had quietly withdrawn into a corner, 
 saying in a friendly tone : " And this is 
 our little Swiss, is it ? Come here, let 
 us shake hands. That is right. Now 
 tell me, are you and Klara crood friends 
 together ? no quarrelling, no ill-temper, 
 no crying and making up, and then be- 
 ginning all over again?" 
 
 " No ; Klara is always good to me," 
 said Heidi. 
 
 " Heidi never loses her temper, papa," 
 added Klara quickly. 
 
 " Now that is good ; that pleases me," 
 'jaid Mr. Sesemann, as he rose. " But now 
 
242 HEIDI. 
 
 you must allow me to have something to 
 eat, as I have had nothing to-day. I will 
 come in later, and you shall see what J 
 have brought you." 
 
 Mr. Sesemann went into the dining- 
 room, where the housekeeper was super- 
 intending the preparations for his noon- 
 day meal. He took his seat ; and she 
 placed herself opposite, w^ith a countenance 
 of such dismal import, that presently the 
 master of the house said, after waiting 
 for her to begin : " Really, my dear Miss 
 Rottenmeier, I do not know what to think. 
 You have received me with such a dole- 
 ful face, as if there were a misfortune 
 about to happen ! Pra)-, what is amiss ? 
 Klara seems quite cheerful." 
 
 " Mr. Sesemann," began the lady, with 
 an air of importance, " this affair concerns 
 
THE MASTER OF THE HOUSE ARRIVES. 243 
 
 Klara as well as myself. We have been 
 fearfully deceived." 
 
 "How is that?" asked the gentleman, 
 while he sipped his wine very unconcern- 
 edly. 
 
 " We had, as you know, decided to take 
 a playmate for Klara, some one to live 
 with us ; and knowing how particular you 
 are to have only good and noble compan- 
 ionship for your daughter, Mr. Sesemann, 
 I had set my mind on finding a young 
 Swiss, hoping thus to secure a being such 
 as we read of in literature, sprung from the 
 pure mountain breezes, who would con- 
 duct herself as if she had no contact, 
 so to speak, with our earth." 
 
 " I have always believed, for my own 
 part, that the children of Switzerland walk 
 on the ground if they wish to go about," 
 
244 HEIDI. 
 
 said Mr. Sesemann quite seriously ; " other 
 wise would they not have been provided 
 with wing-s instead of feet ? " 
 
 " Oh, Mr. Sesemann, you know what 
 I wish to say ! I was thinking of those 
 inhabitants of the higher regions who are 
 raised above us, and seem to be purer, 
 like the breath of an ideal creation." 
 
 " But what could my Klara want of an 
 ideal breath?" 
 
 " No, no ! I am not joking. Indeed, 
 this is a much more serious affair than 
 you have any idea of. I have been fear- 
 fully, really fearfully, deceived." 
 
 " But where is there anything fearful ? 
 I see nothing in the child to answer to that 
 description," said Mr. Sesemann calmly. 
 
 " You must know one thing, Mr. Sese- 
 mann, and one is enough. The child has 
 
THE MASTER OK THE HOrsE ARRIVES. 245 
 
 introduced the strangest men and beasts 
 into your house during your absence, as 
 the professor can attest to you." 
 
 " Beasts ! How am I to understand this, 
 Miss Rottenmeier?" 
 
 '* It is not to be understood. The 
 whole conduct of this girl is incompre- 
 hensible, except upon the supposition that 
 she has attacks of insanity." 
 
 Up to this point, Klara's father had re- 
 garded the matter as of slight importance. 
 But attacks of insanity ! such a thing 
 might have serious consequences for his 
 little daughter. He looked long and 
 steadily at his housekeeper, as if to as- 
 sure himself that she was not the person 
 afflicted with the attacks she was describ- 
 ing. At this moment the door opened, 
 and the professor was announced. 
 
246 ±i£IDl, 
 
 " Now here comes our learned man. He 
 will explain this mystery ! " cried Mr. Sese- 
 mann. " Come, come in and be seated 
 A cup of coffee for the professor, Miss 
 Rottenmeier, if you please ; " and the mas- 
 ter of the house extended his hand to the 
 new-comer, adding : " Seat yourself here, 
 without ceremony, and tell me at once 
 about the little girl that has come as a 
 companion for my daughter, and that you 
 are teaching. What sort of fellow-feeling 
 has she with animals that brink's them to 
 the house ? and is there anything wrong 
 with her mind ? " 
 
 But the professor must first express his 
 pleasure at Mr. Sesemann's return, and 
 congratulate him, and welcome him home, 
 for which purpose he himself had come. 
 Impatiently Mr. Sesemann pressed him to 
 
THE MASTER OF THE HOUSE ARRIVES. 247 
 
 forego all that, and to give him his opinion 
 upon the point in question. So the pro- 
 fessor hcoan in this wise : "If I am to 
 be calletl upon to give my opinion as 
 to the condition of this young girl, I 
 should wish to call special attention to 
 the fact, that if on the one side there 
 seems a lack of development, following 
 naturally upon a more or less careless 
 bringing up, or more properly speaking, 
 induced by a somewhat tardy teaching, 
 and through the more or less, though not 
 in every respect to be condemned, but on 
 the contrary having its advantages — " 
 
 " My dear, good professor," interrupted 
 Mr. Sesemann at this point, " you give 
 yourself far too much trouble. Tell me, 
 simply, has the child done anything shock- 
 ing in the way of bringing strange animals 
 
248 HEIDI. 
 
 into this house ? and what do you think 
 of the propriety of her remaining as a 
 companion for my daughter Klara?" 
 
 " I should not hke, on any account, to 
 be thrown too much with the child my- 
 self," again began the professor, " for she 
 is on one side quite inexperienced in all 
 matters concerning society, which is the 
 case with all those more or less uncivil- 
 ized beinors with whom this child has lived 
 until the moment of beine transferred to 
 Frankfort ; which change will undoubtedly 
 benefit — " 
 
 " Excuse me, professor, pray do not dis- 
 turb yourself I shall — I must go to my 
 daughter for a moment." 
 
 With this Mr. Sesemann made his es- 
 cape, and did not again appear. Joining 
 his daughter in the study, and seating 
 
THE MASTKR OF THK HOUSK ARRIVES. 249 
 
 himself beside her chair, he turned towards 
 Heidi. " Here, Httle one," he said, " run 
 and fetch me — stop a moment ! — run and 
 get" — Mr. Sesemann wished nothing but 
 to get the child out of the way for a 
 while — "oh, get me a glass of water!" 
 
 "Fresh water?" asked Heidi. 
 
 " Yes, yes ; nice and fresh." 
 
 Heidi disappeared. 
 
 " Now, my dear little Klara," said her 
 papa, bending over his daughter, and tak- 
 ing her hand fondly, " tell me clearly, and 
 in a few words, what kind of animals has 
 your playfellow brought into the house, 
 and what makes Miss Rottenmeier think 
 that the child is sometimes not right in 
 her mind." 
 
 Klara knew all about it ; for the fright- 
 ened lady had repeated to her some of 
 
250 HEIDI. 
 
 Heidi's bewildering speech, a speech v/hich 
 to herself was quite intelligible. So she 
 explained, quite to her father's satisfac- 
 tion, and told him about the tortoise and 
 the kittens, and Heidi's outburst on the 
 doorsteps, until Mr. Sesemann laughed 
 heartily. 
 
 "Then you do not wish the child away, 
 Klara ? You are not tired of her ? " 
 
 " Oh, papa, no, indeed ! Do not think 
 of sending her away! Since Heidi came, 
 there has been something new happening 
 every day ; and it is so pleasant, quite 
 different from what it used to be. Then 
 nothing ever happened ; and Heidi tells 
 me so much that I like." 
 
 "Very well, my child, ver)' well. And 
 here comes your little friend again. Well, 
 have you brought me nice fresh water?" 
 
THE MASTER OF THE HOUSE ARRIVES. 25 I 
 
 " Yes, fresh from the fountain," repHed 
 the child. 
 
 " Did you fetch it all the way from the 
 fountain yourself, Heidi?" asked Klara. 
 
 " Yes, I did, it is quite fresh ; but I had 
 to go a long way to get it. There were 
 so many people at the first fountain that 
 I went up the street, and then there were 
 too many by the next one. Then I turned 
 into another street, and there I got the 
 water ; and a gentlolnan with white haii 
 sends his compliments to Mr. Sesemann." 
 
 " Well now, the expedition was a suc- 
 cessful one," laughed Mr. Sesemann; "but 
 who was the ofentleman ? " 
 
 " He was passing by the fountain, and 
 he stopped and said : ' Since you have a 
 glass, will you give me some water to 
 drink ? Pray, who are you fetching the 
 
252 HEIDI. 
 
 water for ? ' And I said, ' For Mr. S ,6e- 
 mann.' Then he laughed very hard, and 
 said he hoped you would enjoy it." 
 
 "Well, who was it that wished to be 
 remembered to me ? How did he look ? " 
 
 " He looked pleasant, and he had a 
 thick gold chain, and a gold thing hung 
 from it with a big red stone, and on his 
 stick is a horse's head." 
 
 "That is the doctor." "That is my 
 old doctor," said Mr. Sesemann and his 
 daughter in the same breath. And Mr. 
 Sesemann laughed quietly to himself, over 
 his friend's reflections as to his new way 
 of getting his supply of water. 
 
 In the evening, as Mr. Sesemann sat 
 in the diningf-room alone with Miss Rot- 
 tenmeier, talkino- over some matters relat- 
 ing to the household, he took occasion to 
 
THE MASTER OF THE HOUSE ARRIVES. 25^ 
 
 explain that Heidi was to remain in his 
 house as Klara's companion ; for he found 
 the child in a perfectly normal condition, 
 while his daughter was much pleased with 
 her society, and preferred it to any other. 
 
 " I also wish," continued Mr. Sese- 
 mann with still more decision of manner, 
 " that this child should from this time 
 forth be most kindly treated, and that 
 none of her peculiarities should be con- 
 sidered as misconduct. If you cannot man- 
 age her alone, Miss Rottenmeier. there 
 is a very great help in prospect for you. 
 In a short time my mother will be here to 
 make her usual visit ; and my mother can 
 manage anybody if she attempts it, as you 
 know very w^ell, I think." 
 
 "Ah, yes! I know that, Mr. Sesemann," 
 replied the housekeeper, but not with a» 
 
254 HEIDI. 
 
 expression as if the prospect of such as- 
 sistance were very welcome. 
 
 Mr, Sesemann's stay this time was to 
 be a very short one. He was obHged to 
 go back to Paris at the end of a fort- 
 night ; but he consoled his little girl with 
 :he prospect of the speedy arrival of her 
 grandmamma, who was expected, as he 
 told the housekeeper, in a few days. 
 
 Soon after his departure a letter came 
 from Holstein, where the grandmamma 
 lived on an old family estate, saying that 
 she would arrive on the following day, 
 and asking that the carriage should be 
 sent to the station to meet her. 
 
 Klara's joy at this was great. She 
 told Heidi so much and so minutely 
 about her grandmamma, that the child 
 began to speak of her by the same name. 
 
THE MASTER OF THE HOUSE ARRIVES. 2(^5 
 
 ■which called down upon her die sourest 
 looks from Miss Rottenmeier. This, how- 
 ever, had no effect upon Heidi, who felt 
 herself to be under the continual dis- 
 pleasure of that lady. When she went 
 later to her bedroom, she was called first 
 into the housekeeper's, and there told 
 never to use the word grandmamma 
 again, but always to address Mrs. Sese- 
 mann as gracious lady. 
 
 " Do you understand ? " asked Miss 
 Rottenmeier, seeinor that Heidi looked 
 
 ' <z> 
 
 rather doubtful, and gave her at the same 
 time so determined a look, that Heidi did 
 not dare to ask for an explanation, though 
 she had no idea what the title meant. 
 
256 HEIDI. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 A GRANDMAMMA. 
 
 Busy preparations went on, the day 
 that Mrs. Sesemann was to arrive. It was 
 easy to perceive that the expected guest 
 had a decided control over the household, 
 and that every one felt the greatest respect 
 for her. Tinette had a fine new white 
 head-dress for the occasion ; and Sebas- 
 tian got together a multitude of footstools, 
 and put them in every possible place, so 
 that the lady might find one ready wher- 
 ever she should choose to be seated. 
 The housekeeper went round through the 
 rooms, setting everything in order ; as 
 
A GRANDMAMMA. .257 
 
 much as to say, that although another 
 person with autliority was about to appear, 
 she was not to be extinguished. 
 
 At last the carriage rolled up before the 
 house. Tinette and Sebastian ran down 
 the stairs. Slowly, and with dignity. Miss 
 Rottenmeier followed ; for she knew that 
 she must show herself ready to receive 
 Mrs. Sesemann. Heidi had been ordered 
 to withdraw into her own room, to wait 
 until she was sent for ; as the grand- 
 mamma naturally would hasten to Klara, 
 and wish to be alone with her. Seating 
 nerself therefore in her bedroom, she re- 
 peated over and over again the strange 
 way in which she was to address Mrs. 
 Sesemann. She did not understand it, 
 for she had always heard the title placed 
 before the naine and not after. So she 
 
258 HEIDI. 
 
 presently conceived that Miss Rottenmeier 
 had but tripped in her speech, and she 
 turned the words about accordingly. She 
 had not long to wait, however ; for Tinette 
 soon appeared, and said shortly, as usual, 
 " You are wanted in the study." 
 
 As Heidi opened the door, she was 
 greeted by the friendly voice of Mrs. Sese- 
 mann : "Ah, there comes the child ! Come 
 here to me, and let me take a orood look 
 at you." Heidi entered, and in her clear 
 voice said ver)^ distinctly, " Good day, Mrs. 
 Gracious." 
 
 " That is not bad," said the grand- 
 mamma, laughing. " Do they say so 
 where you live ? Have you heard that 
 at home on the Alp ? " 
 
 " No, there is no one of that name 
 where I live," said the child seriously. 
 
A GRANDMAMMA. 259 
 
 " Nor here, that I know of," said Mrs. 
 Sesemann pleasant!)-, and patted the child 
 on the cheek. "In the nursery I am al- 
 \va}'s grandmamma. You must call me 
 so too. Can you remember that ? " 
 
 " Yes, yes, indeed ! I was going to 
 say so," said Heidi. 
 
 " Oh, I understand now ! " the grand- 
 mamma said, and nodded her head, much 
 amused. Then she looked steadily at the 
 little 8firl for some time, nodding ao^ain a.^i 
 if in sign of approval ; and Heidi looked 
 straight into the kind eyes that were re- 
 garding her, and felt quite happy. She 
 could not turn away, indeed, Mrs. Sese- 
 mann had such soft white hair, and round 
 her head a beautiful lace was twisted with 
 two wide ribbons that hung down from the 
 cap, and that were always moving a little, 
 
26o HEIDI. 
 
 as if a light breeze stirred about the grand- 
 mamma, to Heidi's infinite delight. 
 
 "And what is your name, my child?" 
 was the next question. 
 
 " My name is Heidi ; but if I must be 
 called Adelheid, I will pay attention," said 
 the little girl, and choked a little ; for she 
 felt guilty, as she did not always answer 
 promptly when Miss Rottenmeier called 
 her by that name, which she could not 
 rightly recognize as hers. 
 
 With the words the housekeeper had 
 entered the room. " Mrs. Sesemann will 
 undoubtedly agree with me," said she, 
 " that I must choose a name that can be 
 spoken without annoyance, were it only 
 on the servants' account." 
 
 " My good Rottenmeier," said Mrs. 
 Sesemann, " if any one is called Heidi, 
 
A GRANDMAMMA. 26 1 
 
 and is accustomed to the name, I use it, 
 and no other." 
 
 It was very disagreeable to the house- 
 keeper to be called by her simple name, 
 without a preceding title ; but there was 
 no help for it. The grandmamma had her 
 own way of doing things, and it was a way 
 not to be opposed. In full possession of 
 her five senses, sharp and healthy ones too, 
 was Mrs. Sesemann ; and the moment she 
 saw the child she knew what was amiss 
 with her. 
 
 When Klara, on the day after her 
 grandmamma's arrival, disposed herself for 
 her daily rest, the old lady took an arm- 
 chair near her, and closed her eyes, too, 
 for a few moments. She soon rose again, 
 however, for she was quickly refreshed. 
 She went into the diiiino-room ; no one 
 
262 HEIDI. 
 
 was to be seen. " Oh ! all asleep," she said 
 to herself, and went to the housekeeper's 
 room, and knocked loudly. After a little 
 while Miss Rottenmeier appeared, and 
 started back in alarm at this unexpected 
 visit. 
 
 " Where does the child stay at this 
 time, and what does she do ? that is what 
 I wish to know," said Mrs. Sesemann. 
 
 " She sits in her bedroom, where she 
 might employ herself if she knew how, 
 or had the slightest idea of anything 
 useful. But Mrs. Sesemann ought to 
 know what mad projects the child gets 
 up one after another, and often carries 
 out too, things that in polite society can 
 scarcely even be mentioned." 
 
 "That is just what I sliould do, if I 
 were obliged to sit alone there as that 
 
A GR.•\NnMAM^lA. 263 
 
 child does ; then )ou might see how you 
 would speak of my goings-on in polite so- 
 ciety. Go now and fetch the child to me 
 in my room, where I have some pretty 
 books that I have brought with me." 
 
 " That is the most miserable thing about 
 it, that is just it," cried Miss Rottenmeier, 
 and clasped her hands together. "What 
 can that child do with books? In all this 
 time she has not learned her alphabet. 
 It is impossible to give her the least idea 
 of reading. The professor can tell you 
 all about that. If that man did not pos- 
 sess the patience of an angel from heaven, 
 he would have given up the lessons long 
 ago." 
 
 " Now, that strikes me as strange," said 
 Mrs. Sesemann. "The little girl does 
 not look like one who could not learn 
 
264 HEIDI. 
 
 her letters. Go and fetch her ; she can 
 at least look at the pictures," 
 
 Miss Rotten rneier had still more to 
 say, but Pvlrs. Sesemann was already mov- 
 ing briskly toward her own room. She 
 was greatly surprised at this account of 
 the child's backwardness, and determined 
 to find out what it meant, but not from 
 the professor, whose excellent character 
 she prized highly, and to whom she 
 always extended a friendly greeting when 
 they met, but whose presence she fled 
 for fear of being entangled in conversa- 
 tion with him ; for his way of expressing 
 himself was a little tiresome to her. 
 
 Heidi came into the grandmamma's 
 room, and opened wide eyes when she 
 saw all the beautiful pictures in the big 
 books on Mrs. Sesemann's table. Sud- 
 
A GRANDMAMMA. 265 
 
 denly she cried out as a leaf was turned, 
 and looked with eager eyes at the pic- 
 ture before her, then broke forth into 
 tears and heavy sobs. The grandmamma 
 examined the picture. It was a beauti- 
 ful green field, where all sorts of animals 
 were feeding, and nibbling at the green 
 bushes. In the midst stood the shep- 
 herd leaning on his crook, and survey- 
 ing his happy flocks. Ever)^thing was 
 flooded with a shining, golden radiance, 
 for the sun was just sinking behind the 
 horizon. 
 
 Taking the child kindly by the hand, 
 the grandmamma said soothingly: "Come, 
 come, my child, do not cry. This has 
 probably reminded you of something. 
 But look, there is a pretty story all about 
 the picture. I will tell it to you this 
 
266 HEIDI. 
 
 evening. There are all sorts of nice 
 stories in this book, that one can read 
 and tell over. Now let us have a little 
 talk together. There, dry your eyes, and 
 put yourself here right in front of me, so 
 that I can look at you. Yes, that is right ; 
 now we are happy." 
 
 It was some time, however, before Heidi 
 was tranquil again. Then the grand- 
 mamma said : " Now tell me, my child, 
 how do you like your lessons with the 
 professor? Do you learn easily, and have 
 you got on well ? " 
 
 " Oh, no," answered Heidi, sighing, " but 
 I knew beforehand that I could not learn." 
 
 "Why cannot you learn, child? What 
 do you mean ? " 
 
 "That some people cannot learn to 
 read. It is too hard." 
 
A GRANDMAMMA. 267 
 
 " Indeed ! and where did you pick up 
 this wonderful piece of news ? " 
 
 " Peter told me so, and he knows very 
 well. He has to keep trying ; but he 
 never can learn, it is too hard." 
 
 " Well, that must be a queer kind of a 
 Peter ! But really, Heidi, you must not 
 take for granted what such a Peter as that 
 says, but must try for yourself. Perhaps 
 you have not given close attention to v/hat 
 the professor says, and have not looked 
 at the letters." 
 
 " It is no use," said the child, in the 
 tone of one thoroughly convinced of the 
 uselessness of trying. 
 
 " Heidi," said Mrs. Sesemann gravely, " I 
 am going to tell you something. You have 
 not learned to read because you have 
 believed what your Peter said. Now you 
 
268 HEIDI. 
 
 must believe me ; and I tell you, without 
 doubt, that you can learn to read, and 
 in a short time too, as all children do who 
 are like you, and not like Peter. And now 
 hear what will come next, when you have 
 learned to read. You saw the shepherd 
 in the beautiful green meadow ? Now, as 
 soon as you have learned to read, you 
 shall havQ that book ; and then you can 
 understand the whole story just as if 
 some one told it to you, all about what 
 he does with his sheep and goats, and 
 what wonderful things happen to him 
 and them. That you would like to know, 
 I am sure," 
 
 The child had listened with sparkling 
 eyes to all that had been said, and now 
 replied, with deep-drawn breath, " Oh, if 
 I only could read ! " 
 
A GRANDMAMMA. 26^ 
 
 " That will soon come. You will not 
 have to wait long, my child ; I see you 
 will only have to try. But now we must 
 go to Klara. Come, we will take the 
 pretty books with us." 
 
 A great change had taken place in 
 Heidi, since the day when Miss Rotten- 
 meier had stopped her on the steps in her 
 flight towards her home. The housekeeper 
 had told her then that she was very un- 
 grateful, and that Mr. Sesemann must 
 never know about it. She understood 
 that she could not go home again when- 
 ever she wished, as her aunt Dete had 
 assured her she could, and that Mr. Sese- 
 mann would be displeased with her for 
 wishing to go ; and she reasoned in her 
 own mind that Klara and her grandmamma 
 would think the same. So she did not 
 
270 HEIDI. 
 
 dare to tell any one of her longing, for 
 fear of making the grandmamma, who was 
 so kind to her, and whom she loved dearly 
 already, as angry as Miss Rottenmeier had 
 been. The thought of that the child could 
 not endure. 
 
 So the burden within Heidi's heart be- 
 came heavier and still heavier. She could 
 not eat, and she grew paler ever)- day. At 
 night it was often a long time before she 
 could get to sleep ; for as soon as every- 
 thing was quiet, the Aim and the sun- 
 shine upon it, and the flowers, came so 
 vividly before her eyes. And when she at 
 last slept, the red pinnacles of F"alkniss, 
 and the fiery snow^-field on Casaplana, 
 came to her in her dreams ; and she 
 awoke full of jo)-, ready to spring out of 
 bed, and then — oh, it was the big" bed 
 
A GRANDMAMMA. 27 I 
 
 fn Frankfort, far. far away from home, and 
 she could not get back ! Then she hid 
 her fac° in her pillow, and cried for a long 
 time, but quietly, so that no one could 
 hear her. 
 
 Her unhappy condition did not, however, 
 escape the vigilant eyes of Mrs. Sesemann. 
 She let several days elapse, to see if the 
 depression did t^ot pass ; but this not being 
 the case, and the child's eyes betraying 
 often in the early morning that she had 
 bce-n weeping, she took Heidi one day 
 into her room agsin, and said, with great 
 kindness, " Tell me, Heidi, what is your 
 trouble ? " 
 
 But this ofood c-iandmamma must not 
 know^ what an ungrattful child she had 
 before her, thought Heidi, and feared to 
 lose her love. So she J^aid sadly, " It isn't 
 anything that I can tell." 
 
272 HEIDI. 
 
 "No? Cannot you tell Klara?" 
 
 " Oh, no ; not anybody ! " and Heidi 
 looked so miserable all the while that Mrs. 
 Sesemann's heart ached for her. 
 
 " Then I will tell you something, my 
 child. When any one has a sorrow that 
 cannot be told to anybody on earth, it 
 must be confided to the good God, and 
 he must be asked for help 'and comfort, 
 for he can make our sorrows lighter, 
 and teach us to bear them. You under- 
 stand, do you not ? You pray every even- 
 ing to the dear Father in heaven, to thank 
 him for all that he sends you, and ask him 
 to protect you from evil ? " 
 
 " No, I never do that," said Heidi. 
 
 " Have you never learned to pray, 
 Heidi? Don't you know what it is?" 
 
 "With my first grandmother I did. but 
 
A GRANDVAMMA. 27^^ 
 
 it is SO long ago that I have forgotten 
 about it." 
 
 " Now I see, Heidi, why you are so very 
 unhappy. It is because you do not know 
 of any one who can help you. Just think 
 how happy it is for those who have heavy 
 hearts to be able to go to the good God at 
 all times, and beg him for help ! and he 
 can help us, and make us happy again." 
 
 Through Heidi's eyes flashed a joyful 
 light: "Can we tell him everything? 
 everything ? " 
 
 " Everything, Heidi, everything." 
 
 Drawing her little hand out of the 
 grandmamma's, the child asked breath- 
 lessly, " May I go ? " 
 
 And the little one ran quickly to her 
 room, seated herself on her footstool, 
 folded her hands, and told all the sorrow 
 
2 74 fililDl. 
 
 of her heart to God, begging and be- 
 seeching him to help her to get away, to 
 go home to her grandfather on the Aim. 
 
 It may have been something more than 
 a week from this time that the professor 
 one day asked permission to pay his re- 
 spects to Mrs. Sesemann, as he had an 
 important communication to impart to her. 
 He was invited to her room, and kindly 
 greeted by Mrs. Sesemann, who extended 
 her hand cordially toward him, saying: 
 *' My dear professor, I am glad to see 
 you. Be seated, pray!" and she gave him 
 a chair. "There now, tell me what brings 
 you here. No bad news, I trust ? No 
 complaints ? " 
 
 " On the contrary, gracious lady, some- 
 thing has taken place that I did not ex- 
 pect, and that no one who had been 
 
A GRANDMAMMA. 275 
 
 cognizant of what has gone before could 
 have foreseen ; for judging from the past, 
 it would have been considered an impos- 
 sibihty, and yet it has taken place, and 
 that; too, in a most remarkable way," 
 
 " Has Heidi begun to learn to read, 
 professor ? " 
 
 The astonished o"entleman stared at Mrs. 
 Sesemann in speechless surprise. 
 
 " It is truly wonderful," said he, at length 
 finding his voice, " that this girl, who not- 
 withstanding all my pains has not been 
 able to learn the alphabet, has all at once, 
 and just as I had decided to give up, as 
 impossible of achievement, the attempt 
 even of bringing the simple letters before 
 her — this girl all at once, over ni\(ht, so 
 to speak, has begun to read, and th.-^^t too 
 with a correctness that is rare in begn- 
 
"^1^ HEIDI. 
 
 ners. But it is almost as wonderful to 
 me that the gracious lady should have 
 divined this obscure fact." 
 
 "A great many wonderful things take 
 place in this world, professor," said Mrs. 
 Sesemann, with a smile of satisfaction. 
 " Two things sometimes take place at the 
 same time, — a new desire to learn, say, 
 and a new method of teaching. Neither 
 of them is bad, my dear professor; and 
 we will rejoice that the child has beo-un 
 so well, and hope for continuance in well- 
 doing." 
 
 With these words she accompanied the 
 professor to the door, and went straight to 
 the study, to confirm with her own eyes 
 the pleasant news. 
 
 It was true. There sat Heidi by Klara's 
 side, reading a story, astonished even at 
 
A GRANDMAMMA. 277 
 
 herself, and penetrating with constantly in- 
 creasing interest the new world that had 
 opened before her, as suddenly the black 
 letters turned into men and things, taking 
 life, and revealing wonderful stories. 
 
 And on that ver}' evening, when Heidi 
 took her seat at table, there, on her plate, 
 lay the beautiful book ; and when she 
 glanced inquiringly towards Mrs. Sese- 
 mann, the latter said kindly, "Yes, yes; 
 it is yours." 
 
 " Forever, even when I go home ? " 
 asked Heidi, quite red with joy. 
 
 " Yes, certainly, forever. To-morrow we 
 will begin to read it." 
 
 *' But you will not go home for many 
 years yet, Heidi," said Klara. "When 
 my grandmamma goes away, then you will 
 really begin to live with me." 
 
278 HEIDI. 
 
 Once more, before going to sleep, Heidi 
 looked at the new book in her own room ; 
 and always after, it was her favorite occu- 
 pation to read and re-read the stories that 
 belonged to the beautiful colored pictures. 
 If the grandmamma said in the evening, 
 " Now, Heidi, read something to us," then 
 the child was perfectly happy ; for it was 
 now quite easy for her to read, and when 
 she read aloud she understood better ; 
 and then Mrs. Sesemann could explain so 
 much, and added so much that was new^ 
 The favorite picture was always the green 
 pasture, with the shepherd in the midst of 
 his flock, leaning on his crook, and look- 
 ing so happy. He took care of the sheep 
 and goats because they were his, and he 
 loved them. But the next picture was 
 where he had run away from his father's 
 
A GRANDMAMMA. 279 
 
 house, and was in foreign lands, and was 
 forced to feed swine, and had crrown thin 
 over the husks ; for he got nothing else 
 to eat. And in this picture the sun did 
 not look golden, and the land was gray 
 and misty. One other picture belonged 
 to the story. There the old father came 
 with outstretched arms from the house, 
 and ran towards the repentant son to 
 receive and welcome him, as ragged and 
 famished he drew near his home. 
 
 This was Heidi's favorite story, that she 
 would read again and again, aloud and to 
 herself; and she never tired of the explana- 
 tions that Mrs. Sesemann gave of it to 
 the children. 
 
 So the time drew near, all too quickly, 
 when the dear p^randmamma's visit must 
 come to an end. 
 
28o HEIDI. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 HEIDI LOSES ON ONE SIDE, AND GAINS ON 
 THE OTHER. 
 
 During Klara's afternoon rest, ]\lrs. 
 Sesemann always seated herself beside 
 her, and closed her eyes also. Miss Rot- 
 tenmeier had a way of disappearing at the 
 same time, probably also needing repose. 
 But the grandmamma's nap was very short, 
 and she always called Heidi into her room, 
 and either talked with the child, or occu- 
 pied her with work of various kinds. She 
 had brought a variety of pretty little dolls 
 with her, and showed Heidi how to make 
 dresses and aprons for them ; and without 
 
HEIDI LOSES AND GAINS. 261 
 
 realizing it the child had learned to sew, 
 and could make for the little women the 
 prettiest dresses and mantles. For the 
 grandmamma had also provided bits of 
 cloth, of the loveliest colors. 
 
 Now that the child could read, she was 
 permitted to read aloud to Mrs. Sesemann, 
 and the more stories she read the more 
 she enjoyed, and lived over everything 
 related in the books, as if she were in the 
 place of those described, and was always 
 glad to be with them again, and threw 
 herself into their lives as if it were all 
 real. But Heidi was never really happy 
 as of old, and her eyes never regained 
 their former brightness. 
 
 It was now the last week of Mrs, Sese- 
 mann's stay in Frankfort ; and one day, 
 as Heidi came into the room with her big 
 
262 HEIDI. 
 
 book under her arm, the grandmamma 
 motioned her to put it down and come 
 nearer to her, and said gravely, but kindly : 
 " Now tell me, my child, why you are not 
 gay. Have you still that trouble in your 
 heart?" 
 
 " Yes," said the little girl. 
 
 " Have you prayed to God to help 
 you : 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " And do you pray to him every day, 
 that he will make it all right for you, and 
 let you be happy ? " 
 
 " No, I do not pray any more now." 
 
 "What do you say, Heidi? Do I hear 
 right ? Why do you not pray any longer ? " 
 
 " It did not do any good. The kind 
 Father in heaven did not listen ; and I can 
 understand," continued she, in some excite- 
 
HEIDI LOSES AND GAINS. 283 
 
 ment, " that if so many people pray every 
 evening in Frankfort, all at the same time, 
 of course the good God cannot listen to 
 them all, and so he must have forgotten 
 me." 
 
 " And why are you so sure of that, 
 Heidi?" 
 
 " I have asked every day for the same 
 thing many weeks together, and the good 
 God has not given it to me." 
 
 " But that will not do at all, my child. 
 That is not the right way to do. The good 
 God is a dear father to us all, and always 
 knows what is best for us, though we may 
 not know ourselves. If we pray to him 
 to give us something that is not good 
 for us, he does not grant it, but sends us 
 something better ; that is, if we continue 
 to pray to him, and do not run off, and 
 
284 HEIDI. 
 
 lose all confidence in his goodness. You 
 must believe that the thing you prayed for 
 is not good for you now. God heard you ; 
 he can hear everybody at the same time, 
 because he is the good heavenly Father, 
 and not a mere mortal like you and me. 
 And as he knows what is best for you. he 
 thinks : Yes, Heidi shall some time have 
 what she is praying for, but not until it 
 is good for her, not until she can really 
 enjoy it, and be happy over it ; for if I do 
 it for her now, and she sees later that it 
 would have been better if I had not oranted 
 her prayer, then she will cr}/ still more, and 
 say : ' Oh, I wish that God had not given 
 me what I prayed for ! It was not so 
 good as I thought.' 
 
 "And now, while your Father in heaven 
 was looking down on you, to see if you 
 
HEIDI LOSES AND GAINS. 285 
 
 really trusted in him. and prayed to him 
 in your trouble, all at once you have 
 stopped praying, and have forgotten him 
 and his goodness. But if the good God 
 hears no longer the voice of any of his 
 children praying, he too forgets them, and 
 lets them go their own way. And if things 
 go wrong with them, and they complain, 
 ' No one will help us ! ' then, indeed, no- 
 body does pity them, and everybody says, 
 'Why, then, did you run away from the 
 good God, who is the only one who can 
 help you ? ' 
 
 " Will you be like these, Heidi ? or will 
 you go again to God and pray for forgive- 
 ness, and continue to pray every day, and 
 put your trust in him, that he will do 
 what is good for you, and make you 
 happy again ? " 
 
286 HEIDI. 
 
 The child had listened intently. Every 
 word that the grandmamma said fell deep 
 into her heart, for Heidi had perfect faith 
 in her kind friend. 
 
 " I will go this instant," she said, " and 
 beg the good God for forgiveness, and I 
 will never forget him again." 
 
 The end of Mrs. Sesemann's visit had 
 come, and a sad time it was for the two 
 little girls. The grandmamma made it as 
 merry as possible, until she was fairly off in 
 the carriage. Then such a feeling of lone- 
 liness fell on the children that they sat still, 
 feeling lost and forlorn, and did not know 
 what to do with themselves. 
 
 After lessons the next day, when the 
 hour came for the children to be together, 
 Heidi brought her book under her arm, 
 
HEIDI LOSES AND GAINS. 28/ 
 
 and said, " Now I will always read to you , 
 may I, Klara? " 
 
 Klara agreed to the proposal, and Heidi 
 set herself with zeal to her task. But 
 the pleasure did not last very long ; for 
 Heidi began unfortunately with a story 
 about a sick and dying grandmother, and 
 she began to cr)' in great distress ; for she 
 thought everything she read must be true, 
 and that it was the blind grandmother in 
 Dorfli who was dying, and her distress 
 increased the more she thought of it. 
 
 " Now the grandmother is dead," she 
 sobbed, " and I cannot go to see her, 
 and she has never had a single roll of 
 white bread ! " 
 
 Klara tried to comfort her, and to 
 explain that the story had nothing to do 
 with the grandmother on the Aim, but was 
 
?88 HEIDI. 
 
 about another person altogether. But she 
 did not succeed in calming Heidi's excite- 
 ment ; for the thought had entered the 
 child's mind that her aged friend might 
 die while she was far away, and her grand- 
 father even, if she staid in Frankfort for 
 a lonof time. And she thoucrht how still 
 and dead everything would be on the 
 Aim, and that she would have to li\e 
 there alone, and never again see anybody 
 whom she loved. 
 
 While Heidi thus lamented. Miss Rot- 
 tenmeier had come into the room, and 
 heard Klara's kind efforts to quiet her 
 little companion ; but as Heidi could not 
 stay her tears, the housekeeper at last, 
 with signs of great impatience, said most 
 decidedly: " Adelhcid, now this senseless 
 outcry has gone on long enough. I tell 
 
HEIDI LOSES AND GAINS. 289 
 
 you, once for all, if you ever again burst 
 out crying in this way, I will take your 
 book from you, and you shall never have 
 it again." 
 
 This had the desired effect. Heidi 
 became perfectly white from terror ; the 
 book was her dearest treasure. She dried 
 her eyes in haste, and controlled her 
 sobs with all her might, so that no sound 
 could be heard. And never again did 
 she cr}' aloud, no matter what she might 
 read. But sometimes she had to make 
 such efforts to control herself and not 
 to cry out, that Klara would say, quite 
 astonished, "Why do you make such faces, 
 Heidi?" 
 
 But at any rate the faces made no 
 noise, and Miss Rottenmeier did not hap- 
 pen to observe them ; and when the child 
 
290 HEIDI. 
 
 had overcome an attack of despairing 
 sadness she became more quiet for sev- 
 eral days. 
 
 With all this, moreover, she lost her 
 appetite, grew pale and thin ; and Sebas- 
 tian could hardly bear to see how she 
 allowed the daintiest morsels to go away 
 untasted, for she ate almost nothing. He 
 often whispered encouragingly to her as 
 he passed a dish : " Take a bit, little 
 mamselle ; it is delicious, it really is ! A 
 good big spoonful, just one ; " but such 
 fatherly advice availed nothing. Heidi 
 could not eat ; and when she lay down 
 on her pillow at night, she saw before 
 her eyes that which she was longing for 
 all day, and lay there and cried herself to 
 sleep for homesickness. 
 
 And so a long time passed by. Heidi 
 
HEIDI LOSES AND GAINS 29I 
 
 scarcely knew whether it was summer or 
 winter, for walls and windows were all 
 that was visible from the Sesemann house, 
 and they were always the same ; and she 
 only went out when Klara was especially 
 well, and could take a drive, which indeed 
 was always ver)- short, for the delicate girl 
 could not bear the fatigue for any length 
 of time. Therefore they rarely got beyond 
 the walls and paved streets, where houses 
 and people were to be seen in plenty, 
 but no grass nor flowers, no pine-trees 
 nor mountains. And Heidi's long-ino- for 
 the beautiful accustomed sights grew so 
 strong, that anything that suggested them 
 to her remembrance nearly brought on a 
 fit of crying ; and the child had to strug- 
 gle to control herself harder than ever. 
 So the winter went by, and the sun 
 
/92 HEIDI. 
 
 shone so warmly and so dazzlingly upon 
 the white walls opposite, that Heidi knew 
 that the time was come when Peter went 
 up to the mountain pasture with the 
 goats, where the golden buttercups glis- 
 tened in the sunshine, and in the evening 
 everything glowed with rosy light. Then 
 she would seat herself in a corner of her 
 lonely bedroom, and hold her two hands 
 over her eyes so that she could not see 
 the sunshine on the wall, and sit there 
 motionless, stifling her speechless home 
 sickness, until Klara sent lor her. 
 
THE SESEMANN HOUSE IS HAUNTED. 293 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE SESEMANN HOUSE IS HAUNTED. 
 
 About this time, Miss Rottenmeier de- 
 veloped a habit of wandering silently, sunk 
 in thought, about the house. And if she 
 went in the twilio-ht from one room to 
 another, or through the corridors, she 
 looked round about her towards the cor- 
 ners, and then quickly behind, as if she 
 thought some one might come quietly 
 along and pull her dress without being 
 seen. But she did not go about alone ex- 
 cept in the rooms where the family lived. 
 If she had business that called her up- 
 stairs, where the handsomely furnished 
 
294 HEIDI. 
 
 guest-rooms were, or had anything in the 
 lower part of the house to attend to, where 
 the great, mysterious liall was, in which 
 every footfall awoke strange echoes, and 
 the old councillors, with their bi^ white 
 collars, looked down from the walls so 
 earnestly and searchingly, she always called 
 for Tinette to come with her, in case, she 
 said, there should be anything to carry up 
 or down, 
 
 Tinette, in her turn, did the same. When 
 she had any business up stairs or down, 
 she called Sebastian to accompany her, in 
 case there were something- to be moved 
 that might be too heavy for her strength. 
 
 Strangest of all, Sebastian did the same. 
 If he was sent to a distant part of the 
 house, he begged John to come too, and 
 for the same reason, lest he might not 
 
THE SESEMANN HOUSE IS HAUNTED. 295 
 
 be able to produce what was wanted. 
 And each responded to the other's call, 
 although there was really nothing- to bring 
 up or down. It was as if each one knew 
 that similar help might be needed in his 
 own case. And while all these things 
 were happening above stairs, the old cook 
 stood amidst her pots and pans, saying 
 thoughtfully, wuth many sighs and shak- 
 ings of her head, "To think that I should 
 live to see such goings-on ! " 
 
 Certainly something very strange had 
 been taking place in the Sesemann house 
 for some time. Every morning when the 
 servants came down-stairs the house door 
 stood wnde open, but no one was to be 
 seen, far or near, who could have any con- 
 nection with the fact. When this hap- 
 pened the first time, every hole and corner 
 
296 HEIDI. 
 
 were searched throughout the house in fear 
 that something had been stolen ; for of 
 course every one thought that a thief had 
 hidden himself in the house, and carried 
 off his plunder in the night. But nothing 
 had been stolen ; nothing in the whole 
 house was missing. At night the door 
 was not only double-locked, but fastened 
 with wooden beams. It did no good. In 
 the morning it stood wide open ; and no 
 matter how early the servants in their 
 excitement might come down-stairs, there 
 stood the door open, though everybody in 
 the neighborhood was asleep, and all the 
 other houses were fastened securely. 
 
 At length Sebastian and John took 
 courage, and prepared themselves, in ac- 
 cordance with the urgent request of Miss 
 Rottenmeier, to pass the night below in 
 
THt SESEMANN HOUSE IS HAUNTED. 297 
 
 the room that opened into the big hall, 
 and there to wait and watch for what might 
 take place. The housekeeper got out 
 several weapons of Mr. Sesemann's, and 
 gave them a big flask of spirits, so that 
 they might have means of refreshment as 
 well as of defence. 
 
 The pair seated themselves, on the ap- 
 pointed night, and began at once to par- 
 take of the refreshment, which soon mad 3 
 them very sleepy ; whereupon they both 
 lay back in their armchairs, and went fast 
 asleep. When the old tower clock struck 
 twelve, Sebastian roused himself, and called 
 his comrade, who was not so easily awak- 
 ened. As often as Sebastian spoke to him, 
 so often he turned his head to the other 
 side of his chair, and still slept on. Se- 
 bastian listened intently ; he was now very 
 
298 HEIDI. 
 
 wide awake. All was still, not even in the 
 street was anything stirring-. Sebastian did 
 not go to sleep again, it was too uncom- 
 fortable there in the silence ; he aroused 
 John, but only with a smothered voice, 
 and shook him now and then a little. 
 At last, about one o'clock, John awoke, 
 and remembered why he was in a chair, 
 and not in his bed. Suddenly he felt 
 very brave, and said : " Now, Sebastian, 
 we must out of this, and see what is 
 going on. You needn't be afraid. Come 
 behind me ! " 
 
 John opened the door of the room, that 
 had been only partly closed, and went out. 
 At the same moment a sharp draught, 
 coming from the open house door, put 
 out the light that he had in his hand. 
 He started back, knocked Sebastian, who 
 
THE SESEMANN HOUSE IS HAUNTED. 299 
 
 Stood behind, into the room, shut the 
 door quickly, and turned the key in the 
 lock rapidly as many times as it would 
 go round ; then he pulled out his matches 
 and lighted his lamp. Sebastian did not 
 rightly know what had happened, for 
 he had been sheltered, standing as he 
 did behind the stout John, from the 
 draught. When, however, he saw his 
 comrade by the lamplight, he gave a 
 cry of alarm ; for John was as white as 
 chalk, and shook like an aspen leaf. 
 
 "What was there outside?" asked Se- 
 bastian anxiously. 
 
 " Wide open stood the door," whispered 
 John, " and on the steps was a white 
 figure, Sebastian, just going down, and 
 whist ! it disappeared." 
 
 Sebastian felt creepy down his whole 
 
300 HEIDI. 
 
 back. Now the two men seated them 
 selves close togfcthcr, and did not stir 
 again until it was bright daylight, and 
 the streets began to be filled with move- 
 ment. Then going out together, they 
 closed the front door, that had stood wide 
 open all this time, and went to tell Miss 
 Rottenmeier Vvhat had happened to them. 
 The housekeeper was soon ready to speak 
 with them, for she had scarcely slept for 
 fear of what might be coming. As soon 
 as she heard what they had seen, she 
 seated herself, and wrote to Mr. Sese- 
 mann such a letter as he had never 
 before received, saying that he must 
 come home at once without delay, for 
 unheard - of things were taking place. 
 She recounted then what had occurred ; 
 that the house door was found wide open 
 
THE SESEMANX HOUSE IS HAUNTED. 3OI 
 
 ever)^ morning ; that nobody in the house- 
 hold felt secure, as it was impossible to 
 foresee what events these mysterious 
 signs might portend. 
 
 Mr. Sesemann replied that it was im- 
 possible for him to drop everything, and 
 come away at such short notice. The 
 ghost story he found very absurd, and 
 hoped that the excitement would soon 
 pass over. If it did not soon quiet itself, 
 he begged Miss Rottennieier to write to 
 Mrs. Sesemann, who would undoubtedly 
 come at once ; and he was sure that she 
 would quickly put a stop to all spectral 
 apparitions, and so effectually that they 
 would not dare to show themselves in 
 his house again. 
 
 Miss Rottenmeier did not feel pleased 
 at the tone of this letter. The thing was 
 
302 HEIDI. 
 
 not considered of enough importance. 
 She wrote, as directed, to Mrs. Sese- 
 mann, and did not get more comfort from 
 that lady's answer, which contained some 
 very unpleasant remarks. Mrs. Sesemann 
 stated that she had no intention of trav- 
 elling from Holstein to Frankfort because 
 the Rottenmeier saw ghosts. Formerly 
 there were no such things as ghosts to 
 be seen in the Sesemann house ; and if 
 any were wandering there now, they 
 must be living creatures, with whom the 
 Rottenmeier might easily settle. If she 
 were not equal to that, then she could 
 call the watchman to her aid. 
 
 The housekeeper was not inclined to 
 pass her days in terror, and knew very 
 well how to help herself in an emer- 
 gency. Up to this time she had refrained 
 
THE SESEMANN HOUSE IS HAUNTED. 3O.5 
 
 from telling the children about the appari- 
 tion, for fear that they would not be willing 
 to remain alone day or night, which would 
 inconvenience herself exceedingly. Now 
 stie marched straight to the study where 
 they were sitting together, and told them, 
 in a mysterious whisper, of the nightly 
 appearance of an unknown being. 
 
 Klara declared at once that she would 
 not be left alone for a moment. Her 
 papa must be sent for, and Miss Rotten- 
 meier must come to sleep in her room ; 
 nor must Heidi be left alone, for fear 
 the ghost should come to hurt her. 
 They would all sleep in one room, and 
 the light must be left burning all night, 
 and Tinette must also sleep near by ; and 
 Sebastian and John must come down, 
 and pass the night in the corridor, to call 
 
304 HEIDI. 
 
 out and frighten the ghost, if they saw It 
 coming. 
 
 Klara was very much excited, and the 
 housekeeper had much trouble in making 
 her Hsten to reason. She promised to 
 write to Mr. Sesemann, as well as to bring 
 her bed to Klara's room, and not to leave 
 her alone at night again. She decided, 
 however, that they should not all sleep 
 in Klara's room ; if Adelheid were afraid 
 too, Tinette could go to sleep with her. 
 But Heidi was far more afraid of Tinette 
 than of ghosts, of which, indeed, she had 
 never before heard ; and she said at once 
 that she was not afraid, and would much 
 rather sleep alone in her room. 
 
 Miss Rottenmeier hastened to her writ- 
 ing-desk, and sent off a letter to Mr. 
 Sesemann, to the effect that the unnat- 
 
THE SES'lMAXX HOrSE IS HAUNTED. 305 
 
 iiral condition of affairs in his house, 
 recurring as it did every night, was Hkely 
 to have a bad influence on the health 
 of his dehcate daughter ; the worst conse- 
 quences might follow, instatices being 
 known of epileptic attacks, or Saint Vitus's 
 dance, being brought on l:)y such excite- 
 ment as his Klara was now under, owino- 
 to these nightly alarms. 
 
 This letter was successful. Two days 
 later, Mr. Sesemann stood before his 
 house door, and pulled the bell with 
 such violence that the servants all stood 
 lookincr at each other, with the fear that 
 now the ghost had become bolder, and 
 begun to play its tricks in broad day. 
 Sebastian peeped out through a half-open 
 shutter cautiously ; but such a determined 
 clang now resounded through the hall, that 
 
306 HEIDI. 
 
 the servant suspected a man's hand to b*. 
 the cause, and a hand that he recognized 
 too ; so he hurried down-stairs headlong, 
 to open the door as quickly as possible. 
 
 Mr. Sesemann greeted Sebastian but 
 shortly, and went straight to his daughter's 
 room, where the joyful welcome that he 
 received from her, and her face of glad- 
 ness, soon smoothed the wrinkles that 
 had gathered on his forehead ; and they 
 vanished entirely when she assured him 
 that she felt perfectly well, and that it did 
 not matter, now she had him fast, if 
 a orhost did walk at nio^ht, for without the 
 ofhost she should not have had her father. 
 
 "And pray, how is the spectre getting 
 on, Miss Rottenmeier ? " asked Mr. Sese- 
 mann, the corners of his mouth twitching 
 a little. 
 
THE SESEMANN HOUSE IS HAUNTED. 307 
 
 " I assure you, sir," was the earnest 
 reply, "it is not a joking matter. To- 
 morrow morning Mr. Sesemann will not 
 think of laughing; for what nightly takes 
 place in this house now, points clearly 
 to something terrible that has taken place 
 here at some former time, and been con- 
 cealed." 
 
 "There I am ignorant," replied the 
 gentleman ; " but I must beg of you not 
 to make my entirely respected ancestors 
 appear in the character of persons under 
 suspicion. Now call Sebastian into the 
 dining-room, that I may speak with him." 
 
 In the dining-room, the master of the 
 house acted on the observation that he 
 had made concerning the little love that 
 existed between Sebastian and the house- 
 keeper. 
 
3o8 HEIDI. 
 
 " Come here, my man," he said, and 
 beckoned his servant to approach. "Tell 
 me honestly, has there not been some 
 tricker}^ here to put Miss Rottenmeier 
 about a little ? " 
 
 " No, upon my truth, the gracious 
 master must not think that. I do not 
 feel at all comfortable about the thine 
 myself," replied the man with unmistak- 
 able veracity. 
 
 " Very well ; " if that is the case, I will 
 soon show such brave fellows as Sebas- 
 tian and John how ghosts look by day- 
 light. Shame upon you, Sebastian, a 
 strong young fellow like you, to run away 
 from a ghost ! Now take my compli- 
 ments to m)' old friend Dr. Classen, and 
 ask that he come to me without fail at 
 nine o'clock this evening. I have trav- 
 
THE SESEMAXN HOUSE IS HAUNTED. 3O9 
 
 elled from Paris expressly to consult him. 
 He must watch to-night with me, so very 
 bad is the case, and must make his prep- 
 arations accordingly. Am I understood ? " 
 
 '* Perfectly, perfectly ; the gracious mas 
 ter may be sure that I shall repeat the 
 message correctly." 
 
 Punctually at nine o'clock, just as the 
 children and Miss Rottenmeier withdrew 
 for the night, appeared the good doctor, 
 who under his gray hair had a fresh com- 
 plexion, and a pair of bright, kindly eyes. 
 His anxious looks soon gave place to 
 merriment after the first greeting ; and 
 tapping his friend gayly on the shoulder, 
 he said : " Well, well ! You do not look 
 as if you were in need of a watcher, old 
 friend." 
 
 " Only be patient a while, old fellow. 
 
3IO HEIDI. 
 
 The person for whom we are to watch will 
 look badly enough when we have captured 
 him." 
 
 " What is this ? A sick person in the 
 house, and one who is to be caught ? " 
 
 " Far worse, far worse. A ghost in the 
 house ! We are haunted ! " 
 
 Dr. Classen laughed outright. 
 
 " That is a pleasant way of taking 
 my news ! It's a pity my friend Rotten- 
 meier can't enjoy it with you. She is 
 convinced that some old Sesemann is wan- 
 dering about here, to expiate some horri- 
 ble crime." 
 
 " Wliere has she made his acquaint- 
 ance, pray ? " asked the doctor, still much 
 amused. 
 
 Mr. Sesemann now told his friend the 
 whole story, and added that he had made 
 
THE SESEMANN HOUSE IS HAUNTED. 3II 
 
 preparations for whatever might be discov- 
 ered. He had two loaded pistols ; for the 
 affair was either one of a very objectionable 
 kind of joke that some of the servants' ac- 
 quaintances had played upon them during 
 his absence, and in this case a shot or two 
 in the air would do no harm, or there was 
 really a thief, who wished to establish the 
 idea of a spectre in order to pursue his 
 depredations undisturbed, in which case 
 also a good weapon would be useful. 
 
 W hile talking this over, the gentlemen 
 descended the stairs, and entered the room 
 where John and Sebastian had passed their 
 eventful night. On the table stood some 
 bottles of good wine. Refreshment would 
 not come amiss, if the nigrht were to be 
 spent in watching. The revolvers lay be- 
 side the bottles ; and a couple of branched 
 
312 HEIDI. 
 
 candlesticks, shedding a clear light around, 
 stood there too ; for Mr. Sesemann had no 
 idea of waiting for the ghost in partial 
 darkness. 
 
 Now the door was pushed to, to prevent 
 too much light penetrating into the corri- 
 dor, which might make the ghost feel shy ; 
 and the two gentlemen seated themselves 
 comfortably in their armchairs, and enter- 
 tained themselves with all sorts of stories, 
 taking now and then a sip of wine, until 
 twelve o'clock sounded. They had not 
 thought it to be so late. 
 
 " The ghost has got wind of us, and will 
 not show itself to-night," said the doctor. 
 
 " It does not walk till one," said his 
 friend. 
 
 The talk began afresh. One sounded. 
 It was perfectly still, not a sound to be 
 
THE SESEMANX HOUSE IS HAUNTED. 313 
 
 heard. Suddenly die doctor raised his 
 finger. 
 
 "Do you hear nothing, Sesemann?" 
 
 They listened intently. Softly, but dis- 
 tinctly, they heard the bar from the house 
 door removed, and the key turned twice in 
 the lock. Then the door was opened. 
 
 " You are not afraid ? " asked the doctor, 
 and rose. 
 
 " It is well to be cautious," whispered 
 Mr. Sesemann, and took a candlestick in 
 one hand and a revolver in the other. 
 The doctor had preceded him, similarly 
 equipped. They stepped into the corridor. 
 A white figure, lighted up by the moon- 
 light, stood motionless on the threshold 
 of the wide-open outer door. 
 
 " Who goes there ? " thundered the 
 doctor, and with weapons and lighted can- 
 
314 HEIDI. 
 
 dies both gentlemen approached the figure. 
 It turned about, and uttered a low cry. 
 There stood revealed little Heidi, with 
 naked feet, in her white nightgown, star- 
 ing with dazzled eyes at the bright lights 
 and flashing revolvers, and quivering like 
 a leaf in the wind from head to foot. 
 
 " I really believe it is your little water- 
 carrier," said the doctor. 
 
 "Child, what does this mean? What 
 are you doing ? Why have you comt 
 down here ? " asked the master of the 
 house. 
 
 White as snow from fear, Heidi an- 
 swered almost inaudibly, " I do not know." 
 
 Now the doctor stepped forward. "Se- 
 semann," said he, " the case belongs to 
 my province. Go seat yourself in your 
 armchair. I will first of all carry this 
 
THE SESEMANN HOUSE IS HAUNTED. 315 
 
 child back where she belongs." So say- 
 ing, he laid his revolver aside, took the 
 trembling child by the hand, and with a 
 fatherly tenderness led her up-stairs. 
 
 " Do not be afraid. There is nothing 
 to fear," he said kindly, as they ascended. 
 " Now be quiet ; there is nothing to be 
 troubled about." 
 
 Having reached Heidi's room, and set 
 down his liaht, he took the child in 
 his arms, put her in her bed, and cov- 
 ered her up carefully ; then, seating him- 
 self on a chair by the bedside, he waited 
 patiently until her tremors had subsided. 
 At last, taking Heidi's hand in his, he 
 said soothingly, " Now that everything is 
 right again, just tell me where you were 
 going." 
 
 " I was not going anywhere. I did not 
 
3l6 HEIDI. 
 
 go down there myself, I was all at once 
 there." 
 
 " Well, well ; did you dream anything 
 in the night ? Do you remember seeing 
 or hearing anything ? " 
 
 " Yes, every night I dream the same 
 thing. I think I am with my grandfather, 
 and I hear the wind in the pines, and 
 the stars are shining in the sky ; and I 
 jump up quick, and open the door of the 
 hut, and oh, it is so beautiful ! But when 
 I awake, I am always in Frankfort." And 
 Heidi began to sob, and fight with the 
 trouble that swelled her little throat al- 
 most to bursting. 
 
 " Hm, and have you no pain, nowhere? 
 None in your back or head ? " 
 
 " No, only it hurts me here like a big 
 stone all the time." 
 
THE SESEMANN HOUSE IS HAUNTED. 317 
 
 " As if you had eaten something, and 
 wished to throw it off ? " 
 
 " No, not that ; as if I must cry." 
 
 "And then do you cry very hard ? " 
 
 " Oh no ! I try not to cry, for Miss 
 Rottenmeier has forbidden it." 
 
 " So you swallow it down till the next 
 time ? That is the way ? Yes, I under- 
 stand. And you like it here in Frankfort, 
 do you ? " 
 
 " Oh yes ! " but the reply sounded as if 
 it meant " Oh no ! " 
 
 " Hm, and where did you live with your 
 grandfather ? " 
 
 " Always on the Aim." 
 
 " That couldn't have been so very agree- 
 able ? Tiresome, was it not ? " 
 
 " Oh no ! It was beautiful ! so beauti- 
 ful ! " Heidi could contain herself no 
 
3 I 8 HEIDI. 
 
 longer. The flood of longing, the agita- 
 tion of the last half-hour, the long-re- 
 strained tears, overpowered her strength, 
 and she burst forth into violent weeping. 
 
 The doctor stood up, smoothed the 
 child's pillow, and said kindly : " Yes, cry 
 a little now, it will do you good. Then go 
 to sleep, go to sleep quietly, and to-mor- 
 row everything shall be right." Then he 
 left the room. 
 
 Once again down-stairs, the doctor 
 seated himself in the armchair opposite 
 to his anxious host. 
 
 " In the first place, Sesemann," he said, 
 " I must tell you that your little protegee is 
 moonstruck. In total unconsciousness she 
 has played the ghost, and opened your 
 house door every night, and frightened 
 your servants. In the second place, she 
 
THE SESEMANN HOUSE IS HAUNTED. 319 
 
 is suffering from homesickness so that 
 she is reduced ahiiost to a skeleton, and 
 soon will be one, if this goes on. An 
 immediate remedy is necessary. For the 
 first trouble, and the extremely excited 
 state of her nerves, there is only one cure, 
 and that is to send the child back to her 
 native mountains ; for the second, naturally 
 the same thing is needed, her home. My 
 prescription is that she must leave Frank- 
 fort to-morrow." 
 
 Mr. Sesemann sprang from his chair, 
 ind began walking rapidly up and down 
 die room. At last he broke out : " Moon- 
 struck! sick! homesick! reduced to a skele- 
 ton in my house, Classen ! All this with- 
 in my doors, and nobody has attended to 
 her, nobody knew anything about it! And 
 you, doctor, you wish that this child, who 
 
320 HEIDI. 
 
 came to us fresh and strong, should be sent, 
 back to her grandfather aihng and fam 
 ished ? No, you cannot ask that. I will 
 not do it, I cannot ! Take the little one 
 in hand, cure her ; do what you think 
 best, only cure her ; then I will send her 
 back whenever she wishes. You must 
 help us." 
 
 " Sesemann," replied Dr. Classen im- 
 pressively, "bethink yourself! This con- 
 dition is not an illness to be cured by 
 pills and powders. The child is not of a 
 naturally strong constitution ; but if she is 
 allowed to return to the strengthening 
 mountain air which she is accustomed to, 
 and which she needs, she will be perfectly 
 strong again, Sesemann, you would not 
 have her return to her grandfather incura- 
 bly ill, or return no more ? " 
 
THE SESEMANN HOUSE IS HAUNTED. 32 I 
 
 From sheer alarm Mr. Sesemann stood 
 still, and stared at the solemn doctor. 
 
 " Of course, if you talk so, Classen, 
 there is no choice. It must be as you 
 say. 
 
 He took his friend's arm, and they 
 walked back and forth, talkinor the ease 
 thoroughly over, and making plans, until 
 it was morning ; and when the master 
 of the house opened the door to let his 
 friend out, the bright sunlight streamed in. 
 
322 HBIDI. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 A SUMMER EVENING ON THE ALM. 
 
 After his friend's departure, Mr. Sese- 
 mann ascended rapidly to the housekeep- 
 er's room, at which he knocked loudly. 
 Miss Rottenmeier uttered a cry of alarm. 
 Outside she heard the master's voice, 
 saying imperiously: "Be kind enough to 
 make haste, and come to the dining-room 
 without delay ; preparations for a journey 
 must be made at once." 
 
 It was only half past four in the morn- 
 ing. Miss Rottenmeier had never been 
 out of bed in her life so early. What 
 could have happened ? Moved by curi- 
 
A SUMMKR KVENING ON THE ALM. 323 
 
 osity, and much agitated, she took up the 
 wrong thing continually in dressing, and 
 therefore got on very slowly ; for when she 
 had put an article of dress on her person, 
 she began to search in the room to find it. 
 In the mean time Mr. Sesemann went 
 through the hall, and pulled every bell with 
 all his might, to call each separate servant. 
 In each room a frightened man or maid 
 sprang out of bed, hurrying to dress pell- 
 mell ; for all believed that the spectre had 
 laid violent hands on the watchers, and that 
 it was a call for help. Down they came 
 one after the other, each looking worse 
 than the last, and stood in surprise before 
 their master, who looked fresh and lively, 
 and not as if suffering from a fright. John 
 received an order to get horses and car- 
 riage in readiness to go out. Heidi was 
 
324 HEIDI. 
 
 to be awakened and dressed by Tinette 
 and prepared for an immediate journey. 
 Sebastian was despatched to the house 
 where Dete hved, to bring her without 
 delay to Mr. Sesemann. 
 
 At last Miss Rottenmeier appeared. Her 
 clothes were all in good order at last, ex- 
 cept her headdress, which was put on the 
 wrong side before, presenting from a dis- 
 tance the strange and alarmingf sup-gestion 
 that the housekeeper's head was turned. 
 Mr. Sesemann, rightly ascribing this puz- 
 zling aspect to her early rising, went on 
 with his business unconcernedly, request- 
 ing her to prepare a trunk for the little 
 Swiss (so he always spoke of Heidi, 
 whose unusual name continually escaped 
 his memory), to place in it a good portion 
 of Klara's clothing, so that the child should 
 
A SUMMER EVENING ON THE ALM. 325 
 
 carry away with her whatever was fitting, 
 and this to be accomphshed at once, and 
 not a moment wasted. 
 
 Beyond this, no word of explanation was 
 vouchsafed, much to Miss Rottenmeier's 
 disappointment ; and leaving her to follow 
 his directions, Mr. Sesemann went to his 
 daughter's bedroom. As he expected, he 
 found Klara wide awake, hstenino- anx- 
 iously to the sounds that reached her from 
 every side, and trying vainly to divine what 
 was going on in the house at this unusual 
 hour. Seating himself on her bed, her 
 father gave her a detailed account of what 
 had happened in connection with the ghost 
 story, and how little Heidi had in Dr. 
 Classen's opinion undergone a serious 
 strain, and would probably continue her 
 nightly wanderings until she some time 
 
326 HEIDI. 
 
 mounted to the roof, which would be very 
 dangerous. It was necessary to send the 
 little o-irl home to her native air, for he 
 could not take upon himself the conse- 
 quences if he kept the child in Frankfort. 
 He appealed to Klara's good feeling and 
 good sense to see that it must be. 
 
 At first, naturally, Klara could not be- 
 lieve in the necessity that would deprive 
 her of her dear little companion, and 
 tried, as her father had done at first, to 
 find all sorts of remedies rather than a 
 parting. But her father was inflexible. 
 He promised, if Klara were able, to travel 
 with her to Switzerland the following sum- 
 mer, if she would only be c|uiet now, and 
 not make too much of this present trouble. 
 So Klara resigned herself to the inevitable, 
 only begging as recompense that Heidi's 
 
A SUMMER EVENING ON THE ALM. 327 
 
 trunk should be brought to her room, and 
 there packed, in order that she could place 
 in it anything she pleased, or that she 
 thought would please her little friend ; 
 which plan her father heartily agreed to, 
 encouraging her to provide for the little 
 Swiss a handsome outfit. 
 
 While all this was going rapidly forward. 
 Aunt Dete came with Sebastian, who left 
 her in great suspense in the antechamber, 
 since her being summoned at this unusual 
 hour must indicate that something remark- 
 able was about to happen. Going to 
 her, Mr. Sesemann explained why it was 
 necessary to send the child, her niece, 
 immediately back to her grandfather, and 
 requested Dete to accompany her at once. 
 
 Much disappointed Dete felt and looked 
 at this unexpected turn of affairs. She 
 
328 HEIDI. 
 
 remembered too well the parting shot of 
 the Aim uncle, warning her against ever 
 showing herself before him again ; and 
 she hardly deemed it prudent to venture 
 to return with Heidi now, having once 
 brought her, and then removed her, each 
 time without his permission. Her mind 
 was promptly made up and expressed. 
 To-day it was utterly impossible for her 
 to make the journey, neither was it to 
 be thought of for the morrow. The day 
 after would be the least convenient of all, 
 owing to work that must be done ; and 
 farther on she could do no better. Mr. 
 Sesemann understood her drift by this 
 time, and dismissed her without comment. 
 Sending for Sebastian, he bade him pre- 
 pare for a journey. He was to conduct 
 Heidi to Basle to-day, and continue with 
 
A SUMMER EVENING ON THE ALM. 329 
 
 her to her home the day after, then return 
 to Frankfort without delay. Mr. Sesemann 
 would give him a letter to Heidi's grand- 
 father, to explain everything. 
 
 " One other thing Sebastian is not 
 to forget," pursued Mr. Sesemann* "I 
 am well known at the hotel at Basle. 
 I have written directions on my card, and 
 when this is given to the landlord a good 
 room will be provided for the little Swiss. 
 .Sebastian can look out for his own com- 
 fort. All the windows in the little girl's 
 room. must be carefully closed and securely 
 fastened, so that they cannot be opened 
 with the greatest strength. The door must 
 also be locked and fastened from the out- 
 side, when the child is quiet ; for she wan- 
 ders about in her sleep, and might chance 
 to be in dang-er in a strangre house if she 
 
 o o 
 
330 HEIDI. 
 
 got out of her room, and tried to open the 
 house door. Does Sebastian understand 
 what is said ? " 
 
 " Ah ! ah ! ah ! Was that it ? Was that 
 how it was ? " cried Sebastian, on whose 
 brain a great Hght broke suddenly con- 
 cerning the ghost. 
 
 " Yes, that was it ; that was how it was ; 
 and there is a poltroon, too, who can tell 
 John that he also is a coward, and as much 
 for the whole ridiculous household." And 
 in high dudgeon Mr. Sesemann strode 
 off to his own room, to write to the Aim 
 uncle. 
 
 Crestfallen stood the doughty Sebas- 
 tian in the middle of the room, and re- 
 peated to himself several times : " If I 
 only hadn't let that cowardly John push 
 me back into the room, and lock the 
 
A SUMMER EVENING CN THE ALM. 33 1 
 
 door, T should certainly have gone after 
 the white figure. I would do it this very 
 minute ! " As, in fact, he well might, for 
 every corner of the room was flooded with 
 light. 
 
 Meanwhile Heidi stood arrayed in her 
 Sunday frock in the middle of her cham- 
 ber, with no idea of what had happened, 
 or was to happen. Tinette had shaken 
 her awake, taken her clothes from the 
 press, and helped her to dress, without 
 speaking to her, as usual. The lady's maid 
 declared she found the little Swiss child's 
 (gnorance too debasing, when she tried to 
 converse with her. 
 
 " Where is the child ? " called out Mr. 
 Sesemann. coming into the dining-room. 
 vith his finished letter in his hand. 
 
 Heidi appeared. She came towards Mr. 
 
332 HEIDI. 
 
 Sesemann to say good- morning. " And 
 now, what have you to say about it, httle 
 one ? " said he, examining her face atten- 
 tively. 
 
 In amazed silence Heidi looked up at 
 him. 
 
 " So you really know nothing about it," 
 continued he, smiling. " To-day you are 
 going home, going at once." 
 
 " Home ! " murmured the child, and 
 turned perfectly white. She could scarcely 
 breathe for a while, her heart seemed to 
 stand still in her breast. 
 
 " And do not you wish to know some- 
 thing more about it ? " 
 
 " Oh yes, indeed, I wish to very much ! " 
 she said, and now grew crimson. 
 
 " That is better," said Mr. Sesemann, 
 and made a sign for her to seat herself at 
 
A SUMMER EVENING ON THE ALM. 333 
 
 the table, while he did the same. " Now 
 eat a hearty breakfast, then into the car- 
 riage and away," he said encouragingly. 
 
 In vain Heidi tried to eat, though she 
 would have liked to show her obedience. 
 Such a commotion was taking place within 
 her that she did not know if she were 
 awake or asleep. She half dreaded to find 
 herself in her nightdress on the house- 
 door steps. 
 
 " Let Sebastian take a good luncheon 
 with him," said Mr. Sesemann to the 
 housekeeper, who entered at this moment. 
 " The child cannot eat, which is not sur- 
 prising. Go into Klara's room, and sit 
 with her until the carriage comes," he 
 added in friendly wise, turning to Heidi. 
 
 That was just what Heidi was longing 
 to do, so away she ran. A big trunk stood 
 
334 HEIDI. 
 
 in the middle of Klara's room, the lid still 
 open. 
 
 " Come, Heidi, come ! see what I have 
 packed for you. Is it not nice ? " said 
 Klara, showing her a great quantity of 
 things, dresses and aprons, handkerchiefs 
 and sewing implements, and — greatest 
 treasure of all for the little Swiss, the 
 sight of which made her leap for joy — a 
 basket of twelve beautiful white round 
 rolls for the grandmother in Dorfli. In 
 their delight over these gifts the children 
 forgot the coming separation, until a call 
 from the other room startled them. "The 
 carriage is ready," shouted Mr. Sesemann. 
 and there was no time to grieve over the 
 parting. Heidi rushed into her room for 
 the beautiful book given her by the grand- 
 mamma, from which she never parted day 
 
A SUMMER. EVENING ON THE ALM. 335 
 
 or night. She knew that was not packed, 
 for she kept it at night under her pillow. 
 She opened the press wide, another pre- 
 cious thing must go home with her. There 
 it was, and the old red shawl, which Miss 
 Rottenmeier had esteemed too shabby to 
 be put into the trunk. Heidi wrapped it 
 round her other treasure, and put it on 
 the top of the basket of rolls, so that the 
 red parcel was very conspicuous. Then, 
 placing her pretty hat on her head, she 
 left the room. 
 
 The good-bye was quickly said. Mr. 
 Sesemann was waiting to put Heidi into 
 the carriage, and Miss Rottenmeier stood 
 at the head of the stairs to take leave of 
 her ; but when she caught sight of the 
 extraordinary red shawl, she took the bun- 
 dle quickly from the top of the basket, and 
 threw it on the floor. 
 
336 HEIDI. 
 
 " No, Adelheid," she said reproachfully, 
 " you must not travel away from this 
 house in this style ; you have no occasion 
 to carry back this stuff, at any rate. Now 
 farewell." 
 
 After these severe words, Heidi did not 
 dare to take up her little bundle again ; 
 but she looked up at the master of the 
 house with beseeching eyes, as if to tell 
 him that she was losing her most valued 
 possessions. 
 
 "No, none of this, Miss Rottenmeier ; 
 the child shall take home with her what- 
 ever she wishes, should it even be kittens 
 or a tortoise. There is no need to become 
 excited over it." 
 
 Mr. Sesemann spoke in so decided a 
 tone that there was no more doubt either 
 in Heidi's or Miss Rottenmeier s mind as 
 
to what was to be clone. The child lifted 
 up her treasure from the floor, and joy and 
 thanks shone in her eyes. 
 
 Below, at the carriao-e door, Mr. Sese- 
 mann took leave of his little Swiss, shak- 
 ing her kindly by the hand, w^ishing her a 
 good journey, and bidding her not to for- 
 get her friends in Frankfort ; and Heidi 
 thanked him right bravely for all the kind-'- 
 ness she had received at his hands, and 
 added earnestly, "And to the good doctor 
 I send a thousand thanks, and my best 
 wishes." For the conversation of the 
 previous night remained in her memory, 
 and how the doctor had said, " To-morrow 
 everything shall be right." And now it 
 was true, and Heidi ascribed it to the 
 right cause. 
 
 AJready the child was lifted into the 
 
338 HEIDI. 
 
 carriage ; and after her came the basket 
 the lunch-bag, and Sebastian. " A happy 
 journey," cried Mr. Sesemann, and they 
 were gone. 
 
 All the time they were on the railway 
 Heidi held her basket tightly in her lap. 
 She would not risk its being on the seat ; 
 for the precious rolls for the grandmother 
 were there, which she must guard care- 
 fully. She raised the lid every now and 
 then, to assure herself. In perfect quiet 
 the child passed the long day. She only 
 now beean to understand that she was on 
 her way to the Aim, to her grandfather, to 
 goat-Peter ; and her thoughts became busy 
 with what was in store for her, how they 
 all would look. Suddenly remembering 
 her old fear, she said anxiously, " Sebas- 
 tian, is it certain that the grandmother on 
 the Aim is not dead ? " 
 
A SUMMER EVENING ON THE ALM. 339 
 
 " We'll hope SO," said he soothingly. 
 " Yes, yes, she must be still alive." 
 
 Then Heidi fell back again into her old 
 train of thought, and pictured how she 
 would spread out her twelve rolls on the 
 table before the blind woman ; and again 
 she peeped at them. After a long time 
 she said ao^ain, " Sebastian, if one could 
 only be quite sure that the grandmother 
 is alive ! " 
 
 " Yes, yes," murmured Sebastian, only 
 half awake, "why shouldn't she be?" 
 
 Soon sleep overpowered the tired child 
 also ; for she had passed an unquiet night, 
 been awakened early, and was fairly ex- 
 hausted. She was roused at last by Sebas- 
 tian's grip upon her arm. " Wake up ! 
 wake up ! We must get out ; we are at 
 Basle." 
 
340 HEIDI. 
 
 Their journey was continued hour after 
 hour the following- clay, Heidi always hold- 
 ing the basket, which she had never parted 
 from. To-day she did not speak at all, and 
 every hour her anxiety increased. At last, 
 when she least expected it, the guard cried 
 out, " Mayenfeld ! " Sebastian, as well as 
 herself, sprang up hastily, being- both taken 
 by surprise. They were on the platform, 
 the basket safe, and the train puffing away 
 in the distance. Sebastian followed it 
 sadly with his eyes. How much better, 
 he thought, to travel by that, than to 
 undertake the foot journey which must 
 end in a climb up a mountain, and that, 
 too, in a country where the inhabitants 
 were half wild, and where dangers sur- 
 rounded him on every side ! Such was the 
 Frankforter's idea of Switzerland. Having 
 
A SUMMER EVENING ON THE ALM. 34 T 
 
 looked about him cautiously, he determined 
 to find out the safest \va)' to Dorfli. Not 
 far froni the station stood a little cart, 
 with a horse harnessed to it. A broad- 
 shouldered man was liftini^" into the cart a 
 couple of sacks of flour, which had been 
 brought by the railroad. Sebastian ques- 
 tioned him concerning the safest road to 
 Dorfli. 
 
 " All the roads are safe here," replied 
 the man shortly. 
 
 Sebastian, however, continued his inqui- 
 ries as to the best way, where there was 
 least danger of falling over the precipices, 
 also how a trunk could be conveyed thither. 
 The man looked at the trunk, measured it 
 awhile with his eye, and said that if the 
 thing were not too heavy he would take it 
 himself to Dorfli, as he was cfoins: there ; 
 
342 HEIDI. 
 
 and so they fell into conversation, com- 
 ing at last to the understanding that the 
 child and her trunk should be put into 
 the cart, and taken to Dorfli, and then 
 Heidi could find some escort up the Aim. 
 
 " I can go alone," here said Heidi. " I 
 know my way up the Aim from Dorlli." 
 
 A great weight fell from Sebastian's 
 heart, as he found himself relieved from 
 the necessity of climbing up the mountain. 
 Beckoning Heidi mysteriously aside, he 
 gave her a small but heavy parcel, and a 
 letter for her grandfather, explaining to her 
 that the parcel contained a present from 
 Mr. Sesemann, and that it must be very 
 carefully looked after, as his master would 
 be very angry if it were lost. He advised 
 that it should be put into the basket under 
 the rolls, as there it would be safest. 
 
A SUMMER EVENING ON THE ALM. 343 
 
 " I will not lose it," said Heidi con- 
 fidently, and buried the letter and the 
 parcel far down amongst the bread. So 
 Heidi, her trunk, and her basket, were put 
 into the cart, Sebastian making many signs 
 and mysterious movements to indicate that 
 great care must be taken. As the driver 
 stood near, he did not like to speak again 
 of the last addition to the basket ; but he 
 made all the ado possible, to quiet his 
 conscience for not accompanying the child 
 himself, as he was bidden. At last the 
 driver climbed up to his high seat beside 
 the little girl, and they rolled off towards 
 Dorfli ; while the servant went rejoicing 
 on his way back, to await the train to go 
 home to Frankfort. 
 
 It was the baker from Dorfli, into whose 
 cart Heidi had climbed. They were stran- 
 
344 HEIDI. 
 
 gers to each other; but he knew her story 
 and how she had been brought up and 
 left by her aunt with the Ahii uncle. He 
 had known her parents, and felt sure at 
 once that the much-talked-about Heidi 
 was now in his care. Why she was com- 
 ing back again he could not understand, 
 and as they jogged along he began to 
 question her. ' 
 
 "You must be the child who lived with 
 I the Aim uncle, with her grandfather?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Have you had a hard time of it, that 
 you are coming back again?" ' ■ 
 
 " No, that is not so ; nobody can be so 
 well off as they are in Frankfort." 
 
 "Why, then, are you coming home?" 
 
 " Only because Mr. Sesemann has let 
 me," 
 
A SUMMER EVENING ON THE ALM. 345 
 
 "Pah! why didn't )Ou sta)- there even 
 il he did give you leave to come home ? " 
 
 *• Because I had a thousand times rather 
 be with my grandfather on the Ahn than 
 anywhere else in the whole world." 
 
 " You'll think different when you are 
 once up there again," muttered the baker. 
 " I should like to know if she has heard 
 how it is up there now," 
 
 After this he bco-an to whistle, and said 
 no more ; and Heidi looked about her, 
 tremblinof from excitement, for she recoof- 
 nized the trees on the roadside, and above 
 snc could see the great jagged peaks of 
 Falkniss, which looked down on her, and 
 greeted her like an old friend. Heidi 
 returned the greeting, while with every 
 step her excitement increased ; it seemed 
 as if she must spring from the cart, and 
 
346 HEIDI. 
 
 run without stopping to the very top. vShe 
 controlled herself, however, and did not 
 move, though she trembled in every limb. 
 As it struck five they drove into Dorfli. 
 
 Suddenly they were surrounded by a 
 crowd of women and children, and several 
 men came towards them ; for the trunk 
 and the child attracted the attention of the 
 inhabitants, and every one wanted to know 
 whence she came, where she was going, 
 and to whom she belonged. When the 
 baker had taken Heidi down, she said 
 quickly, " My grandfather will soon come 
 for the trunk, I thank you for the ride," 
 and wanted to run on ; but she was held 
 fast on every side, and a vast -number of 
 questions asked by every one at once. She 
 tried to press through the crowd, and her 
 expression was so anxious that they made 
 
A SUMMER EVENING ON THE ALM. 347 
 
 way for her involuntarily, and let her run 
 on ; while one said to the other, " You see 
 how friorhtened she is, and she has cause 
 enough too." Then they all began to tell 
 each other how for a year past the Aim 
 uncle had grown more and more morose, 
 and would not now speak a word to any 
 one, but looked as if he would like to kill 
 all who crossed his path. If this child 
 had any other place in the world to go to, 
 she would certainly not venture into that 
 old dragon's nest. 
 
 The baker, however, joined in the con- 
 versation, saying that he ought to know 
 more than any one else about it. Then 
 with great importance he related how a 
 gentleman had brought the child to May- 
 enfeld, and had taken leave of her very 
 affectionately, had also given him the price 
 
34^ HEIDI. 
 
 of the ride and something over witii ,t 
 even bargaining ; and above all he could 
 truly say that Heidi was happy in Frank- 
 fort, and had come back of her own accord 
 to live with her Q^randfather. This news 
 was received with a great deal of surprise, 
 and spread through the village like wild- 
 fire ; in every house they were all talking 
 over the news that Heidi, leaving all sorts 
 of comforts behind her, had returned of 
 her own accord to her grandfather. 
 
 Heidi had all this time been scampering 
 up the mountain as fast as she possibly 
 could ; but she was obli<Ted to stand still 
 now and then, for she was continuall)' out 
 of breath. The basket on her arm was 
 rather heavy too, and it grew steeper and 
 steeper as she went on. One thought 
 filled her mind : " Will the grandmother 
 
A SUMMER EVENING ON THE ALM. 349 
 
 be sitting- in the corner by her spinning-- 
 wheel ? May she not have died in all this 
 time ? " 
 
 When at last she perceived the cottage 
 in the hollow on the Aim- side, her heart 
 began to beat almost painfully, but she still 
 ran on. Now she was there, )et could not 
 open the door for trembling. At last she 
 accomplished it ; into the little room she 
 sprang, and stood there utterly breathless, 
 and unable to speak a word. 
 
 " Oh," said a voice from the corner, 
 " that is the way the child Heidi used to 
 come running in to me ! If I could once 
 more in my life have her with me ! Who 
 was it that came in ? " 
 
 " It is I, grandmother, it is Heidi," cried 
 the child, and ran towards the corner. 
 Falling on her knees she seized the grand- 
 
350 HEIDI. 
 
 mother's hand, and laid her head upon the 
 grandmother's lap, not being able to speak 
 a word in her great happiness. 
 
 At first the grandmother was also silent 
 from surprise, but soon began passing her 
 hand caressingly over the little one's curly 
 hair, repeating over and over: "Yes, it 
 is the dear child's hair, and her voice. 
 Oh, the dear God has let me live for 
 this ! " and happy tears streamed from her 
 eyes. " Can you really be Heidi ? Is it 
 indeed you ? " 
 
 " Yes, I am really here, grandmother," 
 said Heidi assuringly. " You must not cry 
 any more ; here I am, and will come every 
 day to you, and never, never go away 
 again. And here, grandmother, now you 
 will not have to eat hard bread for many 
 a day ; here, grandmother ; " and the rolls 
 
A SUMMER EVENING ON THE ALM. 35 I 
 
 were taken from the basket, and placed 
 one after another on the old woman's lap, 
 till it was heaping full, 
 
 " Oh, child, child ! what a blessing you 
 bring with you ! " cried out the grand- 
 mother, and there seemed to her no end 
 to the bread which the child kept piling 
 up. " But the greatest blessing of all is 
 yourself; " and again she passed her hands 
 through the clustering curls, and stroked 
 the hot little cheek, saying, " Speak, Heidi, 
 only one word, that I may hear my child's 
 voice." So the little girl told of her fears 
 lest when she returned she should not find 
 the grandmother alive, and that the white 
 bread might not do her any good. 
 
 Peter's mother entered at this moment, 
 standing quite still for an instant from 
 astonishment ; then she cried out, " It is 
 surely Heidi ! can I believe my eyes ? " 
 
352 HEIDI. 
 
 Heidi rose, and shook hands \vith 
 Brigitte, who could not admire her ap- 
 pearance enough, and walked round and 
 round die child, saying: "Oh, mother, 
 if you could only see the beautiful dress 
 she has on ! one can scarcely recognize 
 her ! Does the hat with the feather 
 belong to you, Heidi ; that one on the 
 table? Put it on. I- want to see how you 
 look in it." 
 
 "No, I do not want it," said the child. 
 "You can take it; I shall not wear it 
 again, I haye my old one." So saying, 
 she opened the red bundle, and took out 
 her hat, which had acquired many more 
 dents during the journey, in addition to 
 the old ones. Little cared Heidi for- that; 
 she had never forgotten how her grand- 
 father had declared, when she left the Aim, 
 
A SUMMER EVENING ON THE ALM. 353 
 
 that in a hat with feathers he would never 
 look upon her ; and therefore she had 
 always wished to keep the old hat, hop- 
 ing always to wear it when she returned 
 home. 
 
 Brigitte, however, reproved her for be- 
 ing so simple. It was a beautiful hat, she 
 said ; she could not take it, for it might 
 be sold to the daughter of the teacher in 
 Dorfli for a large sum of money, if Heidi 
 would really never wear it. Heidi held to 
 her determination, and put the hat in the 
 corner behind the grandmother, where it 
 was quite hidden ; then taking off her 
 pretty frock, and binding the old red shawl 
 over her petticoat with its short sleeves, 
 she was equipped for the Aim ; and taking 
 the grandmother's hand, she said : " Now 
 I must go to my grandfather, but I will 
 
354 HEIDI. 
 
 come again to-morrow to see you. Good- 
 night." 
 
 " Yon will surely come again, little 
 one, come again to-morrow ? " said the 
 old woman, and held the little hand tightly 
 in hers, and could hardly let the child go 
 from her. 
 
 " Why have you taken off your pretty 
 frock ? " asked Brigitte. 
 
 " I must go up without it to my grand- 
 father, for fear he should not know me. 
 You said that you hardly knew me in that 
 dress." 
 
 " Oh, you might have kept on your 
 pretty dress ; he would have known }'ou ; 
 but pray be careful, for Peterkin says that 
 the- Aim uncle is cross all the time now, 
 and never speaks a pleasant word." 
 
 Brigitte had gone out to the doorstep 
 
A SUMMER EVENING ON THE AI.M. 355 
 
 to give Heidi this parting warning. A 
 good-night was all the answer Heidi gave, 
 as she began to mount the Aim with her 
 bundle on her arm. The evening sun 
 lighted up the green slopes, and up above 
 the great snow-held on Casaplana was visi- 
 ble, and shone from afar. 
 
 Every few steps Heidi had to stop, stand 
 still and turn about, for as she climbed, the 
 highest peak lay behind her. The red light 
 fell on the grass, reaching even to her feet. 
 She stopped and rested, to enjoy it fully ; 
 it was even more beautiful than she had 
 remembered or dreamed of it. The pin- 
 nacles on Falkniss flamed up to heaven, 
 the white snow-field glowed, and rosy- red 
 clouds moved across the sky. Even the 
 grass looked aflame, as the glowing reflec- 
 tion streamed from every peak, and below 
 
356 HEIDI. 
 
 the whole valley was bathed in vaporous 
 gold. Heidi stood in the midst of all this 
 beauty, while in her happiness and rapture 
 great tears rolled down her checks ; and 
 folding her little hands she looked up to 
 heaven, to give thanks to the good God 
 who had brouo-ht her home ao-ain to fmd 
 
 o o 
 
 everything so beautiful, far more beautiful 
 than ever before. It was all hers, Heidi 
 felt, and was so happy in these exquisite 
 possessions that she could not find words 
 proper to express her deep thankfulness to 
 the good heavenly Father. 
 
 Only when the light about her began to 
 fade, could Heidi tear herself away from 
 the spot. Then she began to run at such 
 pace up the mountain that before long 
 she espied the tops of the pine-trees over 
 the roof, then the hut itself, and on the 
 
A SUiMMER EVENING ON THE ALM. 357 
 
 bench her grandfather, who sat smoking 
 his pipe, while the pine branches above 
 were murmurinof in the eveningf breeze. 
 Heidi hastened yet more her steps ; and 
 before her grandfather rightly knew who 
 was before him, the child had thrown her 
 arms round his neck, clasping him tightly, 
 and repeating in her intense happiness. 
 " Grandfather, grandfather, grandfather ! " 
 
 The old man was silent. His eyes were 
 moist, it was the first time for many years 
 that he had shed tears. Looseninof Heidi's 
 arms from his neck, he placed her on his 
 knee, and looked at her for a moment. 
 " So you have come home again, my child," 
 he said ; " how is this ? Certainly they 
 haven't furbished you up much ; have they 
 sent you away ? " 
 
 " Oh no, grandfather," said Heidi ea 
 
35^ HEIDI. 
 
 gerly, " you must not think that, they were 
 all so good to me, Klara and the grand- 
 mamma and Mr, Sesemann ; but do )Ou 
 see, grandfather, I could not hold out any 
 longer, but had to come home to you ; and 
 often I thought I should stifle, I felt so 
 wretched, but I didn't say anything be- 
 cause it would be ungrateful. But one 
 morning Mr. Sesemann called me very 
 early — but I think it was what the doctor 
 said — perhaps it is all written in the let- 
 ter," and Heidi jumped down, and pulled 
 the letter and the parcel out of the bas- 
 ket, which she had placed carefully on the 
 ground by the bench, and gave both to 
 her grandfather. 
 
 "This is yours," he said, and put the 
 parc(d beside her on the bench. He read 
 the letter in silence, and put it into his 
 
A SUMMER EVENING ON IIIK AI.M. 359 
 
 pocket. " Do you feel as if you could 
 drink a little milk with me, Heidi ? " he 
 asked, taking the child's hand in his to 
 go into the hut. " But take your money, 
 child ; with that you can buy a new bed, 
 and clothes enough for many years." 
 
 "I do not want money, grandfather; and 
 I have a bed, you know ; and Klara has 
 given me so many clothes that I shall 
 never have to buy any, I am sure." 
 
 " Take it, nevertheless, and lay it in the 
 press ; you may w^ant it some time." 
 
 Heidi obeyed, and danced into the hut 
 behind her grandfather, where she was 
 soon peeping into all the corners, de- 
 lighted to be once more at home. From 
 the loft, however, her voice came presently 
 with a troubled sound, "O grandfather, my 
 bed is not here ! " 
 
360 HEIDI. 
 
 " It will soon be there again ; I didn't 
 know you were coming back. Come down 
 for your milk." 
 
 The little girl came down, seated herself 
 on her high stool in her old place, seized 
 her mug, and drank with such avidity that 
 her grandfather saw that she had not lost 
 her old tastes. " There is no milk in the 
 whole world so good as ours, grandfather," 
 she said, as she replaced her mug with a 
 sigh of satisfaction. 
 
 A shrill, well-known whistle sounded 
 without ; like lightning Heidi sprang 
 through the door. Down from the 
 heights came the little army of goats, in 
 the midst Peter, who stood still as if rooted 
 to the spot, and stared at Heidi in speech- 
 less surprise. 
 
 *' Good-evening, Peter," called out the 
 
A SUMMER EVENING ON THE ALM. 36 1 
 
 child, and rushed in amongst the goats. 
 " SchwanH ! Barh ! Do you remember me 
 still ? " and by their actions the little crea- 
 tures showed that they recognized her 
 voice, for they rubbed their heads against 
 her shoulder, and began to bleat passion- 
 ately for joy. One after another Heidi 
 called them all by name ; and they all ran 
 at once, and pressed about her, the impa- 
 tient Thistlebird jumping over two other 
 goats to get near, while Snowball, forget-, 
 ting her timidity, pushed aside the big 
 Turk, who stood in her way. Turk, in 
 amazement at her boldness, raised his long 
 beard in the air to show that it was he. 
 
 Almost beside herself with joy at finding 
 herself again amidst all these dear friends, 
 Heidi put her arm about the gentle little 
 Snowball, stroking her again and again, 
 
362 HEIDI. 
 
 and patted the restless Thistlebird, and 
 was pushed and shoved b}' all the herd, 
 in their love and confidence, nearer and 
 nearer to Peter, who had never stirred 
 from the time he saw her, 
 
 " Come down here, Peter, and bid me 
 good-evening," said Heidi to him at last. 
 
 " You here again ! " he blurted out, re- 
 covering his speech at last, and took the 
 hand that Heidi had been for some time 
 holding out to him. Instantly he repeated 
 the old question, that he had so often 
 asked in the evening when the)' came 
 down from the pasture together, "Will 
 vou p"0 with me aeain to-morrow?" 
 
 " No, not to-morrow, but perhaps the 
 day after. To-morrow I must go down to 
 your grandmother." 
 
 " It's a good thing you've come back," 
 
A SUMMER EVENING ON THE AEM. 363 
 
 said Peter, and twisted his face in every 
 conceivable direction, in his great satis- 
 faction. 
 
 He started now to go home, l^iit it w^as 
 harder than ever before to cfet the flock 
 away ; for when by coaxing and threaten- 
 ing he had collected them about him, and 
 Heidi began moving towards the stalls 
 with one arm round Schwanli's and the 
 other round Barli's head, then in an in- 
 stant they all turned about, and ran back 
 to her. At last she went into the stalls 
 out of sight with her two goats, and closed 
 the door, or Peter might never have got 
 his flock down the mountain. 
 
 On her return into the hut, Heidi found 
 her bed again arranged in the loft, beauti- 
 fully high and fragrant ; for the; hay was 
 quite fresh, and the great white linen sheet 
 
364 HEIDI. 
 
 was carefully spread over it, and tucked 
 firmly under. Heidi laid herself down, 
 and slept as she had not slept for an entire 
 year. 
 
 At least ten times that night her grand- 
 father left his bed, and mounted the ladder 
 to see if she slept quietly, and to try if the 
 hay which he had stuffed into the round 
 hole in the roof was fast ; for now the 
 moon must not shine on Heidi as she lay 
 in bed. But there was no danger now for 
 the child, whose ei'eat, ardent lon^inor was 
 stilled. She slept without stirring; for had 
 she not seen the mountains and the pinna- 
 cles glow in the light of the setting sun ? 
 had she not heard the murmuring pines ? 
 was she not at home on the Aim ? 
 
WHEN THE CHURCH-BELLS RING. 365 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ON SUNDAY, WHEN THE CHURCH-BELLS RING. 
 
 Heidi stood under the waving pine 
 branches, waiting for her grandfather, wlio 
 was going with her to fetch her trunk 
 from Dorfli, while she visited the grand- 
 mother. The child could hardly wait for 
 impatience, to go down to find out how 
 the rolls had tasted to her old friend ; and 
 yet the time did not seem long, while she 
 could listen to the beloved sound of the 
 wind in the pines, and drink in the per- 
 fume and beauty of the green pastures. 
 She could never be satiated with these. 
 
 Her grandfather came at last out of the 
 
365 HEIDI. 
 
 hut, looked about him with satisfaction, 
 and said j^resently, " Now we can go 
 down." 
 
 To-day was Saturday ; and the Aim 
 uncle's custom had always been to put 
 everything in order on that day, in and 
 about the hut, the stalls, and the out- 
 houses. This morning he had begun to 
 work early, so that he might go down 
 with Heidi in the afternoon. He well 
 might look about him with contentment, 
 everything was so fresh and clean. 
 
 They separated at the door of goat- 
 Peter's mother's cottage, and Heidi darted 
 in. She was expected, and received with 
 a joyous welcome. The blind woman 
 grasped the child's hand, and held it 
 tightly, as if fearful that her treasure might 
 be again torn from her. The rolls had 
 
WHEN TI[Ii CnUKCH-i;ELl,S RING. 367 
 
 tasted deliciously, and had so strengthened 
 the grandmother that she declared her- 
 self quite another person. Brigitte added. 
 that for fear they would be too soon gone, 
 her mother had only eaten a single roll 
 yesterday and to-day together ; could she 
 have one every day, it might really benefit 
 her health. 
 
 Heidi stood plunged in thought for 
 some time after this suggestion of Bri- 
 gitte's ; at last she had hit upon a plan. 
 
 " I know what I can do. I can write to 
 Klara, and ask her to send me as many 
 more rolls, or twice as many ; for I had 
 collected a great heap in my press, and 
 wheh they were taken away from me, Klara 
 promised to give me as many more ; and 
 she will do so, I am sure." 
 
 " Oh, that is a good idea now," said 
 
368 HEIDI. 
 
 Brigitte, " an excellent plan ; but let us 
 think, they would get very hard. If now 
 and then we could have a fresh batch ! 
 The baker in Dorfli makes them, but I 
 can only just manage to get black bread." 
 
 Now Heidi's eyes sparkled with joy. 
 " Oh, I have a wonderful lot of money, 
 grandmother ! Now I know what I will 
 do with it. Every single day you must 
 have a fresh roll, and on Sunday two ; 
 Peter will bring them from Dorfli ; " and 
 Heidi fairly danced in her delight. 
 
 " No, child, no ! that cannot be. Your 
 money was not given to you for that. 
 You must give it to your grandfather, he 
 will tell you what use to make of it." 
 
 But the little orirl did not mean to have 
 her happiness put aside in this way. She 
 danced about, and shouted, and repeated. 
 
WHEN THE CHURCH-r.ELLS RING. 369 
 
 ** Yes, grandmother, you shall have a fresh 
 roll ever)^ day, and get strong again ; and 
 perhaps when you are really strong," she 
 added with fresh joy, " it will be light for 
 you again ; perhaps it is dark only oecause 
 you are so weak." 
 
 The good old woman was silent, for she 
 would not disturb the child's happiness. 
 But as Heidi was leaping and capering 
 about the room, her eyes chanced to fall 
 on the old hymn-book, and with it a new 
 idea came to her: " I hav^e learned to read 
 very nicely, grandmother ; shall I read you 
 something from the old hymn-book ? " 
 
 "O Heidi! can you really read? can you 
 really ? " 
 
 Down came the book from the shelf, 
 where it had lain undisturbed for so long. 
 Heidi wiped it clean, and seating herself 
 
Tf'JO HEIDI. 
 
 on her footstool, said simply, " What shall 
 I read ? " 
 
 " What you please, child, what you 
 please." 
 
 Almost breathless with expectancy the 
 old woman sat, while Heidi turned the 
 leaves, and read here and there softly to 
 herself a line or two. " I have found 
 something about the sun, I will read that," 
 and she began to read, more and mo^'e 
 earnestly as she went on, and with greu*«-'r 
 
 emphasis : — 
 
 " The sun's orb of gold 
 
 Brings joys untold ; 
 
 Brings us the showers. 
 
 And the shining hours, 
 Brings heartfelt rejoicing and beautiful light. 
 
 Heavy of heart, 
 I languished apart; 
 
WHEN THE ClIURCn-]5ELI.S RING. 37 t 
 
 Now again I am strong, 
 Now I raise my loud song, 
 Praising the Lord with my strength and my might. 
 
 1 see, up above, 
 \Vhat God in his love 
 Has made to teach men, 
 Again and again, 
 How strong and how great is his kingdom on high 
 
 How one and how all, 
 
 Who list to his call, 
 May gather in peace 
 Where all sorrows cease, 
 When from this earthly prison they fly. 
 
 All things go past, 
 God only stands fast ; 
 Stands firm as the rock. 
 Scorns tempest's rude shock ; 
 His word and his will must forever endure. 
 
'^']2 HEIDI. 
 
 His blessing and grace 
 Make holy each place ; 
 Heal in the heart 
 The aching and smart ; 
 He raises the dying, the sick he can curCo 
 
 Sorrow and pain 
 Will ne'er come again ; 
 The storm and the wind 
 Are all left behind, 
 For the heavenly sun shows his beautiful face. 
 
 Purest delight, 
 Peaceful and bright, 
 I now await 
 At the heavenly gate, 
 My heart and my soul are all flooded with grace." 
 
 The grandmother sat and Hstened with 
 folded hands, and with a look of tran- 
 scendent happiness such as Heidi had 
 
"WHEN THE CHUKCH-BELLS RIXG. 373 
 
 never yet seen on any face, while tears 
 
 coursed freely down her cheeks. " Once 
 
 more, my child, once more," she begged, 
 
 as soon as the child's voice ceased, " read 
 
 once more, — 
 
 Sorrow and pain 
 
 Will ne'er come again ; " 
 
 and the child began and read, with feel- 
 ings of longing and joy : — 
 
 " Sorrow and pain 
 Will ne'er come again ; 
 The storm and the wind 
 Are all left behind, 
 For the heavenly sun shows his beautiful face. 
 
 Purest delight, 
 Peaceful and bright, 
 I now await 
 At the heavenly gate, 
 My heart and my soul are all flooded with grace." 
 
374 HEIDI. 
 
 " That makes it light for me, my child. 
 That makes it light in my heart. The 
 good you have done me no one knows." 
 The face of little Heidi was irradiated with 
 pure pleasure as the grandmother thus 
 spoke, for the grandmother's countenance 
 seemed as if the blind woman really saw 
 the heavenly peace that awaited her. 
 
 At the moment some one knocked upon 
 the window. It was the Aim uncle, who 
 was there to take his little granddaughter 
 back with him. 
 
 She followed quickly, but not without 
 assuring her blind friend that she would 
 come aofain on the morrow ; even if she 
 went with Peter to the pasture, she would 
 come again in the afternoon. For being 
 able to make life bright for the grand- 
 mother and restore her to happiness, was 
 
WHEN THE CHURCH-BELLS RING. 375 
 
 the very greatest happiness that Heidi 
 herself could know, far better than being 
 in the sunny pasture on the Aim, with the 
 flowers and the goats. 
 
 Brigritte followed Heidi to the door with 
 the frock and hat Heidi had left, begging 
 the child to take her things home with her. 
 The dress she did take, for as her grand- 
 father had already recognized her, there 
 was nothing to fear in that direction ; " but 
 the hat she persistently refused to touch. 
 Brigitte should keep it, for Heidi would 
 never, never again put it on her head. 
 
 Going up the Aim the child recounted 
 to her grandfather, as in the old times, all 
 that had happened in the cottage ; about 
 the rolls that could be bought in Dorfli, 
 and about her reading, how she had made 
 the grandmother look happy, and returned 
 
376 HEIDI. 
 
 at length to the first proposition, saying, 
 "Truly, grandfather, even if the grand- 
 mother will not take it, you will give it 
 all to me, all the money? Then I ' can 
 give a piece every morning to Petef; to 
 buy a roll with, and on Sunday two." 
 
 " But the bed, Heidi," said the Aim 
 uncle. "A proper bed would be good 
 for you, and there would still be money 
 enough for a good many rolls." 
 
 The child would let him have no peace, 
 assuring him that she slept far better on 
 her bed of hay than she ever did in Frank- 
 fort on her bed of down, and begging so 
 earnestly and persistently that at last he 
 said : " It is your own money, do with it 
 what you will. You can buy rolls for the 
 grandmother for many long years." 
 
 *' Good, good ! " shouted Heidi> " now 
 
WHEN THE CHURCH-r.ELI.S RING. 377 
 
 there is no more need of her eating hard 
 black bread ! O grandfather, now every- 
 thing is beautiful ; it never was so beau- 
 tiful before, never, since we were born ! " 
 and she danced along, holding her grand- 
 father's hand, and sinorinof Hke a bird carol- 
 ling in the sky. 
 
 All at once, however, she became 
 thoughtful, and said : " If the good God 
 had granted my prayer at once, when I 
 bctreed him so hard, then I should have 
 come home long ago, and only brought 
 the grandmother a few rolls, and could 
 not have read to her. The o-ood God 
 has arranged everything far better than I 
 could have done. It has all come true, 
 as the cfrandmamma told me it would be. 
 I am thankful that he did not grant my 
 prayer, when I begged and complained. 
 
378 HEIDI. 
 
 Now I will always pray as the grand- 
 mamma told me, always thanking him ; 
 for even if it is not granted as I ask, I 
 shall remember how it was in Frankfort. 
 We will pray together every day, grand- 
 father, we will not forget it ; and then the 
 good God will not forget us." 
 
 "And if any one should forget it?" 
 murmured the old man, 
 
 " Oh, then very bad things happen ! 
 Then he lets him go his own way, and 
 if he complains, nobody has pity for him ; 
 but they all say that he forsook the good 
 God first, and now he is forsaken of God, 
 who alone could help him." 
 
 "That is true, my child; how did you 
 find it out ? " 
 
 " From the grandmamma. She ex- 
 plained it all to me." 
 
WHEN THE CHURCH-BELLS RING. 379 
 
 They walked on for a while in silence. 
 Presently Heidi heard these words from 
 her grandfather, who was following out his 
 own thoughts : " And when this is once so, 
 it remains so. There is no going back, 
 if God has forgotten a man ; he is forever 
 forgotten." 
 
 "Oh, no, grandfather, he can go back! 
 I know that, too, from the grandmamma, 
 and from the beautiful story in the book 
 she gave me. You never saw that book ; 
 but we are almost at home, and I will 
 show it to you. You will soon see what a 
 beautiful story it is." 
 
 Up the steep the child hurried, and 
 rushed into the hut in all haste to fetch 
 her precious book. The grandfather loos- 
 ened from his back the basket in which he 
 had brought the half of Heidi's things up 
 
380 HEIDI. 
 
 the Aim ; the trunk would have been tOG 
 heavy for him. Then he seated himself 
 thoughtfully on the bench. 
 
 With her big book under her arm came 
 Heidi : " That is nice, grandfather, that you 
 are all ready ; " and the book seemed to 
 open of itself at the oft-read place. In 
 her own earnest way the child read of the 
 son, how comfortable he was at home herd- 
 ing his father's flocks, dressed in a beauti- 
 ful cloak, leaning on his staff, watching the 
 sunset, as represented in the picture. But 
 at last he wanted to have his property all 
 to himself, and be his own master. He 
 demanded it of his father, and went away 
 and spent it all. 
 
 So when he had nothing left, he was 
 obliged to go to serve a peasant, who had 
 not beautiful animals as his father had, but 
 
WHEN THE CHURCH-BELLS RING. 38 1 
 
 only swine. These he had to take care of, 
 and was in rags, and only had the husks ta 
 eat that they gave the swine, and of this 
 food but little. When he thought of his 
 father's house, he wept for homesickness 
 and remorse ; and he said, " I will go to 
 my father, and beg his forgiveness, and 
 say to him, I am not worthy to be called 
 your son, but let me be as one of your 
 hired servants." 
 
 And as he came near his father's house 
 his father saw him, and came running 
 towards him. "What do you think, grand- 
 father?" said Heidi, interrupting herself 
 in her reading. " Do you think that his 
 father was angry, and said to him, ' I told 
 you so'? Listen, now, to what is coming. 
 ' And the father saw him and pitied him, 
 and ran and fell on his neck, and kissed 
 
382 HEIDI. 
 
 him. And the son said, I have sinned 
 before heaven and in thy sight, and am 
 no more worthy to be called thy son. 
 But the father said to his servants: Bring 
 the best dress, and put it on him ; and 
 put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his 
 feet ; and bring the fatted calf, and kill it, 
 and let us eat, and be merry : for this my 
 son was dead, and is alive again ; he was 
 lost, and is found. And they began to be 
 merry.' " 
 
 " Is not that a beautiful story, grand- 
 father ? " said the child when she had fin- 
 ished, and felt sadly disappointed that the 
 old man sat silently by her side, instead of 
 being pleased, as she had expected. 
 
 " Certainly, the story is beautiful," he 
 said ; but his face was so serious, that 
 Heidi sat perfectly still and looked at her 
 
WHEN TIIF, CHURCH-BELLS RING. 383 
 
 pictures. Presently she gently pushed her 
 book before her grandfather, saying, " See, 
 how happy he is ! " and pointed to the 
 picture of the prodigal, where he stood 
 beside his father in fresh garments, and 
 was recognized as his son. 
 
 Some hours later, when Heidi had long 
 been sound asleep, her grandfather climbed 
 the little ladder ; he placed his lamp near 
 Heidi's bed, so that the light shone on the 
 sleeping child. She lay there with folded 
 hands, for she had not forgotten to pray. 
 On her face was an expression of peace 
 and trust, that must have appealed to her 
 grandfather, for he stood a long, long 
 time, and did not move, his eyes fixed 
 upon her. 
 
 At last he too folded his hands, and 
 half aloud he said, with bowed head, 
 
384 HEIDI. 
 
 '■ Father, I have sinned against heaven and 
 in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be 
 called thy son ; " and two great tears rolled 
 down his cheeks. 
 
 Not many hours thereafter, at dawn 01 
 day, the old man stood before his hut, and 
 looked about him with sparkling eyes. 
 The sunlight of the beautiful Sunday 
 morning flickered and played ove^^ hill and 
 dale. Here and there the sounds of an 
 early bell rose from the valleys ; the birds 
 were singing their happy songs in the old 
 pines. 
 
 The old man went back into the hut, 
 and called to Heidi : " Come, little one, 
 the sun is up. Put on a tidy frock, we 
 will go to church together." 
 
 Heidi did not keep him long waiting ; 
 that was a new call from the grandfather, 
 
WHEN THE CHURCH-BELLS RING. 385 
 
 and one to be followed widiout delay. In 
 a few minutes she came running down in 
 her pretty Frankfort dre.ss, and stood 
 spellbound at the sight of her grandfather, 
 in his coat with silver buttons, which she 
 had never seen before. " O grandfather," 
 she broke forth at last, " how handsome 
 you are in your Sunday coat ! " 
 
 The old man looked with a pleased 
 smile at the child, and said, " And you also 
 in yours ; but come." He took Heidi's 
 hand in his, and they wandered down the 
 m.ountain together. On every side sounds 
 of the sweet bells came towards them, 
 fuller yet and richer ; and Heidi listened 
 in ecstasy, saying, " Do you hear, grand- 
 father ? It is like a great festival.' 
 
 Down in Dorfli all the people were 
 already gathered in the church, and the 
 
386 HEIDI. 
 
 singing had begun, when Heidi and thii 
 A-lm uncle entered together, taking seats 
 on the last bench behind the others. But 
 in the midst of the singing, the villager 
 next them touched his neighbor with his 
 elbow, saying, " Have you seen the Aim 
 uncle ? The Aim uncle is in the church." 
 And they passed it along from one to 
 another, until it was whispered about even 
 in the corners, '■ The Aim uncle. The 
 Aim uncle ! " and the women were oblieed 
 to keep turning round every minute, and 
 most of them fell out a little in their sing- 
 ing, so that the leader had the greatest 
 difficulty in keeping them together. But 
 when the pastor began his sermon, the 
 disturbance was quieted; for there was 
 such warmth of praise and thanksgiving in 
 his words that all the conorregfation was 
 
WHEN THE CIIURCII-liEI.LS RING. 387 
 
 impressed, and it seemed as if a great 
 blessing had passed over them all. 
 
 When the service was at an end, the 
 Aim uncle, holding his granddaughter by 
 the hand, went out of the church and over 
 to the parsonage ; and ever}body who came 
 out with them, or stood already outside, 
 looked after them, and the greater number 
 followed, to see if he were really going 
 into the pastor's house, which he did. 
 And they gathered in groups, and talked 
 in the f^reatest excitement over the fact 
 that he had at last appeared in the church : 
 and they watched the door of the pastor's 
 house, to see if when he came out he 
 would look cross and angry, or seem in 
 peace with the clergyman, since no one 
 knew what had brouMit the old man down, 
 
 o 
 
 nor what it really might mean. A new 
 
388 HEIDI. 
 
 feeling had sprung up among not a few, 
 however ; and one of these said to the 
 others : " He cannot be so bad after all, as 
 they say. Did you not see how carefully 
 he held the little one by the hand ? " And 
 another said : "I have always said so ; and 
 he would not go to the pastor's if he were 
 so out and out bad, for he would be afraid. 
 People stretch things so." And the baker 
 added : " Did not I say from the very first, 
 who ever heard of a little child that had all 
 she wanted to eat and drink, and every- 
 thing she could wish, running home from 
 a long way off to a grandfather who was 
 harsh, and who made her afraid of him ? " 
 And gradually an affectionate feeling arose 
 towards the Aim uncle, which gathered 
 strength as the women joined in, and told 
 how much they had heard from goat- 
 
WHEN THE CHURCH-BELLS RING. 389 
 
 Peterkin and his grandmother that placed 
 the Ahii uncle in quite a different Hght, till 
 at last they all began to believe it was so, 
 and that they were waiting there before 
 the parsonage to welcome back an old 
 friend, whom they had long missed. 
 
 In the mean while the Aim uncle had 
 stepped to the door of the study, and 
 knocked. The pastor opened the door 
 and admitted the visitors at once, not 
 seeming surprised, as he well might, but 
 as if he had been expecting them. Un- 
 doubtedly their appearance in the church 
 had not escaped him. He seized the hand 
 of the old man, and shook it many times 
 most heartily ; and the uncle stood there, 
 and could not speak at first from emotion, 
 being unprepared for such a reception. 
 At last collecting himself, " I came," he 
 
390 HEIDI. 
 
 said, " to beg the pastor to forget what I 
 said to him on the Ahn, and that he will 
 not lay it up against me, that I was so 
 obstinate concerning his well-meant advice. 
 The pastor was perfectly right, and I was 
 wrong ; but I will now follow his advice, 
 and find a lodging for myself for the com- 
 ing winter in Dorfli. The winter is far too 
 severe for this little one up there, she is 
 too delicate ; and even if the people down 
 here do look a little askance at me, I de- 
 serve it, and the pastor will stand by me, I 
 am sure." 
 
 The kindly eyes of the pastor shone 
 with joy as he took the old man's hand 
 and pressed it, saying, much moved : 
 " Neighbor, you have been in the right 
 church before you came down to mine. 1 
 am very glad of this ; and if you will come 
 
WHEN THE CHURCH-BELLS RING. 39 1 
 
 amongst us again to live, yon shall not 
 have cause to repent, but always find in 
 me a Q-ood fi'iend and a oood welcome. I 
 shall look forward to many pleasant even- 
 ings in your society, which has always 
 been agreeable and valuable to me. We 
 will also find some good friends for your 
 little grandchild." 
 
 So saying, the pastor laid his hand on 
 Heidi's curly head, and taking her by the 
 hand led her out while he accompanied 
 the grandfather, and only took leave of 
 him outside before the house door. So all 
 the people standing about saw how the 
 pastor held the Aim uncle's hand, and kept 
 shaking it, as if he were his dearest friend, 
 from whom he could not bear to part. 
 .Scarcely had the door closed when they all 
 came crowding round the Aim uncle, and 
 
392 HEIDI. 
 
 each one wished to be first, and so many 
 hands were stretched out that he did not 
 know which one to take ; and this one 
 «aid, " I am very glad, uncle, that you 
 have come amongst us acrain ; " and 
 another, " I have long wished to exchange 
 friendly words with you, uncle ; " and so it 
 went on from all sides ; and when he told 
 them that he thought of coming down to 
 live amongst them in the winter, there was 
 so much ado that one woidd have thouo-ht 
 some old friend was returning to Dorfli, 
 whose absence had been sorely felt by all. 
 A good way up on the Aim were the 
 grandfather and the child accompanied by 
 many of the villagers, and many begged 
 him, at parting, to call at their houses 
 when he next came down their way. 
 When the people had turned back down 
 
WHEN THE CHURCH-BELLS RING 393 
 
 the mountain, the old man stood, and 
 looked after their retreat i no- forms with 
 such a o-low on his face that it seemed as if 
 the sun itself was shininp; forth from within 
 him ; and Heidi said, quite overjoyed : 
 " Grandfather, to-day )'ou grow more and 
 more handsome all the time ; you never 
 looked so before." 
 
 "Do you think so, Heidi?" said he, 
 smiling. " Yes, to-day it is well with 
 me, more so than I can understand or 
 deserve. To be at peace with God and 
 man, that is well-being indeed. The good 
 God meant this when he sent you to the 
 Aim, Heidi." 
 
 When the)' reached the goat- Peter's cot- 
 tage, the old man opened the door and 
 entered. " God bless you, grandmother ! " 
 he cried ; " shall we go to the quilting 
 
394 HEIDI. 
 
 together, before the autumn winds biO\« 
 strong ? " 
 
 " O Heaven ! that is the uncle," cried 
 out the old woman in delighted surprise. 
 ''That I should have lived to see it'! Now 
 I can thank you for all the kind things you 
 have done for us. May God reward you ! 
 May he reward you ! " With trembling joy 
 she pressed the hand of her old friend, and 
 continued : " I have one request to make 
 of you, uncle: if I have ever done you 
 any harm, do not punish me by letting 
 Heidi go away again, before I lie in the 
 churchyard. You do not know what she 
 is to me ! " and she held the child fast, for 
 Heidi had already nestled into her accus- 
 tomed place. 
 
 "Do not be troubled, grandmother; I 
 will punish neitner you nor myself in that 
 
WHEN THE CIIURCII-15ELLS RING. 395 
 
 way. We will all remain together, and 
 Heaven grant that it may be for long. 
 
 At this moment Brigitte drew the un- 
 cle away into a corner quite mysteriously, 
 showing him the pretty hat and feather, 
 and telling him all the little story, and that 
 of course she was not one to take such a 
 thing from a child. Most approvingly the 
 grandfather looked at his Heidi. " The 
 hat is hers," he said, " and if she will not 
 put it on again, that is all right ; and if she 
 gave it to you, keep you it." 
 
 Brigitte was delighted at this unex- 
 pected decision. " It is certainly worth 
 more than two dollars, just look at it !" she 
 exclaimed, holding the hat high above her 
 head. " Just think what wonderful things 
 the child has brought back from Frank- 
 fort ! I have thought a great deal about 
 
39*5 HEIDI. 
 
 sending my Peterkin there. What is your 
 opinion, uncle ? " 
 
 With a merry twinkle in his eyes, the 
 uncle declared that in his view it could not 
 do Peter any harm ; but it would be best 
 to wait for a good opportunity. 
 
 At the moment the individual spoken 
 of came in at the door, not, however, until 
 he had almost broken his head against it, 
 for in his haste he had struck it, making 
 everything shake and jingle. Something 
 unheard of had happened, an event indeed, 
 a letter with Heidi's name and address! 
 Peter stood still in the middle of the room, 
 and held it towards the child ; he had got 
 it in Dorfli from the postman. The letter 
 was from Klara Sesemann. All the little 
 company seated themselves around the 
 table, and Heidi read aloud, and without 
 
WHEN THE CHURCII-BELLS RING. 397 
 
 Stumbling", how Klara had found the time 
 very tedious since Heidi's departure, and 
 that she liad begged her father so hard to 
 take her to Rao-atzbad, tliat lie had at last 
 promised to do so in the coming- autumn ; 
 and her orandmamma would come also, 
 for she wished to visit Heidi and her grand- 
 father on the Aim, This message the 
 grandmamma sent Heidi : that it was quite 
 riofht for her to wish to bringf the rolls to 
 the blind grandmother, and lest they should 
 taste very diy she must have some coffee 
 to moisten them, and some was already on 
 the way ; also she hoped to visit the grand- 
 mother herself when she came to Dorfli. 
 
 Now came questions and wonderings, 
 and all were so busy that even the Aim 
 uncle did not observe how late it had 
 grown, while they were all rejoicing in the 
 
39^ HEIDI. 
 
 coming pleasures, and still more in that 
 they were all together again. At last the 
 ofrandmother said : " The best of all is 
 when an old friend comes and gives you 
 his hand, just as he did long ago ; that is a 
 blessed comfort. You will come again 
 soon, uncle, and bring me Heidi?" 
 
 The uncle promised, and gave his hand 
 on it. Now, indeed, it was time to depart ; 
 and Heidi and her grandfather climbed to- 
 gether the Aim, and the sweet music that 
 had called them in the rorning to the 
 valley seemed to float again about tliem, 
 as they returned to their dear mountain 
 home, which lay shining so peacefully in 
 the warm golden evening light. 
 
 When Grandmamma Sesemann comes 
 up in the autumn, there will certainly be 
 many more charming surprises for Heidi 
 
WHEN THE CFIURCIT-DELLS RING. 399 
 
 and the blind grandmother, perhaps even 
 a new bed in the hayloft ; for wherever 
 the grandmamma enters, all sorts of things 
 fall into place, and everything goes har- 
 mpniousiy without and within. 
 
 elND OF VOL. I. 
 
PART II. 
 
 HOW HEIDI USED WHAl 
 SHE LEARNED. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I. Preparations for a Journey 5 
 
 II A Guest on the Alm . , 24 
 
 III. A Recompense . . 47 
 
 IV. Winter in DOrfli 70 
 
 V. The Winter still continues 98 
 
 VI. Distant Friends bestir themselves ... 116 
 
 VII. More about the Life on the Alp .... 157 
 
 VIII. Something happens that no one expected 179 
 
 IX. A Parting, but not forever 216 
 
HEIDI. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PREPARATIONS FOR A JOURNEY. 
 
 Our kind old Dr. Classen, who had 
 decided so providentially that the child 
 Heidi should be sent back to her grand- 
 father, was walking slowly through the 
 wide streets of Frankfort towards Mr. 
 Sesemann's house, one sunny afternoon in 
 September. The day was so bright and 
 beautiful that it seemed as if all the world 
 must rejoice ; but the doctor's eyes were 
 fixed on the stones beneath his feet, and 
 hf did not once raise them towards the 
 
6 HEIDI. 
 
 blue heavens. His face wore an expression 
 of deep sadness, and his hair had grown 
 white since the spring ; for the doctor had 
 lost his only daughter, a lovely girl, who 
 since her mother's death had been his 
 most intimate companion. No wonder 
 that the doctor's patients missed, in their 
 sick-rooms, the cheerfulness that hod 
 seemed unfailing. 
 
 At the stroke of the hall clock Sebastian 
 opened the door with every demonstration 
 of respectful sympathy ; for the good doc- 
 tor was looked upon as the friend, not only 
 of the master of the house, but of the 
 entire household. Sebastian's deep obei- 
 sance, however, as he followed the doctor 
 up-stairs, was naturally lost as an expres- 
 sion of good feeling, since the doctor pos- 
 sessed no eyes in the back of his head. 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR A JOURNEY. 7 
 
 " I am most glad that you have come, 
 doctor," said Mr. Sesemann. as he grasped 
 his friend's hand. " I must talk to you 
 again and more about your last decision 
 ':oncerning Klara. To me she seems very 
 much better, and I cannot agree with you 
 exactly." 
 
 " I do not understand your conduct in 
 this matter at all, my dear friend, I must 
 confess," said the doctor, seating himself. 
 " I really wish that your mother were here. 
 With her everything is plain and simple, 
 she sees things in their just bearings; with 
 you there is no possibility of a decision. 
 You have already sent for me three times, 
 and I can only tell you the same thing each 
 time." 
 
 " Yes, it must seem very foolish to you, 
 doctor," said Mr. Sesemann, laying his 
 
8 HEIDI. 
 
 hand affectionately on his friend's shoul- 
 der ; "but you can also understand that 
 it is hard for me to deprive Klara of the 
 pleasure she has been so eagerly looking 
 forward to, the trip to Switzerland and the 
 visit to Heidi, that she has been consoling 
 herself with for so many long days and 
 months. It is almost impossible for me to 
 do it." 
 
 " Yet it must be done, Sesemann," said 
 the doctor very decidedly ; then, seeing 
 how sad and dejected his friend still looked, 
 he added : " Consider it rationally. For 
 years Klara has not had such a bad sum- 
 mer as this one. It would be madness iii 
 you to undertake a long journey with her 
 in this condition. It is almost the middle 
 of September now, and though it may be 
 still fine on the Alp, yet the days are grow- 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR A JOURNEY. 9 
 
 ing short, and uill soon he cold. Klara 
 could not pass the nights on the mountain, 
 she could stay there only a few hours of 
 each day. The journey from Ragatzbad 
 must require at least several hours to per- 
 form, and Klara would have to be carried 
 up the mountain in a chair. In short, 
 Sesemann, the thing is impossible. I will 
 go in with you and talk with Klara ; she is 
 a sensible girl, and I will tell her of a plan 
 I have made for her. With the coming 
 spring she shall go to Ragatzbad, and take 
 a course of baths there, until it is fairly 
 warm on the mountain. Then .she can be 
 carried up from time to time, and her 
 mountain visits will enliven and strenp-then 
 her, so that she can derive both pleasure 
 and benefit from them, which would not 
 now be the case. Do you quite under- 
 
lO HEIDI. 
 
 Stand, Sesemann, that the only reasonable 
 hope for your child's ultimate recovery is 
 throuoh the most careful nursino- and 
 watchfulness ? " 
 
 Klara's father, who had been listening in 
 silence, rose now to his feet with charac- 
 teristic impatience, saying, " Doctor, tell 
 me truly, do you see any reason to expect 
 soon a radical irnprovement in my daugh- 
 ter's condition ? " 
 
 The doctor shrugged his shoulders. 
 " VeryMittle," he said softly. "But think 
 a moment, my friend, contrast your posi- 
 tion with mine. Your child is with you, in 
 your home. She longs for you in your 
 absence, and welcomes you when you re- 
 turn. No lonely, empty house awaits you ; 
 you have a companion at the table, and a 
 charming one. How much Klara can en- 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR A JOURNEY. I 1 
 
 joy, surrounded as she is by every luxury 
 and fostering care, sheltered from so much, 
 if also deprived of a great deal ! No, 
 Sesemann, you cannot account yourself 
 wholly unhappy, for you are not alone. 
 Think of my house, how it is desolate." 
 
 As was his habit when excited, and when 
 forced to an unpleasant decision, Mr. Sese- 
 mann now began to pace the room with 
 great strides. At last he stopped, tapped 
 his friend several times on the shoulder, 
 and said kindly: "Doctor, I cannot bear 
 to see you so depressed, it is not you. 
 You must shake off this sadness, and come 
 out of yourself a little. I have hit upon 
 an excellent plan. You are to go up to 
 the Alp, to visit the little Swiss girl and 
 her grandfather in our name." Greatly 
 taken by surprise at this unexpected pro 
 
1 2 HEIDI. 
 
 posal, the doctor would have decHned at 
 once, had his friend given him time ; but 
 the latter was so enchanted with his bril- 
 liant project, that he seized the doctor's 
 arm, and almost forced him into the room 
 where Klara was reclining. 
 
 The sick girl had always a cordial wel- 
 come for her old friend and physician, 
 who had whiled away many an hour for her 
 with his cheerful jokes and pleasant stories. 
 This she did not look for now, but would 
 gladly have cheered his sadness, had she 
 known how. She held out her hand to 
 him, and he placed himself near her. Her 
 father went round to the other side of her 
 chair, and began at once upon the trip to 
 Switzerland which had been promised, and 
 from which Klara had anticipated so much 
 pleasure. Now that must be given up, her 
 
I 
 
 PREPARATIONS FOR A JOURNEY. 1 3 
 
 health was not equal to it at present, he 
 said, and hastened — for he dreaded the 
 coming tears — to introduce a diversion, 
 How would it do lor the doctor to go up 
 in their stead ? \\ as not that a good plan. 
 a good change for their friend, if they 
 could persuade him to it? 
 
 Klara choked down her tears, knowing 
 well how the sio^ht of them distressed her 
 father, but she was almost overwhelmed 
 with her sense of disappointment. To be 
 called upon thus suddenly to relinquish 
 all hope of the cherished Swiss journey, 
 and the pleasure of seeing Heidi, w^hich 
 had sustained her through long hours of 
 pain, was indeed hard. She did not need 
 to be told, how^ever, that her father only 
 deprived her of this indulgence because 
 it would be to her injury ; and she reso- 
 
14 HEIDI. 
 
 lutely addressed herself to the sole resource 
 which remained to her. 
 
 " Will you really go, dear Dr. Classen,'' 
 she said coaxingly, stroking the hand she 
 had taken, "go to see Heidi, and how 
 they really live up there on the Alp ? and 
 see her grandfather, and Peter, and the 
 goats, that I've heard so much about ? 
 And you will take Heidi all the pi-esents 
 that I had arranged to take with me, won't 
 you ? I have something for the blind 
 grandmother, too. If you will go, you 
 dear doctor, I will promise to take all the 
 cod-liver oil you wish me to, while you 
 are away." 
 
 We cannot be sure that this last argu- 
 ment was the determining one, but to this, 
 at least, the doctor answered : "If that is 
 your promise, I will certainly go, Klara, for 
 
I 
 
 PREPARATIONS FOR A JOURNEY. 15 
 
 you would become as sound and firm as 
 we wish )Ou to be, papa and I. Have you 
 also arranged how soon I shall start ? " he 
 asked, smiling. 
 
 "To-morrow morning, if possible." 
 
 " Yes, she is right," added her father. 
 " The sun shines, the skies are blue ; no 
 time should be lost. Such days as thest". 
 you ought to be spending on the Alp." 
 
 "The next step will be to find fault with 
 me because I have not already started," 
 said the doctor, laughing ; " and to pre- 
 vent this misfortune, I will go off at 
 once." 
 
 But Klara detained him yet a little 
 longer. She had many messages that she 
 wished to send to Heidi ; and she beoro-ed 
 him to take note of the interior of the 
 hut, and in fact of everything that she had 
 
1 6 HEIDI. 
 
 heard of again and again, in her long talks 
 with her little friend. She said the bundle 
 of presents should be sent to the doctor at 
 his house, as soon as Miss Rottenmeier 
 returned to pack them. Just now, indeed, 
 she was out on one of her shopping expe- 
 ditions, that might last all day. 
 
 Dr. Classen assured his friends, who 
 were very anxious to be rid of him, he 
 said, that he would carry out all their 
 wishes. If he could not get off on the 
 morrow, it should certainly be postponed 
 only a day later ; and as soon as he re- 
 turned he would hasten to give Klara an 
 account of all he had seen and heard. 
 
 The servants in a house have often a 
 wonderful knack of finding out what is 
 taking place in the family, before they are 
 supposed to know anything about it. 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR A JOURNEY. I 7 
 
 Both Sebastian and Tinette must have 
 possessed this faculty to a remarkable 
 deo-ree ; for while Sebastian was conduct- 
 ing the doctor down-stairs, Tinette made 
 her appearance in her mistress's room 
 without being summoned. 
 
 " Take the box from the table over by 
 the window, Tinette, and fill it with cakes 
 quite fresh, such as we have with oui 
 coffee," said Klara, pointing to a box that 
 had been procured for this very purpose. 
 
 The maid took the box contemptuously 
 by the corner, swinging it as she left the 
 room, and scarcely waiting till the door 
 was closed, to say, " This is worth while, 
 indeed ! " in her usual saucy style, for she 
 knew for whom the fresh cakes were 
 destined. 
 
 Sebastian, too, as he conducted the 
 
15 HEIDI. 
 
 doctor to the door, betrayed himself thus . 
 " Will Dr. Classen be so good as to give 
 a kind greeting from me to the little mam- 
 selle ? " 
 
 " Hallo, Sebastian," said the doctor not 
 unkindly, " how did )'ou know that I was 
 going up there, pray ? " 
 
 "I was — I had — I hardly know now 
 — oh, yes, I remember ! I was just acci- 
 dentally passing through the dining-room, 
 when I heard the name of mamselle 
 spoken by some one ; and as it so often 
 happens, one thought led to another, and 
 so — " 
 
 "Yes, yes; the more a man thinks, the 
 more he fmds out of what is going on ? is 
 that it ? Good-bye ; I will take )our mes- 
 sage." 
 
 Already the good doctor was hurrjing 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR A JOURNEY. IQ 
 
 through the doorwa)', where he met with 
 a decided obstacle. A strong wind had 
 arisen, which deterred the housekeeper 
 from pursuing further her shopping expe- 
 dition. As she was quickly entering the 
 house, a gust caught her shawl, extending 
 it on each side until she looked like a ship 
 under full sail. The doctor drew back, 
 somewhat startled at the apparition. Miss 
 Rottenmeier, be it known, had lono" cher- 
 ished a profound admiration, not to say 
 affection, for Dr. Classen ; and she also 
 drew back with marked politeness, mean- 
 ing to make way for him to pass. But the 
 wind had other intentions, and with a tre- 
 mendous puff sent her, with all her sails 
 extended to the utmost, full against the 
 physician. He drew back in time to pre- 
 vent shipwreck, but the housekeeper was 
 
20 HEIDI. 
 
 SO near upon him that she had to fall off a 
 little in order to make her courtesy. She 
 was much disturbed by this untoward oc- 
 currence ; but the wily doctor had knowl- 
 edge of the world and women, and soon 
 smoothed her ruffled temper with soft 
 words. He confided to her his project of 
 going himself on the Swiss journey, in- 
 stead of Klara, and begged of her to care- 
 fully pack the case of presents for him to 
 take to the little Heidi, for no one could 
 pack so nicely and firmly as Miss Rotten- 
 meier. On this the doctor made his 
 escape. 
 
 Klara had been nerving herself for a 
 contest with the housekeeper over the 
 gifts to be sent off by the doctor, but to 
 her surprise, that lady was complaisance 
 itself. The table was cleared at once, and 
 
\ 
 
 PREPARATIONS FOR A JOURNEY. 21 
 
 the various packages arranged upon it, so 
 that the best way to tie them up compactly 
 could be seen before the work began ; and 
 it was really a task of some difficulty, 
 owing to the various sizes and shapes of 
 the articles. 
 
 There was a long, thick mantle, with 
 a warm hood attached, for Heidi to wear, 
 instead of being wrapped in the sack, so 
 that the little girl could walk by herself, 
 when she visited the grandmother. Then 
 came a thick, soft shawl, for the blind 
 woman to wrap about her in the cold 
 weather, when the wind whistled so 
 fiercely about the cottage. Then came th(^ 
 great box of fresh cakes, which also was 
 intended for the grandmother, and follow- 
 ing upon it, a huge sausage. This Klaia 
 had at first intended solely for i^eler's 
 
22 HEIDI. 
 
 consumption, because he never had any 
 change from the black bread and cheese ; 
 but she decided, after further considera- 
 tion, to send it to his mother, lest Peter 
 should make himself ill by eating it all at 
 once. Then there was a bag of tobacco 
 for the grandfather, who was so fond of 
 smoking his pipe on the bench, in front 
 of the hut, in the afternoon. After these 
 came a quantity of mysterious packages 
 of all sorts, which Klara had prepared to 
 surprise and please her little friend. 
 
 At last the great work was accomplished. 
 Miss Rottenmeier stood a while, deeply 
 sunk in admiration at her own prowess 
 as a packer. Klara looked at the bundle 
 also ; but her thoughts were far awa)', pic- 
 turing" the scene when the child should 
 open it, and how she would spring into 
 
PREPARATION:* FOR A JOURNEY. 23 
 
 the air and shout for ver)^ joy. Then 
 Sebastian was called, who swung the big 
 bale upon his shoulder, and carried it 
 straightway to the doctor's house. 
 
24 HEIDI. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 A GUEST ON THE ALM. 
 
 The rose of dawn glowed on the moun- 
 tain peaks ; a fresh morning wind rustled 
 through the pine branches, and swayed 
 them back and forth. Heidi heard it, and 
 opened her eyes. The sound, as ever, 
 seemed to enter into the child's inmost 
 being, and drew her irresistibly forth under 
 the trees. She sprang quickly from her 
 bed, and scarcely had time to get dressed 
 for breakfast ; but that had to be done, for 
 the little girl knew well now that one's 
 appearance ought always to be neat and 
 orderly. 
 
A GUEST ON THE ALM. 25 
 
 Presently she came down the httle 
 ladder ; her grandfatlier's bed was already 
 empty ; out she ran. Her grandfather 
 stood looking" at the heavens, as he did 
 every morning, to see what the weather 
 was to be. Rosy clouds moved across the 
 sky, and the blue Increased constantly ; 
 the heights and the pasture-land were 
 flooded with golden light, for at the mo- 
 ment the sun was climbing over the lofty 
 peaks. 
 
 "Oh, how beautiful! how beautiful!" 
 cried Heidi; "good-morning, grandfather." 
 
 " Good-morning to your bright eyes," 
 said the old man, and gave her his hand. 
 
 Then Heidi ran under the pines, and 
 danced to the sound of the wind in them, 
 now leaping higher as the sound grew 
 louder, now skipping gently as it fell to 3 
 
2 6 HEIDI. 
 
 murmur, and growing happier and more 
 radiant as she went on. 
 
 Meanwhile her grandfather had gone to 
 the stalls to milk the goats, and to wash 
 and comb them. Presently he led them to 
 the grass-plat before the hut, ready for 
 their morning trip to the pasture. Seeing 
 her little friends, Heidi ran towards them, 
 caressing them and speaking gently to 
 them, with an arm round each. They, in 
 return, bleated confidingly, and pressed 
 each one its head closer and closer to 
 Heidi's shoulder, so that she was squeezed 
 tightly between them. She had no fear of 
 being hurt, however ; for when the lively 
 Barli pressed too roughly with her head, 
 the child had but to say, " Biirli must not 
 strike like the big Turk," and in a mo- 
 ment the goat drew back her head, and 
 
I 
 
 A GUEST ON THE AT.M. 2/ 
 
 Straightened herself quite decorously ; and 
 Schwanli, too, raised her head with a 
 oracehil movement, as if to say, " No one 
 shall reproach me with behaving like the 
 rough Turk;" for the snow-white Schwanli 
 was a trifle more genteel than Barli, who 
 was brown. 
 
 Peter's shrill whistle was now heard, and 
 the nimble Thistlebird, as usual, appeared 
 in advance of the flock. With noisy greet- 
 ings the goats all pressed round the little 
 girl, each pushing her this way and that ; 
 and she also pushed a little, for she wished 
 to reach to where the timid Snowball stood 
 apart ; that little animal was always over- 
 mastered by the others in her efforts to 
 reach Heidi. 
 
 Meanwhile Peter was waiting his turn, 
 and gave a terrible whistle to startle his 
 
28 HEIDI. 
 
 flock, and make them give way for him. 
 "To-day you can come with us again," was 
 his somewhat brusque salutation. 
 
 " No, I cannot, Peter ; at any moment 
 they may come from Frankfort, and I must 
 be here at home." 
 
 "That you have said again and again 
 for a long time," grumbled the lad. 
 
 " And I shall keep on saying it again 
 and again, until they come. Do you 
 really mean it, that you think I ought to 
 be away when the)^ come from Frankfort 
 to see me ? Do you mean to say that. 
 Peter ? " 
 
 "They can stay with the uncle," said 
 the lad snappishly. 
 
 "Why does not the army march?" said 
 the powerful voice of the old man from 
 the hut. "Is it the fault of the marshal, 
 
I 
 
 A GUEST ON THE ALM. 29 
 
 or his troops ? " There was a sound in 
 the voice that Peter, and his goats, it 
 would seem, knew well, for off they all 
 scrambled together up the mountain. 
 
 Heidi now ran into the cottage. Since 
 her visit to Frankfort many things fell 
 under the child's observation in the hut, 
 that did not before strike her as out of the 
 way. She could no longer see anything 
 lying about, or hanging where it did not 
 belong. She gathered together everything 
 that made the room look disorderly, and 
 put it into the press, and smoothed and 
 patted her own bed in the loft for a long 
 time every morning, to get it into proper 
 shape. The stools and benches must be 
 placed in order, and she wiped and pol- 
 ished the table so long with her cloth that 
 
 r 
 
 it was quite white. Her grandfather often 
 
30 HEIDI. 
 
 came In while she was at work, and looked 
 on with a pleased air, saying, " My little 
 maiden did not go away and learn noth- 
 ing," or, " 'Tis always Sunday with us here, 
 since Heidi came back," 
 
 So to-day when Peter and his army had 
 gone off, and she and her grandfather 
 had breakfasted, she went straight to her 
 housework ; but she was not very ready 
 therewith. It was so beautiful outside to- 
 day, every moment something happened 
 that called off her attention from her work. 
 A bright sunbeam at last came through 
 the window, seeming to say, " Come out ! 
 come out!" It was not to be resisted, 
 and out she w^ent. The sparkling sun- 
 shine lay all about her, the mountain was 
 lighted above, and the valle)- flooded 
 below, with its warm beauty. Over on 
 
A GUEST ON THE ALM. 3 I 
 
 yonder grassy slope it looked so soft and 
 enticing- that the child scarcely could re- 
 strain her impulse to dash over there, to 
 look out over the wide-stretched vale ; but 
 she remembered that the three -lee^ored 
 stool stood in the middle of the hut, and 
 that the table was not yet cleared from 
 breakfast. She went in with an air of reso- 
 lution to her work. It was of no use. 
 The music in the pines began, low music, 
 that drew Heidi like enchantment. She 
 must go, must dance with every moving 
 twig, and keep time to the sweet sounds. 
 Her grandfather, too, left his work in 
 the shed, drawn out to see his little girl's 
 pretty gambols under the old trees, He 
 stood watching her, laughing softly to 
 himself, and turned away, and came again. 
 As he was just entering the shed after one 
 
32 HEIDt, 
 
 of these diversions, he heard her call out 
 quickly, "O grandfather, come back! come 
 back ! " 
 
 He turned, almost fearing she had hurt 
 herself, and saw her darting towards the 
 slope, calling out excitedly; "They are 
 coming, they have come ! and the doctor 
 is coming in front of them ! " 
 
 Heidi rushed towards her old friend, 
 who extended his hand to greet her. 
 When she reached him she clasped ten- 
 derly his outstretched arm, and looking 
 up at him said from the fulness of her 
 heart, " Good-day, doctor, and thank you 
 a thousand, thousand times ! " 
 
 " God bless you, Heidi," was the an 
 swer ; " but why do you thank me in 
 advance ? " 
 
 " Because I am at home again with my 
 grandfather," said the little girl. 
 
A GUEST ON THE ALM. 33 
 
 The countenance of the new-comer 
 hghted up as with a ray o( sunshine. 
 This hearty greeting on the Aim he had 
 not expected. Sadly, and oppressed with 
 his burden of sorrow, he had climbed the 
 mountain, absorbed in his own thouohts, 
 and giving no heed to the beauty about 
 him, which increased with every step. He 
 had scarcely expected a recognition from 
 the little girl whom he had seen but sel- 
 dom in Frankfort, and the knowledge that 
 he only came to bring her disappointment 
 made him dread that he would have no 
 welcome. But he was wclcometl, and joy- 
 fully too ; and Meidi held fast the arm of 
 her good friend, full of love and thanks. 
 
 " Come now, Heidi, and lead me to 
 your grandfather, and show me where you 
 live," said he at last. 
 
34 HEIDI. 
 
 Heidi stood still, gazing in amazement 
 down the mountain-side. 
 
 " But where are Klara and her grand- 
 mamma ? " 
 
 " Yes, that is what I have to tell )ou ; 
 what will make you sorry, as I am. \'es, 
 Heidi, 1 have come alone. Klara is ill 
 and cannot travel, and so her grandmamma 
 did not come either. But in the spring, 
 when the days begin to be warm and long, 
 then they will come certainly." 
 
 Poor little Heidi was disappointed in- 
 deed. She could not believe that the 
 happiness she had so long looked forward 
 to was not to be hers after all. She stood 
 there motionless, as if confused at the un- 
 expectedness of the blow. The doctor 
 also stood silently by her side, and no 
 sound was heard save the soughing of 
 
A GUEST ON THE ALM. 35 
 
 the wind in the trees. Then Heidi sud- 
 denly remembered why she had run down 
 the hill, and that the doctor was there. 
 She looked up at him. Such a look of 
 sorrow lay in his eyes as he returned her 
 glance, that she was startled. Surely it 
 had not been so when in Frankfort the 
 doctor had looked upon her. Heidi's ten- 
 der heart was touched at once, for she 
 could never see any one sad without suf- 
 fering too, and the dear good Dr. Classen 
 least of all. He must be feeling disap- 
 pointed because Klara and her grand- 
 mamma could not come with him. So 
 she set herself at once to find some con- 
 solation. 
 
 " Oh, it will not be so very long before 
 the spring," she said, " and then they will 
 certainly come ! The time will quickly pass, 
 
36 HEIDI. 
 
 and then they can stay much longer, and 
 Klara will like that better, I am sure. And 
 now we will go up to my grandfather." 
 Hand in hand the two good friends went 
 up to the cottage. Heidi was so anxious 
 to cheer the doctor, and took so much 
 pains to assure him that the time would 
 not be long in passing, and that the long, 
 warm summer days would soon come 
 asrain, that in the end she believed it her- 
 self, and was quite consoled ; and when 
 they reached her grandfather she called 
 out cheerfully, "They are not here now, 
 but it will not be very long before they 
 come." 
 
 Dr. Classen was no stranger to the Aim 
 uncle, for Heidi had spoken of him very 
 often ; so the old man extended his hand to 
 his ouest, and o'ave him a hearty welcome. 
 
A GUEST ON THE AL.M. 37 
 
 The two men seated themselves on the 
 bench, and the doctor made room for 
 Heidi by his side, and motioned her to sit 
 down. Then he told them how Mr. Sese- 
 mann had begged him to undertake the 
 journey, and how he himself had felt that 
 it would be good for him, as he was not 
 strong nor cheerful just now. Then he 
 whispered in Heidi's ear that something 
 would soon come up the mountain that 
 had travelled with him from Frankfort, and 
 that its arrival would give her much more 
 pleasure than could the old doctor's. 
 
 The Aim uncle advised the doctor to 
 come up every day, and stay as long as 
 possible on the Aim. He could not invite 
 him to pass the night there, as the hut con- 
 tained no proper accommodations for such 
 a guest ; but he strongly urged him not to 
 
38 HEIDI. 
 
 go all the way back to Ragatz, but to try 
 the inn at Dorfli, which he would find 
 simple, but clean and well kept. Then if 
 the doctor would walk up the mountain 
 every day, which the Aim uncle was sure 
 would benefit him, they could make excur- 
 sions in every direction, and find much 
 that was beautiful and interesting. This 
 was readily agreed to by Dr. Classen ^ who 
 found the invitation in every way agree 
 able. 
 
 It was now high noon. The wind had 
 ceased, and the pines were silent. A 
 slight, refreshing breeze stirred about them 
 as they sat on the bench, and the sun was 
 not too warm. The Aim uncle brought 
 the table from the hut. " Now, Heidi," he 
 said, "bring out what we need for dinner. 
 Our guest must be indulgent ; but if our 
 
A GUEST ON 11 IE ALM. 39 
 
 fare is simple, our dining-room, at least, 
 is orancl." 
 
 " Yes, that it certainly is," said the 
 doctor, as he gazed down into the sunlit 
 valley. " I gladly accept your invitation ; 
 such keen air brings appetite." 
 
 Heidi ran back and forth as nimbly as 
 a squirrel, bringing everything that she 
 could lay her hands on ffom the press. It 
 was a great delight to her to be able to 
 serve the doctor. Her grandfather soon 
 appeared from the hut, with the steaming 
 jug of milk and the toasted golden 
 cheese. He cut thin, almost transparent, 
 slices of the rosy meat, prepared by him- 
 self, and dried in the pure mountain air. 
 Their guest ate and drank heartily, declar- 
 ing that nothing had tasted so good as thii 
 for a whole year. 
 
40 HEIDI. 
 
 " Yes, our Klara must come up here," 
 he said enthusiastically. " She would 
 gather new strength here ; and should she 
 eat for a while as I have done to-day, 
 she would soon grow plump, and be 
 sounder than she has ever been in her 
 life." 
 
 Some one came toiling, at this moment, 
 up the mountain,' with a heavy load on his 
 shoulder. As he reached them, he threw 
 his burden on the ground, and drank in 
 the fresh mountain air in deep draughts. 
 
 " This is the package that was m) com- 
 panion from Frankfort," said the doctor, 
 drawino- Heidi towards the bior bale, from 
 which he quickly loosened the outside 
 wrapper. " Now, child, go to work, and 
 discover the hidden treasures for yourself." 
 
 Heidi obeyed, and when everything was 
 
A GUEST 0\ THE AI.M. 4 1 
 
 spread about, stood staring at her gifts 
 with wondering eyes. At last the doctor 
 came to her side, and removino- the cover 
 from the box, showed the cakes for the 
 blind grandmother to eat with her coffee. 
 
 Now Heidi's joy found words. " Cakes, 
 cakes for the grandmother ! " she shouted, 
 and danced for joy. All her other things 
 were quickly piled together to put away ; 
 she would take the box at once down the 
 Aim. Her grandfather persuaded her, 
 however, to wait until towards evening, 
 when they w^ould both go down to accom- 
 pany their guest to Dorfli. So the child 
 pursued her investigations, and soon found 
 the bag of tobacco for the grandfather, 
 which she quickly brought him ; and the 
 two men sat smoking their pipes, vvhich 
 they filled at once. After further exam- 
 
42 HEIDI. 
 
 ination of her treasures, Heidi came and 
 stood before her two old friends, as they 
 sat puffing huge clouds of smoke into the 
 cool air ; and when there was a pause in 
 their conversation, she said decidedly, 
 " No, there is nothing that has given me 
 more pleasure than the good old doctor." 
 
 The two laughed a little at this an- 
 nouncement, which the doctor said he had 
 not at all expected. 
 
 At sunset the guest started to go down, 
 to secure his night's lodging in Dorfli. 
 Taking Heidi by the hand he went on, 
 while the Aim uncle followed with the box 
 of cakes, the shawl, and the big sausage. 
 At the goat-Peter's cottage Heidi disap- 
 peared, and the two others went on to 
 Dorfli. As Heidi entered the cottage she 
 turned to ask, " To-morrow will you go 
 
A GUEST ON THE ALM. 43 
 
 with the goats to the upland pasture?" for 
 that was the most beautiful place to her in 
 the world. 
 
 " Indeed I will, Heidi, if you will go 
 too," he said, and bade her good-evening. 
 
 In three trips, Heidi carried her gifts 
 into the cottage. Her grandfather had left 
 them on the doorstep when he went on. 
 The box of cakes was almost too heavy 
 for the little hands, while the big woollen 
 shawl and the huge sausage took each a 
 separate effort. She carried them in quite 
 to the oTfand mother's side, so that she 
 could feel them at once ; and the shawl 
 she placed on her knees. 
 
 " From Frankfort they all come, sent by 
 Klara and her grandmamma," she ex- 
 plained to the wondering women ; for 
 
 r 
 
 Brigitte was there, but so taken by sur- 
 
44 HEIDI. 
 
 prise that she never thought of stirring to 
 help the child, but let her cany all the 
 heavy things unaided. 
 
 " But say, grandmother, do not the 
 cakes make you ever so glad ? See how 
 soft they are ! " cried Heidi over and over 
 again. And the old woman each time re- 
 plied, "What good people, Heidi! how 
 kind they are ! " and she felt constantly of 
 the soft shawl, saying, "This is just splen- 
 did for the cold winter. I never could 
 have believed that such a thing would 
 come for me in this world ! " 
 
 Heidi did not quite understand why the 
 shawl gave more pleasure to her old friend 
 than the cakes. Before the sausage stood 
 Brigitte. That lay on the kitchen table, 
 and Peter's mother reo-arded it with some- 
 thing approaching to awe. Such a giant 
 
A GUEST ON THE ALM. 45 
 
 sausage she had never seen in her Hfe ; 
 and it really belonged to them, and they 
 wee to eat it ! It seemed simply incredi- 
 ble to her ; and she stood shaking her 
 head and saying timidly, "We shall have 
 to ask the uncle first, what it means." 
 
 But Heidi stoutly asserted that it was 
 meant for them to eat, and for nothing 
 else. 
 
 Peter now came stumbling in. "The 
 Aim uncle is behind me ; Heidi is to — " 
 He could say no more ; his eyes fell on 
 the sausage, and he stood spellbound. 
 
 But Heidi knew the end of the sentence, 
 and gave her hand in parting to th^? 
 grandmother at once. Generally now the 
 Aim uncle came into the cottage when 
 passing, to say a cheering word to its^, 
 inmates, and the blind woman alwa)-s 
 
46 HEIDI. 
 
 rejoiced 'A^hen she heard his step. But 
 to-day it was late, and Heidi had risen 
 as usual with the sun. So her grand- 
 father said, " The child must go to her 
 sleep," and that was enough. He called 
 through the open door a good-night, took 
 the forthcoming Heidi by the hand, and 
 together they climbed the mountain under 
 the sparkling, starry heavens. 
 
A RECOMPENSE. 47 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 A RECOMPENSE. 
 
 Peter came up with his goats the next 
 morning, as usual, and with him the doc- 
 tor. This good gentleman had done his 
 best to enofaofe the gfoatherd in conversa- 
 tion, but had scarcely been able to extract 
 an intelligible monosyllable in answer to 
 his questions. Peter was not easily en- 
 trapped into communicativeness. So the 
 silent company clambered up the steep 
 hillside to the Aim hut, where Heidi stood 
 awaitlnof them with her oroats, all three 
 as bright and happy as the early sunbeams. 
 
 "Are you coming with us?" said Peter, 
 
dS HEIDI. 
 
 who repeated this question ever}' morn- 
 ing, either in the form of an invitation or 
 a challenge. 
 
 " Of course I am, if the doctor is go- 
 ing," answered Heidi. 
 
 Peter eyed the person named a little 
 askance. 
 
 After the Aim uncle had greeted his 
 guest with affectionate warmth, he hung 
 the lunch-baor over Peter's shoulders. The 
 lad found it heavier than usual, by the 
 addition of a large piece of the delicate 
 dried meat. Should the good doctor be 
 pleased with the pasture, he might like to 
 stay to eat luncheon with the children. 
 Peter stood grmning from ear to ear, for 
 he suspected some unusual luxury. 
 
 They began the ascent. The goats sur- 
 rounded Heidi, each one wishing the place 
 
A RECOMPENSE. 49 
 
 beside her. and each piishuig and crowd- 
 ing a Httle his neighbor. So for a while 
 she was carried along with them, and did 
 not resist. At last she stood still, saying, 
 in a warning voice : " Now you must all 
 run on properly, and not keep coming 
 back to push and crowd me ; I must walk 
 a little with the doctor." Then tapping 
 Snowball, who was always nearest her, 
 gently on the shoulder, bidding her be 
 especially good to-day, she worked her 
 way out of the flock, and ran back to 
 her friend, taking his hand, and holding 
 it tightly in hers. There was not much 
 trouble in finding subjects of conversation 
 with this little companion, who began at 
 once about the goats and their droll freaks, 
 about the flowers and the rocks, the birds 
 and the snow-field, so that the time flew 
 
50 HEIDI. 
 
 by, and they were at the summit without 
 knowing it. Meanwhile Peter had cast 
 many a threatening glance sidewise at the 
 doctor, which might have caused that gen- 
 tleman some uneasiness, but which fortu- 
 nately he did not notice. 
 
 As soon as they reached their usual 
 resting-place, Heidi took the doctor to her 
 favorite seat, where the view was finest. 
 Seating themselves on the sunny grass 
 they looked about them. The heights 
 above and the green valley were swim- 
 ming in the golden autumn sunshine. 
 From some lower Alp the faint tinkling 
 cow-bells came sweetly and softly like a 
 song of peace, and all the air was filled 
 with pleasant sounds. On the great snow- 
 field above grolden sunbeams olowed and 
 shimmered here and there, while gray old 
 
A RECOMPENSE. 5 I 
 
 Falkniss raised his rocky towers in majes 
 tic silence, standing- strongly contrasted 
 ae^inst the blue of heaven. The morn 
 ing wind blew softly and caressingly, ten- 
 deny stirring the last blue harebells, which 
 had outlived their companions of the great 
 army of summer flowers, and now stood 
 languidly waving their drooping heads in 
 the warm sunlight. Overhead the great 
 eagle circled in graceful, sweeping flight 
 To-day he did not scream, but with wide- 
 spread wrings floated silently through the 
 air, in ecstasy of motion. 
 
 Heidi looked everywhere, at everything, 
 all was so full of beauty. With sparkling 
 eyes she glanced at her old friend, to be 
 sure that he, too, saw as she did. As his 
 eyes encountered Heidi's, dancing wi^ 
 joy and happiness, he said : " Yes, dear 
 
52 HEIDI. 
 
 child, it may be all lovely ; but how can 
 one who carries a sad heart in his bosom 
 feel the charm properh^ or rejoice ? " 
 
 " Oh," cried the child, with untouched 
 gladness, " no one here carries a sad heart 
 in his bosom ; only in Frankfort are there 
 such ! " 
 
 The doctor smiled a little, but fleetingly. 
 Then he said : "If some one came from 
 Frankfort bringing all his sadness with 
 him, what could be done to help him 
 here ? Do you know, Heidi ? " 
 
 "If such a one does not know how to 
 help himself, then he must tell all to the 
 good God," said she confidently. 
 
 "That is a good thought, my child; 
 but if he knows that his sorrow comes 
 from God, what then can help him in his 
 misery ? " 
 
A RECOMPENSE. 53 
 
 Heidi had to think for a time about 
 this new prol>lem, though she was perfectly 
 convinced that God could provide a balm 
 for all sorrow. She sought for an answer 
 from her own experience. 
 
 " One must wait," she said after a 
 while, " and must always think that soon 
 the good God will bring something to 
 make one happier ; that something will 
 come out of the trouble ; but one must 
 keep perfectly quiet, and not run away. 
 After a while it will be quite plain how 
 God had all the time something good in 
 his thoughts, though we did not know it." 
 
 " Always keep that beautiful belief, 
 Heidi," said the doctor. For a while he 
 sat silent, gazing now at the rocky pin- 
 nacles, now into the gleaming valley ; then 
 he said again : " Can you understand, my 
 
54 HEIDI. 
 
 child, how it would be possible for one to 
 sit here and know of all this beauty, and 
 be doubly sad because of it, and of the 
 great shadow that clouded his own eyes ? 
 Can you understand that, Heidi ? " 
 
 A sharp pang- shot through Heidi's 
 breast at these words. The great shadow 
 of which her friend spoke brought the 
 blind grandmother forcibly to her mind, 
 she who never more could see the bright 
 sun, nor all the beauty of the world about 
 her. This was a grief that sprang ever 
 anew in the child's loving heart, as often 
 as it came freshly to her memor)'. She 
 had no answer at first, distress had so 
 seized her in the midst of all her joy. 
 Then she said earnestly : " Yes, I can 
 understand that, but I know of something. 
 One must recite the grandmolher s hymns ; 
 
A RECOMPENSE. 55 
 
 they make one feel a little better at first, 
 and at last so bright that everything is 
 cheerful ao^ain." 
 
 "What hymns, Heidi?" 
 
 " I only know that about the sun, and 
 the beautiful garden, and those verses 
 from the other long one that the grand- 
 mother likes best, and that I have to 
 repeat to her over and over." 
 
 " Say them for me, Heidi ; I, too, must 
 hear them," said the doctor, and sat up to 
 listen. 
 
 The little girl folded her hands in her 
 lap, and thought for a little ; then she 
 said, " Shall I begin at the place where 
 the grandmother sa)"s that a happy, trust- 
 ful feeling always comes into her heart?" 
 
 The doctor nodded assent, and Heidi 
 began : -=- 
 
56 HEIDI. 
 
 *' Trust fully to his choicCj 
 
 He is a Ruler wise ; 
 Follow his guiding voice, 
 
 Nor falter in surprise, 
 When in his mighty power. 
 
 As is his way and right. 
 In unexpected hour 
 
 He makes your burden light. 
 
 Oft for a little space 
 
 He tarries with his aid. 
 And seems to hide his face, 
 
 Making your heart afraid ; 
 Deeming yourself neglected, 
 
 Oft trembling through and through, 
 You think, all unprotected. 
 
 That he's forgotten you. 
 
 Then firmly stand, to prove 
 That you are true and fast ; 
 
 He'll raise you in his love. 
 He'll help you at the last. 
 
A RECOMPENSE. 57 
 
 He will your heart beguile 
 
 Of its so cruel wrong ; 
 Your sorrow of erewhile 
 
 Shall become joy and song.'' 
 
 Suddenly Heidi stopped, she was no 
 longer sure that the doctor was listening. 
 He had covered his face with his hand, 
 and sat motionless, so that the child 
 thought he had fallen asleep. For some 
 time he remained thus, but he was not 
 asleep. He had been carried back to the 
 distant past ; he stood a young boy again, 
 at his dear mother's knee. She had put 
 her arm about his neck, and was repeating 
 the hymn which Heidi had just been say- 
 ing, and which he had not heard before for 
 long years. It was his mother's voice that 
 sounded in his ears, and her kind eyes 
 looked lovingly into his ; he must have 
 
58 HEIDI. 
 
 listened to her gladly, and followed her far 
 in his thouofhts, for he sat for a lone time 
 silent and motionless, his face hidden in 
 his hand. When at last he came to him- 
 self, he saw the child's wondering gaze 
 fixed on him; and taking her hand he said, 
 while there was a more cheerful rine in 
 his voice than it had yet had : " Heidi, 
 your song is beautiful. We will come up 
 here again, and you shall repeat it for me." 
 During all this time the goatherd had 
 been fully occupied in giving vent to his 
 vexation. It was so long since Heidi had 
 been to the pasture with him, and to see 
 her now, sittino- there with that old orentle- 
 man, and with never a word for him, was 
 more than Peter could endure. It made 
 him very angry. Placing" himself in a hol- 
 low behind the unsuspicious doctor, where 
 
A RECOMPENSE. 59 
 
 there was no danofer of beinor seen, he 
 doubled up first one fist and swung it 
 in the air, and then two fists, and repeated 
 the pantomime ; and the longer they sat 
 there, the more vigorous and frightful be- 
 came his action, and the higher he swung 
 his fists in the air behind their backs. 
 
 But the sun had now reached the place 
 in the heavens that indicated the time for 
 their midday meal. Perceiving this, the 
 lad shouted suddenly as loud as he could, 
 " It's time to eat ! " 
 
 Heidi rose at once, and wished to bring 
 the bag to the place where they were sit- 
 ting, so that her friend might eat without 
 disturbing himself ; but he declared that 
 he was not hungry, and would only drink 
 a glass of milk, and then climb higher up 
 the mountain. Then Jieidi discovered 
 
60 HEIDI. 
 
 that she, too, was not hungry, and would 
 only drink some milk, and furthermore 
 would brino" the doctor to the gfreat moss- 
 grown stone where Thistlebird had almost 
 fallen over once, and where the sweet- 
 est and most nourishing herbs grew. So 
 she ran over to Peter to explain to him 
 that he was to get a glass of milk for the 
 doctor first, and then one for her, from 
 Schwanli. The lad gazed at Heidi in 
 astonishment for a moment, and then said, 
 " Who will have what is in the basket ? " 
 
 "You may have it," she said, "but first 
 fetch the milk, and quickly." 
 
 Never yet had Peter accomplished any 
 action so promptly as he did this. The 
 contents of the satchel seemed always be- 
 fore his eyes, and he longed to get at it. 
 As soon as his companions had begun to 
 
A RECOMPENSE. 6 1 
 
 drink their milk, he opened the lunch-bag 
 and peeped in ; when he saw the wonderful 
 piece of meat he trembled for joy, and 
 peeped again to make quite sure. Slowly 
 he put his hand into the bag, then quickly 
 withdrew it, as if really afraid to take what 
 was there. It had suddenly come into 
 Peter's head how he had been standing 
 behind the gentleman who had given him 
 all this superb feast, and had threatened 
 him with his fists ; and sorrow for this con- 
 duct prevented him from eating his dinner 
 with satisfaction. After a moment or two 
 he sprang up, and running to the hollow, 
 again stretched out his hands in the air, 
 and made signs of smoothing out all the 
 motions he had before made of hatred and 
 anger. He continued this strange action 
 until he felt satisfied that he had obliter- 
 
62 HEIDI. 
 
 ated all indications of unkindness, and 
 could return to eat his longed-for dinner 
 with a good conscience. 
 
 Heidi and her companion went wander- 
 ing meanwhile over the pasture, and enjoy- 
 ing themselves exceedingly. But at last 
 the doctor found that it was time for him 
 to return, while it occurred to him that the 
 little girl might well like to play about 
 awhile with the goats, Heidi had ug 
 thought of such a thing. Could she lei 
 the doctor go all the way down the Alp 
 alone ? She had still a great deal to tell 
 him of, to point out the spots where in 
 summer there were myriads of lovely 
 flowers. She must tell him all theii 
 names, for her grandfather had taught 
 them all to her. A.t last, however, the 
 doctor took leav^ of his little com.paniori, 
 
A RECOMPENSE. 63 
 
 sending her back while he himself went 
 down the mountain. Rut as he turned 
 back now and then, he saw the child, 
 still standing where he liad left her, and 
 waving her hand, just as his own little 
 daughter had stood watching him every 
 day when he left the house. 
 
 The whole month was a series of beauti- 
 ful, clear, sunny days. Each morning the 
 doctor climbed up the Aim, and went off 
 lor a ramble. Generally he went with the 
 uncle high up amongst the rocks, where 
 the old weather-beaten pines stood that 
 overtopped the crags, and where the great 
 birds of prey nested, which startled would 
 fly screaming over their heads. In the 
 companionship of the Aim uncle the 
 doctor found the greatest pleasure, and 
 was more and more surprised at his con- 
 
64 HEIDI. 
 
 versation, and at the knowledge he showed 
 of all the mountain herbs, their healing- 
 qualities, and where they grew, as well as 
 of the curly mosses, that nestled amongst 
 the gnarled roots of the old pine-trees, 
 and the almost invisible flowers, hidden in 
 the Alpine soil. His knowledge was great, 
 too, of the habits of the animals there- 
 about; and he told many a humorous stor)' 
 of the tricks and gambols of these dwell- 
 ers in caves and rocks, and of the inhab- 
 itants of the high treetops. The time 
 passed so quickly, that day after day the 
 evening surprised them before they were 
 aware of its approach ; and the doctor con- 
 stantly said, in taking leave at sundown, 
 " I never pass the day in your company, 
 without learning something new and vaJ- 
 "jable." 
 
A RECOMPENSE. 65 
 
 But on many days, and those the finest, 
 the doctor chose to go with his httle friend. 
 They sat together on the lovely spur of 
 the Alp where they had sat that first morn- 
 ing, and the child repeated her hymns and 
 sono;s, and told her old friend all her bits 
 of knowledge, and all her thoughts. Peter 
 sat behind them in his old place in the 
 hollow ; he did not, however, double his 
 fists, he was quite tame. 
 
 And so the lovely month of September 
 drew to an end. One morning the doctor 
 came up with a clouded countenance. He 
 must go back to Frankfort, he said, and 
 the thought made him sad ; for he loved 
 the Aim and its friendly faces, and was 
 sorr^' to leave them. The Aim uncle was 
 sorry, too, for he had become much Inter- 
 ested in the good doctor ; and as for 
 
66 HEIDI. 
 
 Heidi, she did not know how to think 
 of being deprived of the companionship 
 of her dear old friend, and looked at him 
 long and beseechingly, 
 
 " Come down the mountain a little way 
 with me, Heidi," said the doctor, when he 
 had bade adieu to the uncle ; and Heidi 
 put her hand in that of her friend, and 
 they went ; but the child could not 
 grasp the idea that he was really leav- 
 ing them. 
 
 " Now you must go back to your grand- 
 father, my child," and the doctor passed 
 his hand several times tenderly over her 
 curly hair, " and I must go. O Heidi ! 
 how I wish I could take you back with me, 
 and keep you always ! " 
 
 At these words all Frankfort rose before 
 the child's eyes, the many, many houses, 
 
A RECOMPENSE. 67 
 
 the Stone streets, Miss Rottenmeier and 
 Tinette ; and she said, rather doubtfully, 
 " I should like far better to have you come 
 to us." 
 
 *' Yes, that certainly would be better. 
 So farewell, Heidi," and the doctor held 
 out his hand kindly to her. Looking into 
 his face Heidi saw that his eyes were full 
 of tears, but he said nodiing more, and 
 turned away quickly to go down the 
 mountain. 
 
 Heidi stood still. Those loving eyes, 
 and the tears therein, touched her tender 
 heart. Suddenly she burst forth weep- 
 ing, and ran after her departing friend, 
 calling with all her might, " Doctor, doc- 
 tor ! " 
 
 The doctor turned, just as Heidi reached 
 his side. Tears were streaming down her 
 
68 HEIDI. 
 
 cheeks, and she sobbed out : "I will go 
 with you to Frankfort, and stay as long as 
 you want me ; but first let me go to tell 
 my grandfather." 
 
 The doctor soothed gently the excited 
 child. " No, my dear Heidi," he said ten- 
 derly, " not just now ; you must stay a 
 while longer under the pines, or you would 
 soon be ill aoain. But come, I will make 
 a request of you ; if I am ever sick and 
 alone, will you come to me then, and stay 
 with me ? May I feel sure that I shall 
 have some one who will care for me, and 
 love me.?" 
 
 " Yes, I will surely come, on the very 
 day ; for I love you almost as much as 
 I do my grandfather," said the still sob- 
 bing child. 
 
 Pressing her hand fondly, the doctor 
 
A RECOMPENSE. 69 
 
 turned away, while Heidi stood and waved 
 him farewell as long as she could see him. 
 At the last turn of the road he murmured, 
 "It is good for body and soul up there, 
 and makes life seem worth living." 
 
Jo HEIDL 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 WINTER IN DORFLI. 
 
 The snow lay piled up about the Aim 
 hut, so that It looked as if the windows 
 touched the ground ; below them noth- 
 ing of the building was visible, and the 
 house door had quite disappeared. If 
 the Aim uncle had been living there, he 
 would have had to do as Peter did. for it 
 snowed hard almost every night. Peter 
 jumped out of the bedroom window into 
 the snow, where he was obliged to fight 
 his way along through the drifts with 
 might and main, using his hands and 
 feet, and often his head. His mother 
 
WINTER IN DORFLI. J I 
 
 handed him the broom from the window, 
 and he brushed and slioved with that 
 until he reached the house door, which he 
 had to clear from the heavy snow piled up 
 against it, which would fall in and half 
 fill the kitchen should any one try to enter 
 Moreover, if the snow were allowed to 
 freeze hard, then no one could get in or 
 out, and the inmates would be imprisoned. 
 When once it froze hard, however, Peter 
 had an easy and pleasant time of it. If 
 he had to go down to Dorfli, he crept out 
 of the window and let himself down on 
 to the crust, his mother crave him his little 
 sledge through the same opening, and 
 seatinof himself on it he went off when 
 and where he chose, for all ways led 
 downward. The entire Aim was an un- 
 broken coast. 
 
72 HEIDI. 
 
 But the uncle was not on the Aim this 
 winter, he had kept his promise. As 
 soon as the first snow began to fall, he 
 closed the hut and the stalls, and went 
 with Heidi and the goats down to Dorfli. 
 Near the church and the parsonage stood 
 an old. ruined building, which plainly had 
 once been a spacious mansion. Many of 
 the rooms were in pretty good condition 
 still, though some of the walls had fallen 
 wholly, some in part. The former owner 
 was a brave soldier, who had served in the 
 Spanish wars, had performed many deeds 
 of valor, and accumulated great wealth. 
 He came back to his native villao-e of 
 Dorfli, built this big, handsome house, and 
 tried to live there; but the attempt did 
 not last long. Little Dorfli was too peace- 
 ful and dull, after the stirring life he had 
 
WINTER IN DORFLI. 73 
 
 led in the great world. He went away, 
 and never returned. Many years after, 
 when it was quite certain tliat lie was dead, 
 a distant relation took possession of the 
 house, but not before it had fallen too 
 completely into ruin to be worth repairing. 
 Only quite poor families, therefore, lived 
 in it, who paid little for the privilege, 
 and when a wall fell in or out, here or 
 there, left it as it had fallen. 
 
 But this was many )'ears ago. When 
 the Aim uncle came first to Dorfli, he had 
 occupied the decayed old house with his 
 son Tobias. Since that time it had stood 
 empty ; for unless one knew how to prop 
 up the falling walls, and mend the win- 
 dows, and stop the holes and rents as they 
 occurred, it was not really habitable, es- 
 pecially as in Dorfli the winter was long 
 
74 HEIDI. 
 
 and cold, the wind blew howling through 
 the rooms from every side, the lights were 
 extinguished, and the dwellers in the old 
 house shivered and shook with cold and 
 discomfort. No danger of that for the 
 uncle, however ; he knew how to make 
 himself comfortable. He took the old 
 house again as soon as he had decided to 
 go down to the village, and through the 
 autumn months went constantly to put it 
 in order, and make it weather-proof. In 
 the middle of October he moved down 
 there with Heidi. 
 
 If one approached the house from the 
 rear, he entered an open space, where the 
 wall had fallen in on one side utterly, while 
 half of the other was left standing. A. 
 bow-window, whose glass had long since 
 disappeared, was still to be seen, mantlt 1 
 
WINTER IN DORFLI. 75 
 
 with thick ivy to the roof, whose fine 
 arches showed that here had been a 
 chapel. Between this and the great hall 
 adjoining, the door was quite broken away ; 
 but remains of a handsome stone pave- 
 ment were visible, between which the 
 grass grew high and rank. Here, too, the 
 walls had fallen in part, as well as a portion 
 of the roof, the remainder of which, save 
 for a few thick columns, seemed about to 
 fall upon the head of whoever might be 
 beneath it. Here the uncle had made a 
 partition of boards, and covered the floor 
 with straw, for a lodging for his goats. 
 Then there were numerous passages, 
 where sometimes the sky above was visi- 
 ble, and sometimes the green fields with- 
 out, and the road. Beyond all thi^s, there 
 was a room with a strong oaken door 
 
76 HEIDI. 
 
 hanging firmly on its hinges, a fine large 
 room, in good condition, its dark panel- 
 lings of oak quite unbroken. In a corner 
 stood a huge stove, reaching almost to the 
 ceiling, on whose white tiles blue pictures 
 were painted. There were old towers, sur- 
 rounded by high trees, under which stood 
 a hunter with his dogs ; and there was a 
 quiet lake under wide-shadowing oaks, 
 where a fisherman stretched his rod far 
 over the water. Round the whole stove 
 there was a seat built, so that one could 
 sit at ease to examine the pictures. This 
 pleased Heidi exceedingly. As soon as 
 she entered this room with her grandfather, 
 she ran toward the stove, and seated her- 
 self to study the pictures. As she slid 
 along the bench, she at last came quite 
 behind the stove, and a new object of 
 
WINTER IN DORFLT. 77 
 
 interest met her eyes. Between the stove 
 and the wall was a quite wide space, and 
 there was a rack that looked as if meant 
 for drying apples. No apples were there, 
 however, but Heidi's bed, exactly as it was 
 on the Aim, a high pile of hay, with the 
 sheet w^ell tucked in all round, and the 
 sack for coverlid, fieidi shouted aloud : 
 " O grandfather, this must be my bed- 
 room ! How beautiful ! But where is 
 yours ? Where wall you sleep ? " 
 
 " Your bed must be near the stove, 
 where you will not feel the cold. You 
 may come to see mine." 
 
 The child danced through the long 
 room behind her grandfather, who opened 
 a door at the other end, and showed a 
 small room where his bed was placed. 
 Another door led out from this room. 
 
78 HEIDI. 
 
 opening which curiously, Heidi stood still 
 in surprise. Before her was a large kitch- 
 en, so large that she did not know what to 
 think of it. The grandfather had had a 
 deal of work to make this room habitable, 
 and there still remained much to be done ; 
 there were holes and big cracks on ever}' 
 liide, where the wind came in ; and yet so 
 many had been already stopped with 
 boards and planks, that the room looked 
 as if little cupboards had been fastened to 
 the walls everywhere. The big old door 
 had been made fast with nails and wires, 
 and could now be shut securely, which was 
 a good thing ; for beyond were only fallen 
 walls, between which grew thick shrubs 
 and brush, where armies of lizards and 
 insects of all sorts harbored. 
 
 Heidi was delighted with their new 
 
WINTER IN DORFLI. 79 
 
 dwelling ; and when Peter came to see her 
 the next day, to inquire how they were 
 getting on, she had searched and peeped 
 into all the corners and out-of-the-way 
 places so thoroughly that she was perfectly 
 at home, and could show him all about the 
 premises. 
 
 The child slept famously in her corner 
 behind the stove ; but every morning, on 
 awakening, she thought herself on the 
 Aim, and that she must rush to the hut 
 door, to see if the pines were not singing, 
 while the deep snow was piled thereon, 
 and weighed down the branches. And 
 she had to look about her for a longf time 
 to find out where she was, and had always 
 a choking and stifled feeling when she 
 realized that she was not at her hdme on 
 the Alp. But when she presently heard 
 
8o HEIDI. 
 
 her grandfather's voice talking to the 
 goats, and heard them bleating heartily as 
 if they said, " Come out, Heidi, make 
 haste and coine out," then she knew where 
 she was, and sprang up and dressed as 
 quickly as possible, to run into the spa- 
 cious court where the stalls were. On the 
 fourth day, however, she announced that 
 she must o-q to see the (grandmother, who 
 ought not to be left alone so long. 
 
 To this her grandfather did not agree. 
 '* Neither to-day nor to-morrow," said he. 
 " The Aim lies deep in snow, and it is still 
 snowing there. If sturdy Peter can 
 scarcely work his way through, a little 
 one, like my Heidi, would be snowed up 
 on the spot, quite hidden, and never more 
 to be found. W^ait awhile till it freezes, 
 then you can walk up on the crust." 
 
WINTER IN DORFLI. 61 
 
 It troubled Heidi a good deal, that she 
 could not go at once. Yet the days were 
 so filled with all sorts of work now, that 
 unawares one was gone and another came. 
 Every morning and every afternoon she 
 went to school, and learned eagerly all that 
 was to be learned there. Peter she 
 scarcely saw in the school, however, for he 
 was rarely there. The teacher, a mild sort 
 of man, only said now and then : "It 
 seems to me that Peter is missing again 
 to-day. He can't afford to lose his school- 
 ing ; but there is a good deal of snow up 
 his way, and he probably cannot get 
 through." Towards evening, when school 
 was over, Peter came through w^ell enough, 
 and paid his visit to Heidi very regularly. 
 
 After a few days, the sun shone again, 
 and cast his beams over the fields of snow ; 
 
52 HEIDI. 
 
 sinking soon behind the mountain, how- 
 ever, a> if it did not dehght him to see the 
 «^arth without its grass and leaves and 
 lowers. The moon, however, rose large 
 and clear, and shone the whole night 
 through, and in the morning the whole 
 Alp, from top to bottom, sparkled and 
 glistened like crystal. When Peter opened 
 his window that same morning, to get into 
 the snow as usual, it did not feel at all 
 as he expected. Instead of sinking in 
 and flounderinor about, as he had done 
 before, plump he came on to the hard 
 crust. Away he flew, like a sled without 
 a master, and only after much effort re- 
 gained his feet, and began stamping vio- 
 lently to assure himself that the crust was 
 really strong. He tried to drive his heels 
 in, but only splintered off a tiny bit of the 
 
WINTER IN DORFLI. 83 
 
 icy surface. The whole Aim was frozen as 
 hard as a rock. Peter knew well that only 
 under such circumstances could Heidi 
 come up to the cottage, and he was con- 
 tent. Quickly he gulped down his milk, 
 when he had entered the cottage again, 
 stuffed his bread into his pocket, and said 
 hurriedly, " Now I must go to school." 
 
 " Yes, go and study hard," said his 
 mother encouragingly. 
 
 Out of the window crept Peter again, 
 for the door was fast, drew his little sledge 
 after him, and down he shot like a rocket 
 over the crust. He flew along so fast that 
 when he came to Dorfli, where the descent 
 continues down to Mayenfeld, he still went 
 on. for it seemed to him that he must 
 exert great force over himself and his 
 sledge if he wanted to stop in his course 
 
84 HEIDI. 
 
 So on he went until he came quite down 
 to the plain, where the sledge stopped of 
 itself. He got off, and looked about him. 
 He had been carried even beyond Mayen- 
 feld. Now it occurred to him that the 
 school must have beeun some time ao-o, 
 and that it would be over before he could 
 get up there, as it would take him a full 
 hour to climb the hill again. So he took 
 his time to return, and so it was that 
 he reached Dorfli just as Heidi had got 
 home from school, and was sitting down to 
 dinner with her grandfather. Peter went 
 in, and having a big thought to express, 
 which lay very near the surface, he got rid 
 of it as soon as he entered. " We've got 
 it," he said, standing in the doorway. 
 
 "What? What? General, that sounds 
 very warlike," said the uncle. 
 
WINTER IN DORFLI. 85 
 
 " The crust," replied the lad. 
 
 " Oh ! oh ! now I can go up to the 
 grandmother," said Heidi joyfully, for she 
 had understood Peter's meaning at once. 
 " But why did you not come to school, 
 Peter ? Vou could have come down well 
 enough on your sled," she added reproach- 
 fully, for it seemed wrong to her that he 
 should have staid away when there was no 
 need. 
 
 '' Came down too far on the sled ; 'twas 
 too late," returned Peter. 
 
 " That is called deserting," said the 
 uncle, " and when men do that they must 
 be taken by the ear, do you understand ? " 
 
 Peter covered his ears with his hands in 
 a great fright. For if there was anybody 
 in the world whom he feared especially, it 
 was the Aim uncle. 
 
86 HEIDI. 
 
 " And you an officer into the bargain," 
 said the uncle further. " It is twice as bad 
 for you to run away in this fashion. What 
 would you think if your goats were to run 
 away, one here and one there, and take it 
 into their heads not to follow, or obey you 
 any more ? What would you do then ? " 
 
 " Beat them," was the laconic reply. 
 
 "And if a boy did the same thing, like 
 an unherded goat, and should get beaten 
 a little, what would you say then ? " 
 
 " Served him right," was the answer. 
 
 " So now, you know what you deserve, 
 goat-general. The next time you go slid- 
 ing down below into the valley, instead of 
 stopping at the school, just come in here, 
 and I will give it to you." 
 
 Now, at last, Peter understood the drift 
 of the conversation, and that the uncle 
 
WINTER IN DORFLI. 87 
 
 meant him, when he spoke of a lad who 
 ran away hke an unherded goat. He 
 was quite struck by the comparison, and 
 stood staring into the corner, as if he saw 
 something lying there such as he would 
 use, in like circumstances, for the goats. 
 
 But the uncle resumed quite pleasantly, 
 " Come now, sit down to table with us, and 
 Heidi shall then go up with you." 
 
 Peter was delisfhted at this most unex- 
 pected turn of affairs, and twisted his face 
 into all sorts of grimaces, to express his 
 pleasure. He obeyed without hesitation, 
 and seated himself next Heidi, who, how- 
 ever, had soon finished her dinner ; she 
 was so gflad to q-q at last to see the orrand- 
 mother that she could not eat. She gave 
 her potato and toasted cheese to Fetcr, 
 who had already received a platefu? from 
 
88 HEIDI. 
 
 the uncle, and so had a formidable pile 
 before him. His courage did not fail him, 
 however, and he advanced valiantly to the 
 attack. Heidi ran to the press to fetch 
 her new warm mantle, which Klara had 
 sent her. Now she could make the jour- 
 ney, with the hood over her ears, and be 
 perfectly warm. She seated herself again 
 by the lad's side, saying, as soon as he had 
 finished his last bit, " Oh ! come now, 
 Peter ! " and off they went. 
 
 All the way Heidi had a great deal to 
 tell her companion about Schwanli and 
 Barli, and how they would not eat in their 
 stalls on the first day, and made no sound ; 
 and how she had asked her grandfather 
 the reason , and he had replied that they 
 felt as sh? did wherj she went to Frankfort, 
 for they had nevej come down from the 
 
WINTER IN DORFLI. 89 
 
 Aim before in all their lives. And Heidi 
 said, " Peter, you ought to know just once, 
 what that dreadful feeling is." 
 
 The two children had now almost 
 reached the cottage, and Peter had not 
 spoken a word ; he was so absorbed in 
 thought that he could not even listen as 
 usual. Now he stood still, and said a little 
 crossly, " I would rather go to school, than 
 to get from the uncle what he promised 
 me," and Heidi, being of the same opinion, 
 strengthened Peter in his resolution. 
 
 They found Peter's mother sitting alone 
 with her mending. The grandmother had 
 to be in bed all day, it was too cold for 
 her, and she was otherwise far from well. 
 This was new to Heidi, who had always 
 found her old friend seated in the corner 
 at her spinning-wheel. She ran quickly 
 
90 . HEIDI. 
 
 to the bedroom, where lay the grand 
 mother in her narrow bed, with its thin 
 coverlet, herself wrapped closely in the 
 gray shawl. 
 
 " God be thanked and praised," said the 
 blind woman, as she heard Heidi's bound- 
 ing step on the floor. Ever since Peter 
 had told her of the old gentleman from 
 Frankfort, who had been every day up to 
 the Aim, and often to the pasture with 
 Heidi, she had felt anxious lest he should 
 be able to persuade the child to return 
 with him , and even after he had left, she 
 still feared that some messenger would 
 come, and deprive her of her treasure. 
 
 Heidi stood by the bedside now, ask- 
 ing anxiously, " Are you very ill, grand- 
 mother ? " 
 
 " No, no, child ! The cold has got into 
 
WINTER IN DORFLI. 9 1 
 
 my bones a little, that is all," and she 
 stroked the child's cheek lovingly. 
 
 " Shall }'OLi be quite well, then, when the 
 weather is warm again ?" asked Heidi. 
 
 " Oh, yes, sooner than that, I hope ; 
 please God that I get to my spinning 
 before long. I meant to have tried to-day, 
 to-morrow I shall get at it," said the grand- 
 mother confidently, for she saw that Heidi 
 was frightened. 
 
 Her words had the desired effect. 
 Heidi sat silent for a while, and then said : 
 " Grandmother, in Frankfort they wear 
 their shawls only to go walking. Did you 
 think they wore them in bed ? " 
 
 " Don't you see, Heidi, I wear the shawl 
 
 in bed that I may not be cold ? I am so 
 
 /- 
 
 glad I have got it, for the bedclothes are 
 rather thin." 
 
92 HEIDI. 
 
 " But, grandmother," said Heidi again 
 " at your head it goes down, instead of 
 going up. That is not the way a bed 
 should be." 
 
 " I know that, child, I feel it very plainly 
 myself," and the old woman fumbled at the 
 thin little pillow, trying to get a better 
 place for her head upon it. "You see this 
 was never a thick pillow, and now I have 
 lain on it for so many years, it has got all 
 flattened out." 
 
 " Oh, if I had only asked Klara to give 
 me my bed, to bring with me ! " cried 
 Heidi. " It had three big, thick pillows. 
 one over the other, and I was always slip- 
 ping down until I came to the flat part, 
 and then had to pull myself up again 
 where I ought to be. Can you sleep so, 
 grandmother ? " 
 
WINTER IN DORFLI. 93 
 
 "Yes, indeed, it keeps one warm, and 
 one can breathe far better when one's head 
 is high," repHed the grandmother, trying 
 to raise herself into a better position. 
 " But we won't talk about it any more. I 
 have so much to be thankful for, that other 
 old, sick people are without ; the nice soft 
 rolls every day, and this beautiful warm 
 shawl, and that you come, as )ou do, to 
 se ^ me, Meidi. Are you going to read me 
 something to-day ? " 
 
 The little girl ran to get the book. She 
 picked out one nice hymn after another, 
 for she knew them all, and was glad to 
 read them aeain ; it seemed so longf since 
 she had done so. 
 
 The grandmother lay with folded hands, 
 and her face, which had looked worn and 
 troubled before, now assumed a peaceful 
 
94 HEIDI. 
 
 expression, as if some great happiness had 
 befallen her. 
 
 Presently Heidi stopped reading. " Are 
 you better now, grandmother ?" she said. 
 
 " I am well, Heidi, you make me well. 
 Read it through, will you?" 
 
 The child read the hymn to the end, 
 and as she came to the last verse, — 
 
 " Even though my sight grows ' dim, 
 Brighter still my spirit burns ; 
 And I joyful turn to Him, 
 
 As the traveller homeward turns," 
 
 the grandmother repeated it once and 
 again, while on her face there lay as it 
 were a great, joyful expectation. Into 
 Heidi's memory came the bright, sunny 
 day of her return to her grandfather and 
 to the Aim, and she exclaimed, " Grand- 
 
WINTER IN DORFLI. 95 
 
 mother, I know how it is when the travel- 
 ler homeward turns." The grandmother 
 did not speak, but she certainly under- 
 stood, for the look that always made Heidi 
 feel so happy remained on her face. 
 
 After a while the child said : "It is 
 getting dark, grandmother, I must go 
 home ; but I am so glad that you are 
 better." 
 
 Holding the child's hand tightly in her 
 own the grandmother said : " Yes, I am 
 glad too ; and even if I must keep on 
 lying here, I am well. You cannot know, 
 no one can, how terrible it is to be all 
 alone for many, many days, to hear not 
 a word spoken, and to see nothing, not a 
 single ray of light. Then very heavy 
 thoughts come to one, it seems as if 
 it would never be light again, and as 
 
g6 HEIDI. 
 
 if one could not bear to live. Such words 
 as you have just read to me, Heidi, 
 bring light and happiness into one's heart 
 again." 
 
 Then the grandmother let go the child's 
 hand, and after she had said good- night 
 she ran out quickly, for indeed the night 
 had already come. But outside the moon 
 shone clear in heaven, so that it was bright 
 as day. Peter placed himself on his sled, 
 with Heidi behind him ; and like two birds 
 through the air, they glided together down 
 the Aim. 
 
 But later, when Heidi lay on her bed 
 of hay behind the stove, warm and com- 
 fortable, her thoughts returned again to 
 the poor old blind grandmother, with her 
 thin pillow, and her darkness within and 
 without. She wondered how long it might 
 
WINTER IN DORFLI. 97 
 
 be before she could go again to read to 
 her, and kindle the light that only could 
 help her to bear her loneliness. Long 
 she pondered, seeking for something that 
 would be of use to her old friend. At 
 last it came to her. She knew now what to 
 do, and could hardly wait for the morrow 
 to begin to put her new plan into execu- 
 tion. 
 
 So wrapped in thought had been Heidi, 
 that she had not yet said the prayer which 
 she never forgot before going to sleep. 
 She prayed now for her grandfather and 
 for the grandmother, and slept thereafter 
 profoundly till break of day. 
 
gS HEIDL 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE WINTER STILL CONTINUES, 
 
 The following day Peter came down 
 punctually to school, bringing his dinner 
 in his satchel, as was the custom. When 
 the children who lived in Dorfli went home 
 at noon, those who came from a distance 
 seated themselves on the table, and plac 
 ing their feet against a bench, spread out 
 their dinner on their knees. Thus till one 
 o'clock could they enjoy themselves, and 
 then school began again. Peter for once 
 had got through an entire day in the 
 schoolroom, and when it was over he went 
 to see Heidi at her grandfather's. 
 
THE WINTER STILL COXTIXUES. 99 
 
 As he . entered the big room, Heidi, 
 who had just preceded him, darted over to 
 him. saying, " I know something, Peter." 
 
 "Well?" returned the lad. 
 
 " You must learn to read." 
 
 " Have learned." 
 
 " Yes, yes, but I do not mean like that ; 
 I mean, so that you can read any time, 
 anywhere." 
 
 " Can't." 
 
 " No one will believe that of you any 
 longer, not I certainly," said Heidi eagerly. 
 " The grandmamma in Frankfort knew that 
 it was not true, and she told me not to be- 
 lieve it." 
 
 This piece of news surprised Peter very 
 much. 
 
 " I will teach you to read, I know quite 
 well how," continued Heidi ; " you must 
 
lOO HEIDI. 
 
 learn, and then read a hymn or two to the 
 grandmother every day." 
 
 " That's nothing, " Sfrumbled Peter. 
 
 This obstinate resistance against some- 
 thing that was good and right, and that 
 Heidi had so much at heart, excited the 
 child's indignation. With flashing eyes she 
 placed herself before the boy, and said 
 threateningly: "Then I will tell you what 
 will happen to you, if you do not learn. 
 Your mother has already said that you 
 must go to Frankfort to learn all sorts 
 of things ; and I know where the boys go 
 to school there. Klara pointed out the 
 big schoolhouse to me, when we were out 
 driving. But in Frankfort they do not 
 stop going to school when the)- grow up, 
 but keep on even after they are big men. 
 I Saw that myself. And you need not 
 
THE WINTER STILL CONTINUES. lOI 
 
 think there is only one teacher there as 
 we have here, and such a good one, too. 
 No, whole rows of masters go together 
 into the schoolhouse, and they are all 
 in black as if they were going to church, 
 and have black hats on their heads so 
 hieh ; " and Heidi indicated with her hand 
 the height of the hats from the floor, 
 while cold shudders ran down her listen- 
 er's back. 
 
 " Then you will have to go in amongst 
 all those gentlemen," continued Heidi 
 with ardor, " and when your turn comes 
 and you cannot read, nor even spell the 
 words without mistakes, then you will see 
 how the gentlemen will laugh, and make 
 fun of you It will be worse than Tinette, 
 and you ought to know what it is when 
 she makes fun of you." 
 
I02 HEIDI. 
 
 "Then I will learn," said the boy, half 
 angry, half complaining. 
 
 " Now that is right," said Heidi, soft- 
 ened at once. " We will begin right away," 
 and she busily got together the necessary 
 things, and drew Peter towards the table. 
 
 Amongst the many things that her dear 
 Klara had sent her from Frankfort, in the 
 big parcel, one which had pleased Heidi 
 very much at the time, was a little book 
 of the alphabet with verses, Heidi had 
 thought of this book, when she was mak- 
 ing the plan of teaching Peter the previous 
 evening. The two children now sat down 
 together, their heads bent over the little 
 book, and the lesson began. Peter had 
 to spell out the first verse again and again, 
 for Heidi was determined to have the les- 
 son thoroughly learned. At last she said ; 
 
THE WINTER STILL CONTINUES. IO3 
 
 " You cannot do it yet ; but I will read it 
 over to you one time after another, and 
 when )Ou know what it means then you 
 can spell it out better." So she read, — 
 
 "If your ABC is not learned to-day, 
 Go to be punished to-morrow, I say." 
 
 " I won't go," said Peter crossly. 
 
 "Where?" asked Heidi. 
 
 " To be punished." 
 
 "Then try to learn your ABC to-day," 
 
 So Peter set himself to the task, repeat- 
 ing the letters perseveringly, until Heidi 
 said, " Now you know those three," and 
 as she saw how much the couplet had 
 helped her scholar, she wanted to go on 
 and prepare the way a little for the next 
 lesson. So she read several more verses, 
 very slowly and distinctly. 
 
I04 HEIDI. 
 
 "DEFG must follow straight, 
 Or sad misfortune will you await. 
 
 Forgotten is your H I K, 
 Very unlucky is that day. 
 
 Who stammers over L and M, 
 Receives a punishment with shame. 
 
 Now it goes fast, as it should do, 
 You learn right quickly NOPQ. 
 
 But should you stop at RST, 
 Something will hurt you terribly." 
 
 Here Heidi stopped, for Peter was as 
 still as a mouse, and she had to look to 
 see what he was about. All these threat- 
 enings and mjsterious warnings had fright- 
 ened him so terribl)' that he did not dare 
 to stir, and sat staring at the little girl 
 full of alarm. His looks stirred her tender 
 heart, and she said reassuringly : *' You 
 
THE WINTER STILL CONTINUES. IO5 
 
 need not be so frightened. Peter. If you 
 will come to me every evening, not as 
 you go to school, but rc:gularly, I will 
 teach )'Ou ; and if )OU learn as fast as you 
 have to-day, at last )ou will know all the 
 letters, and the other things will not hap- 
 pen. But remember, you must not let the 
 snow keep you away." 
 
 Peter promised, for he was quite tame 
 and docile after the fright he had received. 
 He followed his little teacher's directions 
 faithfully, and studied his letters every 
 evening till he had them all by heart, and 
 the verses too. The grandfather often sat 
 in the room, smoking his pipe and listen- 
 ing to the exercises, and often the corners 
 of his mouth twitched with suppressed 
 laughter, it was so droll. Peter was gen- 
 erally rewarded with an invitation to sup- 
 
to6 HEIDI. 
 
 per after his tremendous exertions. This 
 always consoled him, and removed any 
 danger ot his suftering from the fright 
 caused by the verses, and their threatened 
 punishments. 
 
 The winter days passed one after anoth- 
 er, brino-inor the lad with them, who made 
 fair progress with his alphabet. At last 
 they reached the letter V, and Heidi read 
 the couplet, — 
 
 . *' Whoever mistakes the U for V 
 Must go where he dishkes to be," 
 
 fvhen Peter growled out, " See if I do ! " 
 But for all that he studied hard, just as 
 if he feared some one coming up to take 
 him by the collar from behind, to carry 
 him where he disliked to be. The next 
 evening came, — 
 
THE WINTER STILL CONTINUES. IO7 
 
 " If W is not learned at all, 
 Beware the rod upon the wall." 
 
 "There isn't any," said the lad scorn- 
 fully, looking up at the wall. 
 
 " Then you do not know what my grand- 
 father has in his chest. If that thick stick 
 as big as my arm should be taken out, I 
 think we should say, ' Beware the rod.' " 
 
 Peter did know that hazel stick, and 
 bent over his W till he had mastered it. 
 
 " If you forget your X to-day, 
 Nothing to eat will come your way." 
 
 Looking searchingly towards the press, 
 where the bread and cheese were kept, our 
 scholar said crossly, " I never said I was 
 going to forget my X." 
 
 "Well, if you won't forget it, we can 
 learn another letter to-da)', and that is the 
 last but one." 
 
I08 HEIDI. 
 
 Peter did not agree to this, but Heidi 
 read the couplet, — 
 
 " If from your Y you run away, 
 You will be laughed at all the day ; " 
 
 and before Peter's eyes all the black gen- 
 tlemen in Frankfort rose up, with their 
 tall hats on their heads, and laughter and 
 scorn on their faces. He learned Y so 
 thoroughly that he knew how it looked 
 with his eyes shut. 
 
 But the next day found him in rather 
 a high and mighty mood, for there was 
 only one more letter to be learned. So 
 when his patient teacher read, — 
 
 " Who stops and ponders over Z 
 Unto the Hottentots must flee," 
 
 he called out scornfully, " Oh yes, but 
 nobody knows where to find them." 
 
THE WINTER STILL CONTINUES. IO9 
 
 "Truly, Peter, my t^raiulfather knows all 
 about them ; I will run over to the parson- 
 age and ask him," and Heidi jumped up 
 and ran to the door. 
 
 "Wait!" cried Peter, who felt as if the 
 Aim uncle and the pastor at his back would 
 be upon him in a trice, and pack him off 
 to the Hottentots, for he really had forgot- 
 ten what to call Z. 
 
 The earnestness in his tone made Heidi 
 pause. "What is the matter with you?" 
 she asked, astonished. 
 
 "Nothing! Come back! I will learn 
 it," he stammered out. But Heidi had 
 begun to feel interested about these Hot- 
 tentots herself, and wished to know where 
 they did live, and she was going over to 
 find out. But her pupil called after her 
 so despairingly that she yielded, exacting 
 
I lO HEIDI 
 
 extra work from him in return. Not only 
 Z was mastered, but Heidi forced her pu- 
 pil into words of one syllable ; and Peter 
 got a start this evening he had never had 
 before. 
 
 The snow had become soft again, and 
 thereafter more fell and yet more, so that 
 for fully three weeks Heidi did not get up 
 to see the grandmother. All the harder 
 she worked with Peter, in order that he 
 might be able to read the hymns. At last 
 one evening the lad entered his mother's 
 sitting-room, and announced in his usual 
 abrupt fashion, " I know how." 
 
 "What do you know, Peterkin ? " 
 
 " How to read." 
 
 "Is it possible, my son? Mother, did 
 you hear that ? " cried Brigitte, full of ad- 
 miration. 
 
THE WINTER STILL CONTINUES. I I I 
 
 Of course the grandmother was much 
 interested, and full of wonderment as to 
 how this had come about. 
 
 " I must read you a hymn, Heidi told 
 me to," went on Peter. 
 
 Brigitte quickly brought the book, and 
 Peter began to read aloud. After every 
 verse his mother said, " Who would be- 
 lieve it ! " The blind woman also followed 
 the verses intently, but she made no com- 
 ment. 
 
 The day after, it happened that Peter's 
 class at school had a reading exercise. 
 When our young friend's turn came, the 
 teacher asked, " Shall we skip you, Peter, 
 as usual, or will you try, I will not say to 
 read, but to stammer out a line or two?" 
 
 Peter began, and read two or three lines 
 without a single mistake. 
 
112 HEIDI. 
 
 The teacher laid down his book, and 
 stared at the boy as if he had never heard 
 reading before. " Peter," he said at last, 
 *' a miracle must have taken place. As long 
 as with unbroken patience I worked daily 
 over your reading, you never even learned 
 your letters. After I gave up trying to 
 teach you as a waste of time, here you are 
 reading perfectly well. Whence comes in 
 our age such a miracle, Peter ? " 
 
 " From Heidi," answered the lad. 
 
 The teacher looked at Heidi, who was 
 sitting quietly in her place, and had not in 
 any way the appearance of a miracle- 
 worker. 
 
 " I have noticed, indeed, a change in 
 you, Peter," continued the master. " For- 
 merly you were often a whole week without 
 coming down to school at all, now you 
 
THE WINTER STILL CONTINUES. II3 
 
 never stay away, but come regularly. To 
 what am I to attribute this change ? " 
 
 " To the uncle," was the reply. 
 
 With increasing astonishment the teacher 
 looked from Peter to Heidi, and from the 
 little girl back to Peter again. Then he 
 said cautiously, " You may read again." 
 Peter did so, and satisfactorily. It was. 
 indeed true ; he had learned to read. 
 
 As soon as he had dismissed the schoo) 
 the master hastened to the parsonage, to 
 relate what had taken place that day, and 
 to bear testimony to the good influence 
 exerted by Heidi and her grandfather over 
 those about them. 
 
 Every evening at home Peter read aloud 
 a single hymn. Thus far he obeyed Heidi, 
 but he never volunteered a second, nor did 
 his grandmother ever ask for a repetition. 
 
114 HEIDI. 
 
 Brigitte's delight, however, was undimin- 
 ished ; and often when the reader had long 
 been fast asleep, she would say proudly : 
 "We cannot be thankful enough, mother, 
 that Peterkin has learned to read ; we may 
 expect wonderful things from him now." 
 
 " Yes," said her mother one night, " yes, 
 it is well for Peter that he has at last learned 
 something ; but I hope the good God will 
 soon let the spring come, so that I may 
 have Heidi again. Something is left out 
 so often when Peterkin reads to me ; I 
 have to think about it, and then I lose the 
 place, and they don't do me the good that 
 they do when Heidi reads them." 
 
 For the truth was that Peter, in order 
 to make the reading as easy for himself as 
 possible, left out all the long words or those 
 that looked difificult. "There are enough 
 
THE WINTER STIl L CONTINUES. II5 
 
 left," he said to himself, " the g-randmother 
 will never miss them." So, naturally, the 
 sense of the verses suffered, in Peter's 
 manner of reading them. 
 
1 6 IIEIDL 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 DISTANT FRIENDS BESTIR THEMSELVES. 
 
 It was the month of May. The moun- 
 tain brooks, swollen by the melting snow 
 of spring, leaped down from every height 
 to the valley. Bright and warm lay the 
 sunshine on the Alp, which grew greener 
 day by day. The last lingering snowdrift 
 sunk away, and from out the fresh new 
 grass the little early flowers peeped joy- 
 ously, opening hourly to the sun's quick 
 ening rays. The merry spring breezes 
 rustled througfh the branches of the old 
 pines, shaking out the last year's rusty 
 vieedles, to make room for the brighter 
 
DISTANT FRIENDS BESTIR THEMSELVES. II7 
 
 green of their new array. High above all, 
 the great eagle spread wide his majestic 
 wings against the blue, cloud-flecked sky, 
 and golden sun -flames sought out and 
 dried each linirerinor trace of winter's frost, 
 and spread a warm mantle abroad over the 
 wide Aim. 
 
 Heidi was again on the Alp. She ran 
 hither and thither, and did not know which 
 spot was the most beautiful. Now she 
 hearkened to the wind, as with deep, mys- 
 terious murmurings it came towards her 
 from )'onder rocky crag, growing ever 
 nearer, ever stronger, till it seemed to 
 bury itself deep in the pine-trees, shaking 
 them and rustlinij them with a shout so 
 joyous, that she joined in with all her 
 force, and was borne this way and that as 
 if she herself were a spring leaf. Then 
 
Il8 HEIDI. 
 
 away to the other side of the hut she flew, 
 flinging herself down on the sun-bathed 
 grass to peer in among the short blades, 
 spying out the timid flower buds, and 
 counting how many were already opened 
 at the call of spring. The mazy dances of 
 the flies and midges, rejoicing in the 
 spring breeze, delighted the child, and she 
 drew in deep inspirations of the scented 
 air, as it rose from the fresh, moist earth, 
 and thought the Alp was never yet so 
 beautiful as now. Every tiny living crea- 
 ture, she felt, must have its sense of per- 
 fect happiness as well as she, for they 
 seemed humming and singing one to an- 
 other, " On the Alp ! on the Alp ! on the 
 Alp ! " in chorus continual. 
 
 From the little workshop in the shed 
 behind the hut, came mingling with the 
 
DISTANT FRIENDS BESTIR THEMSELVES. II9 
 
 rest the busy sound of hammer and of 
 saw. a strain of homely music very dear 
 to Heidi ; for did it not belong to the old, 
 happy life upon the Aim, yes, from the 
 very beginning? Into the shop she ran 
 with nimble feet, for she must know what 
 her grandfather was working at so busily. 
 Outside the door stood a new chair, all 
 spick and span, and another almost com- 
 pleted was still under the uncle's skilful 
 hands. 
 
 " I know what that means,'' cried Heidi 
 joyfully, " we shall need these when they 
 come from Frankfort. This one is for the 
 grandmamma, and that for Klara, I sup- 
 pose there will have to be another," the 
 child went on falteringly, "or do you think, 
 grandfather, that Miss Rottenmeier will 
 not come ? " 
 
I20 HEIDI. 
 
 "That I cannot possibly tell, my child, 
 but it will be safer to have a chair ready, 
 so that we can ask her to take a seat, if 
 she is here." 
 
 Heidi stood looking for a long time at 
 the armless, stift wooden chairs, and mak- 
 ing silent mental observations of how Miss 
 Rottenmeier would look if seated upon 
 one. Presently she said slowly, shaking 
 her head, " Grandfather, I do not believe 
 she will sit on that." 
 
 " Then we will invite her to be seated 
 on the beautiful turf-covered sofa," replied 
 her grandfather composedly. 
 
 While the child was puzzling over this 
 answer, the shrill whistle and shout that 
 she knew well came suddenly to her ear. 
 She ran out, and was at once surrounded 
 by the bleating flock, which showed plainly 
 
DISTAxNT FRIENDS BESTIR THEMSELVES. I 2 I 
 
 that it shared her pleasure at being upon 
 the Alp again. Peter drove them all back, 
 one to the right and one to the left, for he 
 had something to give to Heidi. As he 
 drew near, he reached toward her a letter. 
 "There!" he said, leaving to Heidi her- 
 self any further explanation of the matter. 
 
 " Did you find this letter for me up in 
 the pasture, Peter ? " 
 
 " No," was the answer. 
 
 " Where then did you get it?" 
 
 " From the lunch-bag." 
 
 The statement was a true one. On the 
 previous evening the postman had given 
 the letter to Peter, to take up to the Aim, 
 and Peter had placed it in his empty 
 satchel. The next morning the lad put 
 his bread and cheese into the satchel as 
 usual, and went up the Alp with his goats. 
 
122 HEIDI. 
 
 Of course he had seen the uncle and Heidi 
 on his way up, but not until he had eaten 
 his dinner, and was shaking out the last 
 crumbs, did the letter again see the light. 
 Heidi read the address carefully, then she 
 ran back to her grandfather in the shop, 
 and in high glee held out the letter to him. 
 " From Frankfort, from Klara ! " she cried. 
 " May I read it to you right away, grand- 
 father ? " 
 
 The uncle was ready, and so was Peter. 
 The latter disposed himself to listen, un- 
 invited, by placing himself firmly with his 
 back against the doorpost ; for thus he 
 could best follow the reading. 
 
 " Dear Heidi : 
 
 "We have already packed up everything 
 for the journey, and in two or three days 
 
DISTANT FRIENDS BESTIR THEMSELVES. I 23 
 
 we hope to start. Papa is going away 
 too, but not with us ; he must go directly 
 to Paris. Every day Dr. Classen comes, 
 calline out almost before he enters the 
 room : ' You must go ! You must go ! 
 Off to the Alp ! ' He cannot wait pa- 
 tiently until we are ready. I wish you 
 could know how much he enjoyed his visit 
 to the Alp. All through the winter he has 
 been to see us almost every day. He 
 would sit down by my side, day after day, 
 and tell me about every day that he passed 
 with you and your grandfather, and about 
 the mountains and the flowers, the quiet 
 that reigned up there so high above all the 
 villages and roads, and the fresh, pure air. 
 And he always said, ' Yes, up there any- 
 body would get well again ! ' 
 
 " He himself is different, too, from what 
 
1 24 HEIDI. 
 
 he was for a long time ; he seems quite 
 young and cheerful again. Oh, how happy 
 I am, too, at the thought of seeing all the 
 things he tells about, and of being with you 
 on the Alp, and of making the acquaint- 
 ance of Peter and his goats! But first 1 
 must be under treatment for six weeks in 
 Ragatzbad. The doctor has ordered that, 
 and then we shall take rooms in Dorfli, so 
 that in fine weather I can be carried up 
 the Alp to stay all day with you. My 
 grandmamma will go with me, and stay all 
 the time. She, too, is very glad to be able 
 to see you again. But just think. Miss 
 Rottenmeier will not go. My grand- 
 mamma used to say to her almost ever) 
 day, ' How is it about the Swiss trip, my 
 good Rottenmeier? Do not hesitate to 
 say so, if you wish to go with us.' But she 
 
DISTANT FRIENDS BESTIR THEMSELVES. 1 25 
 
 always thanked my grandmamma in her 
 most terribly polite fashion, and said that 
 she would not be so bold. But I knew 
 what she was thinking about. Sebastian 
 had given a most frightful account of the 
 Alp, when he came back from taking you 
 home, how terrible rocks overhung the 
 path, and that everywhere there was 
 danger of falling into chasms or over 
 precipices, while the road went up so steep 
 that it seemed as if one would certainly 
 tumble over backwards ; that goats, per- 
 haps, but certainly not human beings could 
 ever climb up there without risking their 
 life. Miss Rottenmeier shuddered at this 
 description, and has not seemed to care 
 much since about the Swiss journey. Ti- 
 nette, too, has taken fright, and will not 
 go with me. So we shall go all alone, 
 
126 HEIDI. 
 
 grandmamma and I, though Sebastian 
 will go with us as far as Ragatz, and 
 then return. 
 
 " I can scarcely wait, until the time 
 comes to see you. 
 
 " Farewell, dear Heidi. Grandmamma 
 sends you a thousand good wishes. 
 " Your true friend, 
 
 " Klara." 
 
 As soon as Heidi had finished reading, 
 Peter darted away from the doorpost, 
 swinging his rod right and left, and mak- 
 ing it whistle angrily in the air. Away 
 down the mountain scampered the goats, 
 and the herd behind them, slashinqr still at 
 his invisible enemy. This enemy was the 
 expected company from Frankfort, against 
 whom the lad was very bitter. 
 
 Heidi, on the other hand, was so full of 
 
DISTANT FRIENDS PESTIR THEMSELVES. 1 27 
 
 delighted anticipation, that slie planned a 
 visit next day to the <j;Tandmother, to tell 
 her all about the letter, who were coming 
 from Frankfort, and especially who were 
 not. It must all be of the greatest impor 
 tance, Heidi believed, to the grandmother, 
 who indeed, through her deep affection for 
 Heidi, lived with the child everything that 
 belonged to her life. So she started on 
 the afternoon of the following day, for now 
 she was able to make her visits alone. It 
 was pleasant running down the sunny Aim, 
 with a frolicsome May wind chasing behind 
 her with many a helping gust. 
 
 The grandmother no longer kept her 
 bed, but was sittino- arain in her corner at 
 her spinning. A strange expression, how- 
 ever, lay on her face this afternoon, as if 
 she had heavy thoughts for companions. 
 
128 IIEIDT. 
 
 She had not slept all night, because of the 
 anxiety which had come to her the even- 
 ing before, when Peter came home in his 
 anger. The old woman had half under- 
 stood, from his broken sentences, that a 
 crowd of people were coming from Frank- 
 fort to the Aim. What would happen 
 then he did not know, and she was left 
 to think that out for herself. 
 
 But now Heidi came bounding In, and 
 set herself with such energy to her story 
 that for a while she was more absorbed 
 than ever in the prospect before her. But 
 suddenly she interrupted herself, saying 
 anxiously : " What is the matter, grand- 
 mother ? Are you not pleased with all 
 this, too ? " 
 
 *' Yes, yes, child, I am pleased for your 
 sake, that you have something to make 
 
DISTANT FRIENDS BESTIR THEMSELVES. I 29 
 
 you SO happy," replied the grandmother, 
 trying to look more cheerful as she spoke. 
 
 " But I can see quite well, grandmother, 
 that you are worried about something. 
 Do you really think that INIiss Rottenmeier 
 may come, after all?" asked Heidi, herself 
 with some anxiety. 
 
 " No, no, it is nothing, nothing at all," 
 said the old woman soothingly. " Give 
 me your hand a little while, Heidi, so that 
 I can feel that you are really here. It 
 would surely be for your good, though 
 how I should live through it, I don't 
 see. 
 
 " I will have nothing for my good that 
 you cannot live through, grandmother," 
 said the little girl, so decidedly that 
 a new fear arose in the grandmother's 
 mind. 
 
130 HEIDI. 
 
 She had conceived the idea that the 
 people from Frankfort were coming to 
 take Heidi back with them, and now that 
 the child was strong again, she knew that 
 it would be good for her to go. This was 
 the cause of the grandmother's great anx- 
 iety. But now she perceived that she 
 ought not to let this be observed by Heidi, 
 lest the affectionate child might for her 
 sake refuse to go away. She cast about 
 for an escape from this dilemma, but only 
 for a moment, for there was but one. 
 " Heidi," she said, " I know of something 
 that always does me good, and makes me 
 contented again. Read me the hymn that 
 begins, ' God will provide.' " 
 
 Heidi began as soon as she could get 
 down the old hymn-book, and read in a 
 clear tone : — 
 
DISTANT FRIENDS BESTIR THEMSELVES. I3I 
 
 " God will provide 
 On every side 
 
 That wiiich is best; 
 Should waves o'erroll 
 Thy shrinking soul, 
 
 Trust him, and rest ! " 
 
 * Yes, yes, that is exactly what I 
 wanted," said the ofrandmother with a 
 lighter heart, and the troubled expression 
 passed from her face. Heidi looked at 
 her thoughtfully, and then said : " ' God 
 will provide,' we know what that means, 
 don't we, grandmother ? " 
 
 " Yes, yes," nodded the grandmother, 
 " and as we know that he will provide 
 everything just as it should be, we must 
 trust to him. Read it once more, Heidi, 
 so that we can have it in mind, and not 
 forget it again," and the child read the 
 
132 HEIDI. 
 
 words once more, and yet once more, to 
 the blind grandmother. 
 
 It was evening- when Heidi cHmbed the 
 mountain. The brio-ht stars came out 
 gradually, one after another, twinkling and 
 sparkling, as if they were sending their 
 light down for her especial pleasure ; and 
 as she gazed at them looking down upon 
 her from the blue heaven, she repeated 
 aloud the grandmother's hymn, " God will 
 provide." And all the stars seemed to 
 nod assent, smiling down at her, and glow- 
 ing with the glow in her own heart. Thus 
 she reached the hut, where she found her 
 grandfather too gazing upward at the sky, 
 for it was a long time since the starry 
 heaven had shone so brilliantl)'. 
 
 Not only the nights, but the days too, of 
 this month of May were very clear and 
 
DISTANT FRIENDS BESTIR TIIEMSEI.VES. 1 33 
 
 briofht, and the uncle often noticed that 
 the morning sun rose with the same 
 splendor in the cloudless sky as that with 
 which it had set, so that he said repeatedly: 
 "This is a most remarkable month for 
 sun, the pasturage will be very nourishing. 
 Look out, general, that your jumpers and 
 leapers are not too bold with all their 
 good food." 
 
 And Peter swuncr his rod round and 
 round after his manner, as if to say, 
 "Never fear! I'll look out for them." 
 
 And thus the green month of May 
 passed into the warmer June, with its long, 
 long days so full of light, when all the 
 flowers on the Alp bloomed forth, and 
 everything glowed with many colors, and 
 sweetest perfumes were spread abroad. 
 Towards the end of June Heidi went forth 
 
134 HEIDI. 
 
 one day from the hut, where she had just 
 finished her tasks of the morning. She 
 wished to see whether the whole ^reat 
 bush of starthistles was indeed open, for 
 the Bowers were so exquisitely beauti- 
 ful with the sun shining through their 
 transparent petals. But as she turned to 
 run back to the hut, she suddenly gave 
 such a cry at the top of her voice that 
 the uncle rushed out of his shop at the 
 unusual sound. 
 
 " Grandfather ! grandfather ! " cried the 
 child as if beside herself, " come here, 
 come here ! See ! see ! " 
 
 The grandfather's glance followed the 
 excited child's outstretched arm. Cer- 
 tainly it was an extraordinary sight that 
 met his eyes, an unusual procession to 
 come wending up their quiet Almside. 
 
DISTANT FRIENDS BESTIR THEMSELVES. 1 35 
 
 Two men led the way with an open htter, 
 in which sat a young girl env-eloped in 
 many wraps. A horse followed with a 
 statel)' lady on his back, a lady who looked 
 about her in a lively manner, and chatted 
 briskly with the young guide walking at 
 her side. The bath-chair, well known to 
 Heidi, came next, pushed by another lad, 
 and then a porter w^ith such a quantity of 
 rugs, furs, and shawls that his basket was 
 piled far aboA e his head. 
 
 •' They are here ! they are here ! " cried 
 Heidi, jumping up and down for joy ; and 
 there they were indeed. They came 
 nearer and nearer, at last they were at the 
 grass-plat in front of the hut. The bearers 
 set Klara's litter on the ground, and the 
 children kissed and hugged to their hearts' 
 content. The grandmamma descended 
 
136 HEIDI. 
 
 from her horse, Heidi ran to her with a 
 tender greeting, and the lady turned to 
 the Ahn uncle, who drew near to bid her 
 welcome. There was no stiffness in their 
 meeting, they knew each other already as 
 if they were old friends. 
 
 After the first words of greeting were 
 over, the grandmamma exclaimed with 
 lively interest: "My dear uncle, what a 
 glorious place you have up here ! Who 
 could have believed it ? A kino; mieht 
 well envy it to you. And how blooming 
 my Heidi looks, like a monthly rose ! " 
 She drew the child to her, stroking her 
 sun-browned cheeks. "What is that for 
 out-and-out magnificence ! What do you 
 say, Klara, my child, what do you say to 
 it?" 
 
 Klara was looking about her in ecstasy ; 
 
 I 
 
DISTANT FRIENDS BESTIR THEMSELVES. I37 
 
 anything like it she had never known or 
 imagined. " Oh, how beautiful it is ! Oh, 
 how beautiful it is ! " she cried. " I did not 
 suppose it would be like this. O grand- 
 mamma, if I could only stay here always ! " 
 
 The Aim uncle had rolled the bath-chair 
 towards her, and spread the shawls and 
 soft rugs over it. "It is better for the 
 child to lie in her own chair than in the 
 litter," he said, and without more ado 
 lifted her gently from the straw litter, and 
 placed her comfortably in the bath-chair, 
 covering her w^ith rugs and tucking them 
 in about her feet, as neatly and handily as 
 if his lifelong business had been the care 
 of those disabled in limb. The grand- 
 mamma looked on in astonishment. 
 
 " My dear uncle," she broke out, " if I 
 knew where you learned the care of sick 
 
138 HEIDI. 
 
 people, I would send all the nurses to 
 learn their business at the same place." 
 
 The uncle smiled a little. " It comes 
 more from practice than from study," he 
 said sadly, in spite of the smile. Before 
 his eyes, out of the long-vanished past, 
 rose the figure of a man extended in a 
 chair like Klara's, whose limbs were so 
 stiffened and crippled that he could not 
 move a joint. It was his captain, whom 
 he had found on the battlefield after a 
 fierce fight in Sicily, and whom he had 
 rescued and cared for and tended until 
 death ended his terrible sufferings. The 
 uncle felt that the lame Klara was his 
 especial charge, and that he had almost a 
 right to tend and watch her, and minis- 
 ter to her comfort as he well knew how. 
 
 The sky lay blue and cloudless over the 
 
DISTANT FRIENDS BESTIR THEMSELVES. 1 39 
 
 nut, and over the pine-trees, and far away 
 ov^er the high chffs that rose in shimmer- 
 ing gray against it. Klara could not look 
 about her enough ; she was full of ecstasy 
 over everything that she saw. 
 
 " Oh, if I could only run about as 
 you do, Heidi, round the hut and under 
 the pines ! " she cried longingly. " If I 
 could only go to look at everything that 
 I have heard so much about, and never 
 seen ! " 
 
 Now Heidi made a great and successful 
 effort. The chair rolled quite easily over 
 the short, smooth grass, and under the 
 pines. Here they stopped. Never had 
 Klara seen such o-iant trees as these, whose 
 long, broad branches grew down quite to 
 the ground, each descendino- branch oreater 
 and thicker. The orfandmamma, too, who 
 
140 HEIDI. 
 
 had followed the children, stood filled with 
 admiration. She did not know which was 
 most beautiful, the full, murmuring crown, 
 high up against the blue sky, or the 
 straight, firm, column -like stems, that with 
 their powerful branches told of the many 
 years they had stood, looking down into 
 the valley, where men came and went and 
 where all was change, while they remained 
 steadfast. 
 
 Heidi next rolled the chair to the stalls, 
 in which certainly there was not much to 
 be seen, for the animals were away ; and 
 Klara called back : " O grandmamma, I 
 lonof to see Schwanli and Barli, and all the 
 other goats, and Peter ! I shall nevei 
 see them, if we have to q-q down as earh 
 as you said we must. It is too bad." 
 
 " Dear child, enjoy now the pleasure 
 
DISTANT FRIENDS BESTIR THEMSELVES. I4I 
 
 you are having, and don't think of what 
 may escape you," said the grandmamma, 
 following the chair that Heidi was pushing 
 further and further. 
 
 " Oil ! the flowers ! " cried out Klara 
 again, " whole bushes of such pretty red 
 blossoms, and all the nodding bluebells. 
 Oh, if I could get out and pick them ! " 
 
 Heidi darted to the flowers, and brought 
 back a Qfrcat bunch of them. " But that 
 is nothing," she said, as she laid the flow- 
 ers on Klara's lap. "If you go up with 
 us once to the pasture, there you will see 
 something! It is all covered with them. 
 Red starthistle, and bluebells, and thou- 
 sands of bright yellow flowers, that make 
 the place shine as if it> was pure gold. 
 I\Iy grandfather says that those are called 
 sun's eyes ; and then there are the brown 
 
142 HEIDI. 
 
 ones, with little round heads, that smell 
 so good. If you once sit down you never 
 are willing to get up again, it is so beau- 
 tiful ! " 
 
 Heidi's eyes shone with longing to 
 see again what she was describing, while 
 Klara's soft blue ones seemed kindled 
 thereby, and beamed in full reflection. 
 " Do you believe that I could get there, 
 grandmamma?" she said. "Can I ever 
 get up so high ? Oh, if I could only 
 walk, Heidi, and so climb the Alp with 
 you, all over it, everywhere ! " 
 
 " I will push you farther," Heidi thus 
 comforted her, and in her zeal gave the 
 chair such a shove that away it rolled, and 
 might have gone on down the mountain, 
 had not the uncle caught it with his ready 
 hand. 
 
DISTANT FRIENDS BESTIR THEMSELVES. 1 43 
 
 While the Httle party was standing under 
 the pines the host had not been idle, but 
 had brouoht out table and chairs for the 
 dinner, set the pot upon the fire, and got 
 ever)thing in process of cooking. Soon 
 it was served, and the company gathered 
 to the repast. 
 
 The dining-room with its azure ceiling, 
 and the view down into- the wide-stretching 
 valley, were much to the grandmamma's 
 taste. A soft, cooling breeze fanned their 
 cheeks as they took their frugal meal, 
 and made sweet music for them in the 
 trees. 
 
 " I never yet enjoyed anything so much 
 as this. It is a truly glorious scene," 
 declared the grandmamma. " But what is 
 this," she continued, " Klara, are you reall}' 
 eating a second bit of cheese ? " 
 
144 HEIDI. 
 
 In truth the second piece of golden 
 cheese lay upon Klara's plate, and she 
 bit into it and the thick slice of bread \vith 
 real signs of appetite. "It tastes better 
 than everything put together in Ragatz," 
 she affirmed. 
 
 " That is right," cried the Aim uncle, 
 well satisfied. *' This is the effect of our 
 mountain air; it always helps out where 
 the kitchen is slender." 
 
 The gay little dinner went on most hap- 
 pily. The two elders understood each 
 other perfectly, and their talk became more 
 and more lively. But after a while the 
 grandmamma crlanced toward the west, 
 and said: "We must soon be getting 
 ready to go down, Klara. The sun is 
 sinking, and the people will be here with 
 the horse and litter." 
 
DISTANT FRIENDS BESTIR THEMSELVES I45 
 
 At these words Klara's happy face be 
 came clouded. " Only one hour more, 
 dear grandmamma, one hour or two ! We 
 have not been into the hut at all, nor seen 
 Heidi's bed. Oh, if only the day was ten 
 hours longer ! " 
 
 •' Which is not quite possible, you 
 know," said the grandmamma, but she 
 really wished to see the hut herself. So 
 they rose from table, and the Aim uncle 
 rolled the chair with firm hand toward the 
 door. It was far too wide for the narrow 
 opening, but the uncle did not long be- 
 think himself. Lifting Klara out, he car 
 ried her into the hut straightway in his 
 strong arms. 
 
 Once within, the grandmamma ran about 
 peeping into every corner, making merry 
 in her lively way over the housekeeping, 
 
146 HEIDI. 
 
 which she was obhged to say was ver}- neat 
 and well-ordered. " \ our bed must be up 
 there, Heidi?" she asked, and with rumble 
 feet climbed the little ladder to the hay- 
 loft. " How sweet it smells up here, it 
 must be a very healthful bedroom ! " and 
 she went to the opening to look through, 
 while the uncle came up with Klara on his 
 arm, and Heidi trotted alonsf behind. 
 
 Then they all stood admiringly about 
 Heidi's nicely made bed, and the grand- 
 mamma pensively inhaled deep breaths of 
 the sweet-scented air. Klara was quite 
 carried away by the charms of Heidi's 
 bedroom. 
 
 " How nice it is for you here, Heidi ! " 
 she exclaimed. " From your bed you can 
 look right into the sk)-, with the ha)- smell- 
 ing so sweet all about, and the sound of 
 
DISTANT FRIENDS BESTIR THEMSELVES. I47 
 
 the wind in the pines. I never heard of so 
 jolly and perfect a bedroom." 
 
 The uncle looked significantly at the 
 grandmamma. 
 
 " It seems to me," he said, " if the 
 grandmamma is not opposed to it and 
 will trust me, that the little girl might be 
 left here for a while, and that she would 
 gain strength. So man)- shawls and rugs 
 of all sorts came with her that we can 
 arrange a quite comfortable bed ; and the 
 grandmamma need have no anxiety as to 
 the care that will be taken of her, I promise 
 that." 
 
 The two children screamed for joy like 
 two suddenly freed birds, while the grand- 
 mamma's face was radiant with satisfaction. 
 
 " My dear uncle, you are a charming 
 man," she said with animation. "What 
 
148 HEIDI. 
 
 do you suppose I was thinking of? I 
 have been saying to myself all this time, 
 would not it be a good thing for Klara to 
 remain up here for a while ? Would not 
 it strengthen her? But then the care for 
 the host, and the nursing and tending ! 
 and here you propose it, as if it were noth- 
 ing at all ! I must thank you, my dear 
 uncle, I must thank you from my heart ! " 
 And the grandmamma shook her host's 
 hand once and again and yet again, and 
 the uncle shook hers in return, his face 
 beaming. 
 
 The uncle went to work at once. He 
 carried Klara back to her chair before the 
 hut, followed by Heidi, who could not 
 jump up high enough, she was so happy. 
 Then he took all the shawls and rugs on 
 his arm, saying, while he could not help 
 
DISTANT FRIENDS BESTIR THEMSELVES. 1 49 
 
 laughing: "It is very fortunate that the 
 lady grandmamma fitted herself out as if 
 she were going on a winter campaign ; we 
 can put them all to good use." 
 
 " My dear uncle," replied the visitor 
 gayly, " prudence is a fine virtue, and 
 wards off many a calamity. If a body 
 gets back from a journey over your Alp 
 without having encountered storms and 
 wind and rainspouts, he may be grate- 
 ful ; and so will we be, and my coverings 
 are good for something ; about that we 
 are united." 
 
 While this little conversation was ofoine 
 on, they had both climbed up to the hay- 
 loft, and begun to spread the wraps over 
 the bed, one after the oJ:her. There went 
 so many that it looked at last like a little 
 fortress. " Now let me see a stalk of hay 
 
150 HEIDI, 
 
 Stick throuoh, if it can," said the erand- 
 mamma, as she passed her hand over 
 the bed on every side ; but the soft wall 
 was so impenetrable that truly not one 
 came through. She went down now to 
 the children, who were sitting with beam- 
 ing countenances, making plans of what 
 they would do from morning to evening 
 all the time they were to be together. But 
 how long would that Ije ? This was the 
 question that was instantly laid before the 
 grandmamma. She said that the grand- 
 father knew best about that, they must ask 
 him ; and as he presently appeared, they 
 did ask him, and he replied that four 
 weeks would be enough to enable them to 
 judge if the air of the Alp performed its 
 duty in strengthening Klara, or not. Now 
 the children rejoiced with a will, for the 
 
DISTANT FRIENDS BESTIR THEMSELVES. 151 
 
 prospect of remaining together so long 
 surpassed all their expectations. 
 
 At last the litter-bearer antl the horse 
 with its leader were visible, as they came 
 toiling- up the winding mountain path. 
 The former was allowed to turn back 
 immediately. 
 
 While the grandmamma was preparing 
 to mount her horse, Klara said gayly : " O 
 grandmamma, this is not at all a parting, 
 even though you are going away ; for 
 you will come every now and then to 
 visit us on the Alp, to sec what we are 
 about, and that will be so jolly, won't it, 
 Heidi?" 
 
 Heidi, who to-day had fallen from one 
 pleasure into another, -could onl)" signify 
 her assent by renewed jum|Mng up and 
 down. 
 
152 HEIDI. 
 
 The uncle descended the mountain with 
 his guest ; he insisted upon holding her 
 bridle rein, although she begged him not 
 to take so much trouble, declaring that he 
 should give her his company as far as 
 Dorlli, for the Alp was steep, and the jour- 
 ney not without danger. 
 
 Now that she was alone, the grand- 
 mamma resolved not to remain in Dortli, 
 but to return to Ragatzbad, and thence to 
 undertake from time to time her Alpine 
 journeys. 
 
 Before the uncle returned, Peter came 
 down with his ijoats. As soon as these 
 descried Heidi, they ran towards her as 
 usual. In a moment Klara in her chair, 
 as well as f leidi, was surrounded by the 
 Hock, which crowded and pushed and 
 peeped, one goat over the other. They 
 
DISTANT FRIENDS BESTIR THEMSELVES. 1 53 
 
 were quickly named by Heidi, and one 
 and all presented to Klara. 
 
 So it came about that the latter quickly 
 learned to know the pretty Snowball, the 
 lovely Thistlebird, the grandfather's well- 
 kept goats, and even the big Turk. Peter, 
 meanwhile, stood apart, casting strangely 
 threatening glances toward the happy girl. 
 
 When the children at last looked kindly 
 towards him, calling out, " Good-evening, 
 Peter," he made no answer, but slashed at 
 the air with his rod as if he would cut it all 
 in bits. Then off he ran, and his followers 
 at his heels. 
 
 But of all the beautiful things that Klara 
 had that day seen on the Alp, there came 
 now the best. 
 
 As she lay in the big, soft bed, in 
 the hay-loft, to which Heidi had also 
 
154 HEIDI. 
 
 clambered, and looked through the round 
 opening up into the starry heavens, then 
 she cried out delighted beyond measure: 
 " O Heidi, look, it is exactly as if we were 
 driving in a high open carriage right 
 through the sky ! " 
 
 " Yes, and do you know why the stars 
 are so happy, and twinkle their e)'es so ? " 
 asked Heidi. 
 
 " No, I do not know why. What do 
 you mean. Heidi ? " 
 
 " Because they see, up there in heaven, 
 how the good God provides ever)'thing 
 good for his children, so that they need 
 have no anxiety, and may be quite sure 
 that everything that happens will be for 
 the best. That makers them happy; see 
 how they twinkle, tliey want us to be 
 happy too. But you know, Klara, we 
 
DISTANT FRIENDS BESTIR THEMSELVES. 1 55 
 
 must not forget to pray to the good God, 
 and beg him to remember us, when he 
 provides for liis children, so that we can 
 be quite sure and need not fear anything." 
 
 Now the children sat up in bed, and 
 said each their evening prayer. Heidi 
 immediately put one round arm under her 
 head, and in a trice was asleep. Klara, 
 however, lay awake for a long time, for 
 such a bright, star-lighted sleeping-room 
 she had never before seen in her life. 
 
 In fact, she had scarcely seen the stars 
 at all, for she never went out of the house 
 in the evening-, and the thick curtains 
 within were always closed long before the 
 stars came out. So now when she shut 
 her eyes she had to t)pen them again at 
 once, to see if really those two wonderfully 
 bright ones were still sparkling, and twin- 
 
156 HEIDI. 
 
 kling as Heidi said they did. And diey 
 were always there, but Klara could not 
 look enoiiofh at their crlcaminr'' licdit, until 
 her eyes closed of their own accord, and in 
 her dreams even she saw yet the two great 
 shimmering stars. 
 
MORE ABOUT THE LIFE ON THE ALP. 1 57 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 MORE ABOUT THE UFE ON THE ALP. 
 
 The sun had just climbed over the cliffs, 
 and cast his first golden beams downward 
 toward the valley. The uncle stood quiet, 
 reverently looking about him as he did 
 every morning, and saw how the silvery 
 mist lying over hill and vale gradually 
 melted away, and the world emerged from 
 the shadows of darkness as the new day 
 awoke. 
 
 Bricrhter and brifrhter became the thin 
 clouds of morn, until the sun arose, and 
 poured out his golden beams over rock 
 and wood and heioht. At last the uncle 
 
158 HEIDI. 
 
 went back into the hut, and quletl); 
 mounted the little ladder. Klara had just 
 opened her eyes, and was gazing, com- 
 pletely bewildered, at the bright sunbeams 
 that streamed through the round opening, 
 and danced and flickered on her bed. She 
 did not know what she saw, nor where she 
 was. But soon her eyes fell on the sleep- 
 ing Heidi by her side, and the friendly 
 voice of the grandfather met her ear, say- 
 ing, " Have you slept well ? Do you feel 
 rested ? " Klara assured him that she was 
 not at all tired, and that, once asleep, 
 she had not awakened throuo-h the nioht. 
 This was very satisfactory to the uncle, 
 and he began at once and helped Klara 
 to dress as cleverly and handil\- as if it 
 were his callino- to be a nurse, and to take 
 care of sick children. 
 
MORE ABOUT THE LIFE ON THE ALP. 1 59 
 
 Heidi, also, opened her eyes, and saw 
 with astonishment what her grandfather 
 was about, and watched him till he carried 
 Klara, completely dressed, in his arms 
 down the ladder. She could not wait a 
 moment longer. She rose, dressed her- 
 •self with lightning speed, and ran dow^n 
 the ladder and outside, to see what next 
 her grandfather would be doing. 
 
 The evening before he had pondered, 
 when the children had gone to bed, as to 
 how he could get the bath-chair under 
 shelter. It could not be pushed in 
 through the hut door, that was too small. 
 At last an idea came to him. He took off 
 tw^o of the big shutters from the shed, 
 which made an opening big enough to 
 allow of the chair being pushed through 
 into the workshop ; then he replaced the 
 
l60 HEIDI. 
 
 shutters, without making them fast. Heidi 
 came down just as her grandfather, having 
 placed Klara in her chair, had rolled her 
 into the sunshine in ihe middle of the 
 grass-plat. There he left her, and went 
 towards the goat-stalls. Heidi ran to her 
 friend's side. 
 
 The fresh breeze of morning fanned the 
 children's faces, and the spicy perfume of 
 the pines was carried towards them on 
 every breath of air. Klara was leaning 
 back in her chair, drawing in deep 
 draughts of the delicious fragrance, and 
 feeling better than ever before in her life. 
 In fact, she had never yet breathed the 
 pure morning air, surrounded by every- 
 thing fresh and beautiful in nature, as she 
 now did. Then, too, the sweet clear sim- 
 shine lay on her hanch, and on the grass 
 
MORE ABOUT THE LIFE ON THE ALP. l6l 
 
 at her feet, with no overpowering heat, 1nit 
 with a warnitli lliat was dehghtful. That 
 life on the Alp could be like this, Klarn 
 had never been able to imagine. 
 
 " O Heidi, if I could only live here 
 always, always ! " she said at last, turning 
 about in her chair from side to side, and 
 drinkincr in the air and the sunshine. 
 
 " Now you see, don't you, that it is 
 exactly as I told you it was," replied Heidi, 
 delighted ; " that the very most beautiful 
 sp'jt in the whole world is at my grand- 
 father's on the Aim ! " 
 
 At this moment the grandfather himself 
 came out of the stalls towards the children, 
 bringing two mugs full of foaming, snow- 
 white milk, one of v/hich he gave to Klara, 
 and the other to Heidi. "This will do my 
 little friend a deal of good," he said, nod- 
 
l62 HEIDI. 
 
 ding to Klara ; " it is from Schwanli, and is 
 strength-giving. To your good health : 
 Drink now ! " 
 
 Klara had never tasted goat's milk, and 
 she felt impelled to smell it a little before 
 drinking. But when she saw that Heidi 
 drank hers eagerly, without once stopping, 
 it tasted so very good to her, Klara de- 
 cided to try, and found it as sweet and 
 spicy as if there were sugar and nutmeg in 
 it ; and she emptied her mug with enjoy- 
 ment. 
 
 "To-morrow we will take two," said the 
 uncle, who had looked on with satisfaction, 
 as Klara followed his granddaughter's 
 good example. 
 
 Peter came at his usual hour with the 
 flock ; and while Heidi was giving and 
 receiving her usual morning greetings, and 
 
MORE ABOUT THE LIFE ON THE ALP. 1 63 
 
 caressing, and getting pushed about, the 
 uncle drew Peter aside, out of hearing of 
 the bleatinof of the goats, which made a 
 deal of noise w^henever they had Heidi 
 to themselves, and -bade him give atten 
 tion to his words. 
 
 " From to-day forth you are to givt 
 Schwanli her own way. She knows where 
 to find the most nourishing herbs ; there- 
 fore, if she wishes to climb, you are to fol- 
 low her. It will do the others no harm, 
 and if she chooses to go higher than you 
 usually go, do not hold her back, do you 
 understand ? Even if you do have to 
 clamber a little, it is no matter; you are 
 to go where she wishes, for in this she is 
 ■'viser than you are, and she must have the 
 best, so that she may give some famous 
 milk. Why are you gaping so over there. 
 
1 64 HEIDI. 
 
 as if you would like to swallow some one? 
 Nobody will interfere with you. Now off 
 with you, and remember! " 
 
 Peter was accustomed to obey the 
 uncle's orders promptly. He took up his 
 line of march at once ; but it looked as if 
 he feared an ambush somewhere, for he 
 continually turned his head and rolled his 
 eyes about. The goats had managed to 
 push Heidi a little way up the hill with 
 them. That was what Peter wanted. 
 " You must come too," he said, pressing 
 in among the goats, " you must come too, 
 if some one is going to follow up 
 Schwanli." 
 
 " No, I cannot," cried Heidi, " I cannot 
 go with you for a long, long time, as long 
 as Klara is with us. But some time we are 
 both going up, my grandfather has prom- 
 ised that we shall." 
 
MORE ABOUT THE LIFE OX THE ALP. 1 65 
 
 With these words, Heidi freed herseU' 
 completely from the goats, and ran back to 
 her friend. Peter stood, making passes 
 with his fists towards the bath-chair and its 
 occupant, until the frightened goats fled 
 away past him. After them he went with- 
 out stopping, until he was out of sight, for 
 he feared that the uncle might have seen 
 him, and he did not care to know what 
 sort of impression his fist action had made 
 on the uncle. 
 
 Klara and Heidi had thought of so 
 much to do to day that they hardly knew 
 where to begin. Heidi proposed first of 
 all. to write to the grandmamma the daily 
 letter which she had promised her. The 
 grandmamma had not been quite sure 
 whether it would agree with Klara on the 
 mountain, and whether it would really 
 
1 66 HEIDI. 
 
 benefit her health ; so she had engaged 
 the children to write to her each day, and 
 to tell her everything that happened. 
 Thus she would know immediately if she 
 were needed up there, and could stay 
 quietly at Ragatz in the mean time. 
 
 '* Must we go into the hut to write ? " 
 asked Klara, who was perfectly willing to 
 send news to her grandmamma, but was 
 so comfortable in the open air that she did 
 not wish to move. 
 
 Heidi knew how to manage that. She 
 ran into the hut, and brought out all her 
 school materials for writing, together with 
 the little three-legged stool. She put her 
 reading-book and portfolio on Klara's 
 knees, so that she could write on them, 
 and seated herself on the stool with the 
 bench for a table ; and thus they both 
 
MORE ABOUT THE LIFE ON THE ALP. 1 67 
 
 began to write to the grandmamma. But 
 after every sentence that Klara wrote, she 
 would lay down her pencil and look about. 
 It was too beautiful. The wind was no 
 longer so cool ; it only softly fanned her 
 face, and whispered lightly to the pines. 
 In the pure air the little merry midges 
 danced and hummed, and a great stillness 
 lay on all the wide fields. Calmly quiet, 
 the great mountain peaks gazed down into 
 the vale, which was everywhere at peace. 
 Only, at intervals, the joyous sound of a 
 jodelling herdboy's song came through the 
 air, and was echoed back from the crags. 
 
 The morning went past the children 
 scarcely knew how, and the grandfather 
 came with the steaminor dishes, and 
 brought the dinner out to them, for he 
 said that Klara must stay out of doors as 
 
1 68 HEIDI. 
 
 long as a ray of sunshine remained. After 
 dinner Heidi rolled the bath-chair under 
 the pines, for the children had arranged 
 to pass the afternoon there in the cool 
 shade, and to tell each other everything 
 that had happened since Heidi left Frank- 
 fort. Under the trees they sat, and the 
 faster they talked the louder the little 
 birds sang above in the branches, for 
 the chatter of the children pleased them, 
 and they wished to join in. Thus the 
 day passed, and now it was evening, and 
 the oroats came rattlinp- down the moun- 
 tain path, the driver behind, with a scowl- 
 ing brow and sullen mien. 
 
 " Good-nip-ht, Peter ! " said Heidi, as 
 she saw that he did not mean to stop. 
 
 "Good-night, Peter!" called out Klara 
 kindly. 
 
MORE ABOUT THE LIFE ON THE ALP. 1 69 
 
 He gave no answer, l)ut drove his goats 
 along, snarling at tlieni as they went. 
 
 When Klara saw the grandfather driving 
 the pretty Schwiinh to the stall to milk her, 
 she was seized with such a lonirincr for the 
 spicy milk, that she could hardly wait until 
 it was brouorht to her. She was aston- 
 ished at it herself. 
 
 "This is really strange, Heidi," she said, 
 " for as long as I can remember anything, 
 I have only eaten because I was obliged 
 to, and everything that I got to eat tasted 
 of cod-liver oil, and I have thought a 
 thousand times, If only I didn't have to 
 eat ! And now I can hardly wait, until 
 the grandfather comes with the milk ! " 
 
 " Yes, I understaird it very well," said 
 Heidi, for she remembered the days in 
 Frankfort when everything seemed to stick 
 
170 HEIDI. 
 
 in her throat, and she could not swallow a 
 morsel. Klara did not fairly understand 
 it yet. She had never before passed an 
 entire day in the open air, and such a life- 
 giving air, moreover, as this mountain 
 region could boast. 
 
 When the Aim uncle appeared with his 
 mug she took it gratefully, and hnished it 
 even more quickly than Heidi did hers. 
 "May I have a little more?" she asked, 
 handing her mug back to the grandfather. 
 When he brouMit back the mucrs to the 
 children, there was upon each a high cover, 
 which was of another stuff from what a 
 cover usually is. 
 
 In the afternoon the Aim uncle had 
 taken a walk over the green Maienstiss, to 
 a mountain cottage where they made the 
 sweetest, yellowest butter, and had brought 
 
MORE ABOUT THE LIFE ON THE ALP. I7I 
 
 back a nice round ball of it. He had cut 
 two good thick slices of bread, and spread 
 them well with butter. These were for the 
 children's supper. They both bit into 
 these slices so heartily that the g-randfather 
 stopped to watch how far it would go, for 
 he was well pleased with their appetites. 
 
 When Klara went to bed that night, she 
 did not spend much time watching the 
 twinkling stars, but followed Heidi's exam- 
 ple, and closed her eyes at once ; and there 
 came to her a sound, healthy sleep, such 
 as she had never known before. 
 
 In this delightful manner the next day 
 passed, and the next, and then there came 
 a great surprise for the children. Two, 
 strong porters came up the mountain, 
 each carrying on his basket a high bed, 
 ready made from the factory, with a white 
 
172 HEIDI. 
 
 coverlet, clean and brand-new. The men 
 brought, also, a letter from the grand- 
 mamma. She wrote that these beds were 
 for Heidi and Klara ; that Heidi was to 
 take hers with her in the winter to Dortli, 
 for that in the future she must sleep in a 
 proper bed. The other one could stay on 
 the Aim for Klara when she came again. 
 Then the good lady praised the little girls 
 for their lon^ letters, and encourao-tjd 
 them to write every day, so that she 
 should continue to know all that they did, 
 and how Klara's health improved. 
 
 The grandfather went up-stairs, removed 
 the covering from Heidi's hay bed, and 
 spread the hay about in the loft. Then, 
 coming down, he with the help of the 
 men carried the beds up to the loft. Then 
 he pushed them close together, so thaJ 
 
MORE ABOUT THE LIFE ON THE AI.P. I 73 
 
 the two pillows were opposite the round 
 hole, for he knew how much pleasure the 
 children had in the mornin-j; and eveninc: 
 view which this afforded them. 
 
 The deliofht in her new life increased 
 with Klara from day to day, and she coulti 
 not tell her crrandmamma enouorh of the 
 
 o o 
 
 uncle's goodness and care for her, and how 
 lively and amusing Ileidi was, far more so 
 than in Frankfort, and how every moridng 
 when she awoke her first thought was, 
 " Thank Heaven, I am still on the Alp ! " 
 
 So the grandmamma rt^joiced much that 
 things were going on so well, and decided 
 to postpone her visit to the Aim a while 
 longer, for in truth the steep mountain 
 ride was rather a trial to her. The grand- 
 father certainly took an extraordinary in- 
 terest in his little charge, for no day passed 
 
174 HEIDI. 
 
 that he did not think out something that 
 he knew would strengthen her. He made, 
 every afternoon, long excursions amongst 
 the rocks, going higher and higher, and 
 brought back each time a bundle of sweet- 
 scented herbs, so that the perfume of the 
 thyme and wild pink filled the air, and at 
 night all the goats ran smelling towards 
 the stalls, where the sweet bundle lay. 
 But the uncle took the precaution to shut 
 the door, for he had not climbed up over 
 the high rocks for these rare herbs, in 
 order that the flock generally should have 
 a meal, without the trouble of getting it 
 for themselves. The forage was all in- 
 tended for Schwanli, so that she might 
 give strengthening milk ; and it was easy 
 to see that this unusual care ajjreed with 
 her, for she tossed her head higher every 
 day, and rolled her eyes right proudly. 
 
 I 
 
MORE ABOUT THE LIFE ON THE ALP. 1 75 
 
 It was now the third week that Klara 
 had passed on the Alp. For several 
 mornincrs, when the uncle broug-ht her 
 down to place her in her chair, he had 
 said, " Won't this little daughter try once 
 to stand up just for a moment?" Klara 
 did tr)', to please him, but she always said 
 immediately, " Oh, it hurts me so ! " and 
 clung to him for support ; but every day 
 he coaxed her to try a little longer. 
 
 For years there had not been such a 
 lovely summer on the Aim. Every day 
 the sun moved through the cloudless 
 heavens, and every little flower opened 
 its petals as wide as possible, and glowed 
 and sent its perfume up towards him, 
 and every evening "he threw his pur- 
 ple and rosy light ox-er the rocky pin- 
 nacles and on the sr.ow-field opposite^, 
 
170 HEIDI. 
 
 and then plunored into a flaming sea ol 
 gold. Heidi told her friend over and over 
 about all this, for only above in the pas- 
 ture was it rightly to be seen, and she 
 told her with especial enthusiasm how up 
 there, over the great slopes, troops of 
 shining golden heather-roses bloomed, and 
 so many bluebells that it seemed as if the 
 grass had grown blue, and near them whole 
 bushes of brown flowers that smelled so 
 sweet that it seemed as if one could never 
 get away when once one had sat down to 
 enjoy them. 
 
 On one special occasion, sitting under 
 the pines, Heidi had been prattling about 
 the flowers, and the sunset, and the shining 
 rocks, and it caused such a longing in her 
 own breast to see them that she suddenly 
 jumped up and ran to her grandfather 
 
 I 
 
MORE ABOUT THE LIFE ON THE ALP. 1 77 
 
 in the shop, who was sitting at his work- 
 bench. "O grandfather!" she cried out 
 before she reached him, " cannot we go 
 to-morrow to the pasture ? It is so beau- 
 tiful up there now ! " 
 
 " Yes, we will," said he assentingly, 
 " but then the little dauorhter must do 
 me a favor ; she must try standing up 
 alone for me this evening." 
 
 Heidi came back to Klara exulting over 
 this good news, and the latter promised, 
 at once, to try to stand on her feet as 
 often as the uncle wished, for she was 
 overjoyed at the thought of this trip to 
 the beautiful goat-pasture. Heidi was so 
 excited that she screamed out to Peter, 
 as soon as she saw him coming down, 
 " Peter ! Peter ! to-morrow we are going 
 with you, and shall stay all day." 
 
178 HEIDI. 
 
 For reply, Peter growled like an irritrited 
 bear, and struck angrily at the innocent 
 ThistleL'rd, which was trotting by his side ; 
 fortunately she knew what was coming in 
 time, and jumped away. 
 
 To-niofht the little Q-[r\s climbed into the 
 beautiful high beds, with their heads so 
 full of plans for the pleasure of the com- 
 ing day, that they promised each other to 
 lie awake all night to talk about it, till 
 it was time to get up. They had scarcely 
 laid their heads on their pillows however, 
 when their chatter ceased suddenly, and 
 Klara saw a big, big field before her in a 
 dream, that was heavenly blue, so thickly 
 did the bluebells cover it ; and Heidi 
 seemed to hear the eagle calling from on 
 high, " Come ! come ! come ! " 
 
SOMETHING IIAITENS. 1 79 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 SOMETHING HAPPENS THAT NO ONE EXPECTED. 
 
 Very early the next morning the uncle 
 stood for a while before his hut, and looked 
 about, to see what the day would be. A 
 reddish golden glow lay on the highest 
 peaks, a fresh wind began to move the 
 branches of the pines ; the sun was about 
 to rise. He watched how upon the high 
 mountain- tops the green ridges began to 
 turn golden, and how the shadows in the 
 valley gradually grew less deep, until the 
 rosy light poured" down upon them, and 
 height and depth were flooded with gold- 
 The sun had risen. 
 
l&O HEIDI. 
 
 Now the uncle brought the bath-chair 
 out of the shop, placed it ready for the 
 journey before the hut, then went up to 
 the loft to wake the little girls. 
 
 Just at this moment Peter came climbing 
 up. His goats no longer ran confidently, 
 as was their habit, by his side, round and 
 about him up the mountain ; for Peter now 
 continually thrashed right and left with his 
 rod like a crazy creature, and where he hit, 
 it hurt. The lad had reached the hicrhest 
 pitch of bitterness and anger. For weeks, 
 he had not once had Heidi to himself, 
 as he used to have her. When he came 
 up in the morning, no matter how early, 
 the stranger child was always there in her 
 chair, and Heidi had no eyes but for her. 
 When he came down in the evening, there 
 stood the chair under the pine-trees, and 
 
SOMETHING HAPPENS. l8l 
 
 Heidi had no word for him. She had 
 never been once to the pasture with him 
 through all the long summer, and now, 
 to-da)', she was coming, but the chair and 
 the stranijfe crifl were cominor too, and what 
 good would that do him ? 
 
 Peter knew how it would be, and this 
 was what had brought his inward fury to 
 the highest pitch. His eyes fell on the 
 chair, which was standing so proudly on 
 its rollers, and seemed to stare at him like 
 an enemy, an enemy that had already done 
 him so much harm, and to-day would do 
 still more. Peter looked about ; every- 
 thing was quiet, nobody in sight. Like a 
 wild creature he threw himself upon the 
 chair, seized hold of it, and gave it a 
 mighty shove towards the steepest part 
 of the decline. Away flew the chair, and 
 instantly disappeared. 
 
152 HEIDI. 
 
 Peter rushed up the Aim as If he had 
 suddenly become winged, not stopping 
 once until he reached a big blackberry- 
 bush, behind which he concealed himself; 
 for he had no desire for the uncle to catch 
 sight of him. He was anxious to see 
 what would become of the chair, never- 
 theless, a'ld tliis bush was placed most 
 conveni'jnll)' on the edge of a spur. 
 Here, half hidden, he could look down 
 the Aim, and if the uncle appeared, could 
 conceal himself in a trice. What a won- 
 derful thing met his view ! Far below him 
 his enemy was plunging down, as if driven 
 by an ever increasing power. Now it 
 turned over and over, then made a bigf 
 leap, then threw itself down again on the 
 earth, and rushed to its ruin. The bits 
 flew in every direction, feet, arms, cush- 
 ions, everything was thrown into the air. 
 
SOMETIIINC. IIAF'PENS. 183 
 
 Peter felt such an unbounded joy at the 
 sight, that he jumped up with both feet 
 together; he laughed aloud, he stamped 
 for joy. he leaped about in a circle, he ran 
 to the same place again and looked down, 
 broke out into laughter ao^ain, and asrain 
 leaped about. Peter was really quite 
 beside himself with delight at the over 
 throw of his enemy, for he saw all sorts 
 of pleasure that would follow for him. 
 Now surely the stranger would be obliged 
 to go- away, because she w'ould have no 
 means of moving- about. Heidi would 
 again be alone, and would come with him 
 to the pasture, and be at his call mornings 
 and evenings, and everything would be 
 back in the old order. But Peter did not 
 bethink himself of what it is to do a bad 
 deed, and of what follows. 
 
184 HEIDI. 
 
 Just then Heidi came running out of the 
 house towards the workshop. Behind her 
 was the grandfather with Klara in his arms. 
 The workshop door stood wide open, the 
 two shutters were standing against the side 
 of the buildine. all within was briorht as 
 day. Heidi looked here and there, ran 
 round the corner, came back again, her 
 face betokening the greatest astonishment. 
 At the moment her grandfather joined her. 
 " What does this mean ? have you rolled 
 the chair away, Heidi ? " asked he. 
 
 " I am looking for it, grandfather, and 
 you told me that it stood near the work- 
 shop door," said the little girl, casting her 
 eyes about everywhere. 
 
 The wind had in the mean while grown 
 stronger ; it clattered at the workshop 
 door, and threw it slamming against the 
 
SOMETHING HAPPENS. I85 
 
 wall. " Grandfather, the wind has done 
 it," said Heidi, and her eyes grew big at 
 the discovery. "Oh, dear! if it has rolled 
 down to Dijrrti, we cannot oret it back until 
 it is too late for us to o-o." 
 
 "If it has rolled down, it won't come 
 back at all, for it has been broken into a 
 hundred bits," said the grandfather, coming 
 round the corner to look down the moun- 
 tain. " But 'tis strange that it should have 
 gone down," he added, as he looked back, 
 and remembered that the chair would have 
 had to go round the corner of the hut, 
 before startinof down the mountain. 
 
 "Oh, what a pity! now we cannot go 
 to - day, and perhaps nev^er," lamented 
 Klara ; "now I shall certainly have to go 
 home, for I have no chair. Oh, what a 
 pity ! it is too bad ! " 
 
1 86 HEIDI. 
 
 But Heidi looked up in perfect confix 
 dence at her grandfather, and said : " You 
 can find some way for us to p;c up to the 
 pasture, and to keep Klara here toe can't 
 you, grandfather ? " 
 
 " We will go up to the pasture, as we 
 intended to," said the Aim uncle, " and see 
 what will happen next." 
 
 He went into the hut, brought out a 
 pile of shawls, put Klara on them upon 
 the sunny grass. Then he went to fetch 
 for the children their morning-'s milk, and 
 to bring Schwanli and Barli from their 
 stalls 
 
 " I wonder why the others have not 
 come up yet," said the uncle to himself, 
 for Peter's whistle had not yet been heard. 
 
 Then, takingr Klara on one arm and the 
 wraps on the other, " There now, for- 
 
SOMETHTNG HAPl'ENS. 1 87 
 
 wards!" he said, going" on in front, " the 
 goats can come with us." 
 
 Heidi Hked this. One arm round 
 Schwknli's neck and the other round Bar- 
 li's. shfc strolled along behind her grand- 
 father ; and the goats were so happy to be 
 climbing the mountain again with Heidi 
 that they almost squeezed her together 
 between them from pure tenderness. 
 
 Arrived at the pasture, the little party 
 saw the goats eatmg on the slopes in little 
 groups, and Peter lying at full length on 
 the ofrass. 
 
 " Another time I will teach you to go by 
 without stopping, lazy bones ; what do you 
 mean ? " said the Aim uncle. 
 
 Peter sprang to his feet at the sound 
 of the Aim uncle's well-known voicCc 
 " Nobody was up," he answered. 
 
155 HEIDI. 
 
 " Did you see anything of the chair ? " 
 resumed the uncle. 
 
 "Which one?" returned Peter crossly. 
 
 The uncle made no reply. He spread 
 out the shawls on the sunny slope, and set 
 Klara down, asking her if she were com- 
 fortable. 
 
 *' Just as comfortable as if I was in the 
 chair," said she, thanking him, " and I am 
 in the--very nicest place. It is beautiful, 
 perfectly beautiful. Heidi," cried she, look- 
 ing all about. 
 
 The grandfather was preparing to go 
 back. He bade them enjoy themselves 
 together, and when it was time, Heidi 
 was to fetch the dinner from the satchel 
 that he had put yonder in the shade. 
 Peter was to get their milk, but Heidi 
 must make sure that it was brought from 
 
SOMETHING HAPPENS. 189 
 
 Schwanli. Towards evening the orrand- 
 father said he would return, but first of all 
 he must go to see what had become of the 
 chair. 
 
 The sky was deep blue, no cloud was 
 to be seen in any direction. The great 
 snow -field opposite glistened as if with 
 thousands of trold and silver stars. The 
 gray pillars of rock stood high and firm, 
 as from ancient time, in their place, and 
 looked sternly down into the valley. The 
 big eagle balanced himself in the azure, 
 and over the heisfhts the mountain wind 
 blew cool upon the sunny Alp. The chil- 
 dren were unspeakably happy. Now and 
 then a goat came and lay down a little 
 while by their side. The tender Snowball 
 came most often, and laid her head ao^ainst 
 Heidi, and would scarcely have gone away, 
 
igO HEIDI. 
 
 had not one or another of the herd driven 
 her. Thus Klara learned to know them 
 apart, so that she was no longer Hkely to 
 mistake one for another ; for each one had 
 an entirely different face, and its own 
 manner. They were now so well ac- 
 quainted with Klara that they would rub 
 their heads against her shoulder, which 
 was their surest sign of confidence. 
 
 Thus the hours passed by ; then it came 
 into Heidi's head that she could just go 
 over to the place where all the flowers 
 were, to see if they were open, and as 
 iovely as the year before. If they waited 
 until the grandfather came up in the even- 
 ing, she was afraid that they would be 
 closed. The desire grew so strong in 
 Heidi that she could no longer resist it. 
 
 A little doubtfully she asked : " Won't 
 
SOMETHING HAPPENS. I9I 
 
 you be angry, Klara. If I run ofl for a 
 while and leave you alone ? I should like 
 so much to see how the flowers look ; but 
 wait a moment ! " An idea liad occurred 
 to Heidi ; she sprang aside, and tore off 
 a pair of fine branches from the green 
 bushes. Then she took Snowball by the 
 neck, and led her to Klara's side. 
 
 "There, you will not be alone now," 
 said Heidi, and gave Snowball a little 
 push, which the pretty creature understood 
 and lay down. Then Heidi threw the 
 branches into Klara's lap, and the latter 
 said that she did not mind being left alone 
 with the goats ; it was something that had 
 never happened to her before. 
 
 So Heidi ran^ off, and Klara began to 
 feed Snowball, (rivinof her leaf by leaf to 
 eat from her branch ; and the goat became 
 
192 IIEIPT. 
 
 quite tame, and drew the leaves slowly 
 one by one from her hand. It was easy 
 to see that she was happy there, for she 
 did not make any motion to go away, 
 though she was constantly stirred up by 
 the big Turk. It seemed delightful to 
 Klara to be sitting here alone, with this 
 gentle goat that looked up at her as if she 
 wished for protection ; and a greater desire 
 arose in the girl's heart than she had ever 
 yet experienced, to be for once mistress 
 of herself, and to be able to help others, 
 and not always be waited on and tended. 
 And many thoughts came into IsJara's 
 mind that she had never known before, 
 and an unknown longing to live always in 
 the beautiful sunshine, and to do some- 
 thing that would give pleasure to others 
 as Snowball was now giving her pleasure. 
 
SOMETHING HAPPENS. I93 
 
 A wonderful happiness filled her heart, as 
 if everything that she knew and could do 
 were different from what it had ever been 
 before and more beautiful ; and she felt so 
 brave and so well that she had to catch 
 the little goat about the neck and cry out : 
 " O Snowball, how beautiful it is up here ! 
 if I could only stay here always with you ! " 
 In the mean while Heidi had reached 
 the flower-plat. She gave a cry of joy. 
 The whole place was covered as with glis- 
 tening gold. Here were the shining 
 buttercups ; thick clumps of bluebells 
 rocked to and fro, and a strong spicy odor 
 was wafted over the sunny hillside, as if 
 precious balsams were being spread 
 abroad. The - sweetest perfume came, 
 however, from the little brown flowers 
 Heidi so loved, which showed their round 
 
194 HEIDI. 
 
 heads here and there between the upraised 
 chalices of gold. Heidi stood still and 
 gazed, and drew in the sweet air in long 
 inspirations. Suddenly she turned, and 
 out of breath from excitement reached at 
 length the place where Klara sat. 
 
 " Oh, you must certainly come," she 
 cried out, " they are so beautiful, and 
 everything is so beautiful, and they will 
 close perhaps in the evening. Don't you 
 think that perhaps I can carry you ? " 
 
 Klara stared at the excited Heidi with 
 astonishment ; but she shook her head. 
 
 " No, no ; what are you thinking of, 
 Heidi ? You are much smaller than I am. 
 Oh, how I wish I could walk ! " 
 
 Heidi looked searchingly around ; a 
 new idea had come to her. Over yonder, 
 where Peter had been lying on the ground. 
 
SOMETHING HAPPENS. I 95 
 
 he was sitting now and staring at the chil- 
 dren. He had been sitting there for 
 hours staring at them, as if he could not 
 rightly understand what he was looking at. 
 He had destro)ed the chair that ev^ery- 
 thine miofht come to a standstill, and the 
 stranger no more be able to stir ; and a 
 short time /terwards there she came, and 
 was sitting on the ground cy Heidi's side. 
 It could iD'c je, 2.'ud yet it was : he ^culd 
 see that whenever nz wishcc. 
 
 Now Heidi called ou:: :c niir. raying 
 " Com3 J own here, Peter!" and her voici 
 soundad very decided. 
 
 ' yi/on't come," he said in reply. 
 
 /es, you must. Come, I cannot do i 
 alone, you rust help mc Come r-uich 
 urged Heidi. 
 
 ** Won't come/' znec ne ap'Si.'' 
 
196 HEIDI. 
 
 At this Heidi ran down the mountain a 
 little way towards the lad. She stood 
 there with flaming eyes, and cried out : 
 " Peter, if you do not come this instant, I 
 will do something to you that you will not 
 like. You may believe it ! " 
 
 These words were a sharp thrust for 
 Peter, and he was seized with dire anxiety. 
 He had done something wrong, which he 
 thought nobody knew of. He had been 
 delighted with his deed up to this mo- 
 ment ; but now Heidi was talking as if she 
 knew all about it, and was going to tell 
 her grandfather, and Peter was dreadfully 
 afraid of that person. If he should learn 
 what had become of the chair ! Peter was 
 becoming more and more uneasy. He 
 rose, and went towards Heidi, 
 
 " I am coming, but then you must not 
 
SOMETHING HAPPENS. I97 
 
 do it," he said, so tamed with fear that 
 Heidi took pity on him. 
 
 " No, no ; now I will not," she replied, 
 " Come with me ; it isn't anything to be 
 afraid of, what I want you to do." 
 
 When they reached Klara, Heidi di- 
 rected that Peter should take her firmly by 
 one arm, while she herself held her by the 
 other, and that thus they should lift her 
 up. This succeeded pretty well, but now 
 came the most difficult part. Klara could 
 not stand alone ; how was it possible to 
 hold her up and bring her forwards at the 
 same time ? Heidi was too small to sup- 
 port her with her arm. 
 
 " You must take me round the neck, 
 quite fast, so ; and then you must take 
 Peter's arm and cling fast to that. Then 
 we can carry you." 
 
198 HEIDI. 
 
 Now Peter had never given any one his 
 arm before. Klara took hold of it well 
 ^enough, but Peter held it stiffly, hanging 
 down by his side. 
 
 "That is not the way to do, Peter," said 
 Heidi very decidedly. " You must make 
 a ring with your arm, and then Klara can 
 put hers through it. She must hang on to 
 it fast, and you must on no account give 
 way ; then we sball gret on nicely." 
 
 They dia not get forward very rapidly, 
 however. Klara was not very light, and 
 the pair was no. wek matched ; on one 
 side it went up and on the other down, 
 which caused a decided uncertainty in the 
 support. 
 
 Occasionally Klara trccl to move a litth 
 iipon her ov/n fjci, but c rev/ them quickly 
 lip again. 
 
SOMETHING HAPPENS. I 99 
 
 "Just put your foot straight down once," 
 urged Heidi ; " afterwards it won't hurt 
 you so much." 
 
 "Do you think so?" asked Klara doubt- 
 fully. She obeyed, however, and ventured 
 one firm step on the ground and then 
 another, crying out a little at each. Then 
 she raised her foot again, and set it down 
 more gently. " Oh, that did not hurt me 
 nearly so much," said she, delighted. 
 
 " Do it again," said Heidi earnestly. 
 
 Klara did it again, and still again, and 
 presently she cried out: "I can, Heidi! I 
 can ! Look ! look ! I can take steps one 
 after the other." 
 
 Heidi literally screamed for joy. 
 
 " Oh, oh ! Can you really take steps? 
 Can you walk ? Can you really walk ? 
 Oh, if my grandfather could only see you I 
 
2CX> HEIDI. 
 
 Now you can walk, Klara, now you can 
 walk ! " she exclaimed again and again in 
 her delight. 
 
 Klara held tight to her two supporters ; 
 but at every step she became somewhat 
 firmer, they all three felt sure of that. 
 Heidi was beside herself for joy. 
 
 " Now we can go together every day to 
 the pasture, and all about the Alp, where- 
 ever we wish," she said. " And you can 
 walk all your life, as well as I can, and 
 need not be pushed about in your chair, 
 and will be well. Oh, this is the very 
 greatest pleasure that we could have ! " 
 
 Klara agreed with all her heart. Cer- 
 tainly there could be no greater happiness 
 in the world than to feel strong, and able 
 to go about like other people, and not lie 
 suffering all day long in a sick-chair. 
 
SOMETHING IIATPENS. 20 I 
 
 It was not very far over to the flower- 
 field. They could already see the glisten- 
 ing of the buttercups in the sun. Now 
 they had reached the clumps of bluebells, 
 between which the sunny grass looked so 
 inviting. 
 
 " Mightn't we sit down here ? " asked 
 Klara. 
 
 That was just what Heidi liked, and 
 down in the midst of the flowers the chil- 
 dren seated themselves. For the hrst time 
 in her life Klara was seated on the dry, 
 warm grass. All about her were the 
 swaying bluebells, the shining buttercups, 
 the red centaury, the spicy prune-flowers. 
 Everything was beautiful, so beautiful ! 
 
 The children sat still for a long time, 
 rejoicing in the new happiness that had 
 ^o^e to them, which with the sunshine, 
 
202 HEIDI. 
 
 and the perfumes of the flowers, seemed 
 to fill their hearts almost to overflowing. 
 Peter, too, lay still and motionless in the 
 bed of flowers ; he had fallen fast asleep. 
 
 Softly, gently, came the breeze to them, 
 sheltered as they were by the huge rocks, 
 and paused, sighing, through the shrubs. 
 Now and then Heidi rose and ran about 
 on either side, for ever)^vhere it seemed 
 more beautiful, the flowers thicker, the 
 sweet scents more delicate, as the wind 
 wafted them hither and thither. She 
 could not be content, without trying each 
 favorite resting-place. 
 
 Thus the hours passed by, and the sun 
 had long passed the meridian, when a little 
 troop of goats came very solemnly towards 
 the flower-covered slope where were the 
 children. This was not a usual feeding- 
 
SOMETHING HAPPENS. 203 
 
 place ■ they were never driven to this spot, 
 for they did not Yike to graze in the 
 flowers. They looked like an embassy, 
 with Thistlebird at the head. Undoubt- 
 edly the goats had gone forth to find their 
 companions, who had left them alone so 
 long; for goats keep very good account 
 of time. When Thistlebird discov^ered the 
 three missing ones in the middle of the 
 flowery slope, he gave utterance to a loud 
 bleat, in which the others joined in chorus, 
 and the whole flock came trotting towards 
 them. This awakened Peter. He sat up 
 and ruljbed his eyes ver)' hard for a mo- 
 ment ; for he had dreamed that he saw the 
 bath-chair standing before the hut door, all 
 unharmed with its red covering, and in 
 waking had thought the buttercups were 
 the yellow nails of the unfortunate chair 
 
204 HEIDI. 
 
 Now his anxiety came back to him ; for 
 although Heidi had promised not to do 
 anything to him, yet the fear of discovery 
 had grown very hvely within him. He 
 felt quite tame, and willing to do as he 
 was bid, and to obey in everything exactly 
 as Heidi should direct. 
 
 When they got back to the pasture 
 again, Heidi hastened to get the lunch- 
 bag and to keep her promise faithfully; for 
 it was in reference to the midday meal that 
 she had threatei-ed Peter with punishment. 
 She had noticed in the morning how many 
 good things he ' grandfather had placed 
 in the bag, and she had rejoiced before- 
 hand at the t\v jght of how Peter would 
 like getting h»s share of them. When, 
 therefore. \>7 tvas so obstinate and dis- 
 obliging TiN t helping Klara, she gave 
 
SOMETHING HAPPENS. 2O5 
 
 him to understand, or meant to do so, that 
 she would not give him anything to eat, 
 though Peter had interpreted her words 
 very differently. Now the little girl took 
 piece after piece from the bag, and made 
 three piles of them, which were so high 
 that she said to herself with satisfaction, 
 "He shall have everything that we do not 
 need." 
 
 Taking each portion to its owner, she 
 seated herself by Klara's side, and the chil- 
 dren enjoyed their dinner thoroughly after 
 their unwonted exertions. And it hap- 
 pened just as Heidi had foreseen ; when 
 Klara and herself had eaten all they possi- 
 bly could, there still remained so much 
 untasted that Peter received a share quite 
 as large as the third he had had in the 
 beginning. He ate quietly everything 
 
206 HEIDI. 
 
 that came to him, even to the last crumb, 
 but not with his usual appetite. For 
 something seemed to lie heavy at his 
 stomach that choked him, and made his 
 food stick in his throat. 
 
 The children had taken their dinner so 
 late, that soon after they had finished eat- 
 ing, the grandfather was seen coming up 
 to fetch them. Heidi flew to meet him. 
 She wished to be the first to tell him what 
 had happened, but she was so much ex- 
 cited over her news that she could hardly 
 find words with which to utter it. He 
 soon made out, however, what she wished 
 to say, and an expression of real delight 
 came over his face. He hastened his 
 steps, and as he came up to Klara, he said 
 to her, smiling pleasantly, " So now we 
 have tried, and we have won ! " 
 
SOMETHING HAPPENS. 207 
 
 He raised Klara from the ground, 
 passed his left arm around her waist and 
 held his right as a firm support for her 
 hand, and she marched along with this 
 steady support at her back much more 
 surely, and with less fear than before. 
 Heidi ran about them shouting for joy, 
 and the uncle looked as if some great 
 good fortune had befallen him. He soon 
 took Klara in his arms, however, saying, 
 " We must not overdo it, it is quite time 
 to get home ; " and he set himself at once 
 to the work, for he knew that Klara had 
 made such unusual exertions that she 
 needed rest immediately. 
 
 \Vhen Peter- came down to Dorfli with 
 the flock that evening, a large knot of 
 the villagers were gathered together, and 
 crowding each other a little here and there, 
 
208 HEIDI. 
 
 the better to see what was lying on the 
 ground. Peter wished to see, too. He 
 elbowed and pushed right and left till he 
 got through the crowd. 
 
 Now he spw it. 
 
 On the grass lay the central piece of the 
 bath-chair, with a part of the back hanging 
 to it. The red covering, and the shining 
 brass nails, proved what a handsome chair 
 it must have been when perfect. 
 
 " I was here when it came, to be carried 
 up the Aim," said the baker, who stood 
 near Peter ; " it was worth five hundred 
 francs, at least, I will wager. I should 
 like to know how it happened." 
 
 " The wind might have driven it down, 
 the uncle himself said so," said Barbel, 
 who stood by, adiuiring the red covering. 
 
 *' It is pretty lucky that nobody else did 
 
SOMETHING HAPPENS. 2O9 
 
 it," said the baker again ; "he would catch 
 it, I'm thinking. When the gentleman in 
 Frankfort finds it out, he will have the 
 thing looked up. I am glad, for my part, 
 that I have not been up on the Aim these 
 two years past ; suspicion may fall on any- 
 body, who has been up there lately." 
 
 Many different opinions were uttered, 
 but Peter had heard quite enough. He 
 crept furtively out of the crowd, and ran 
 with all his speed up the Aim, as if some 
 one were after him to catch him. The 
 baker's words had frightened him terribly. 
 He knew now that at any moment a 
 policeman might come from Frankfort, to 
 investigate the affair, and it would come 
 out that he was guilty, and they would 
 take him and send him to the house of 
 correction. Peter saw this in prospect, 
 and his hair stood on end for fear. 
 
2IO HEIDI. 
 
 Disturbed beyond measure he reached 
 his home. He would give no answer to 
 anything, he would not eat his potatoes , 
 he crept to his bed as last as he could, and 
 lay there groaning. 
 
 " Peterkin must hav^e been eating sorrel 
 again, he has a stomaciiache ; hear how he 
 groans," said his mother Brigitte. 
 
 " You must give him more bread ; give 
 him a piece of my roll to-morrow morn- 
 ing," said the grandmother pityingly. 
 
 When the children looked from their 
 beds out into the starliorht that same 
 evening, Heidi said, " Haven't )'ou realized 
 all day, Klara, what a good thing it is 
 that the o^ood God does not o-rant our 
 prayers, no matter how earnestly we pray 
 to him, if he has something better in store 
 ior us ? " 
 
SOMETHING HAPrENS. 211 
 
 " Why do you say that now, Heidi ? " 
 asked Klara. 
 
 " Don't )'oii know how I prayed in 
 Frankfort that I mioht o^o home rigfht 
 awa}' ? and when the good God did not 
 let me go, I thought it was because he 
 had not Hstened to my prayer. But you 
 see, if I had gone away then, you would 
 never have come here, and you would 
 not have been cured on the Alp." 
 
 Klara became very thoughtful. " But, 
 Heidi," she said after a pause, " if that is 
 true, we ought never to ask for anything, 
 because the good God must always know 
 of something better for us than we can 
 know about." 
 
 " Yes, yes, Klara, this is the way it is," 
 said Heidi eagerly. " We must pray to 
 God every day, and tell him everything, 
 
.2li2 HEIDI. 
 
 everything ; so that he can know that we 
 do not foro-et him, and then he will not 
 forget us. Your grandmamma told me so. 
 But we oueht never to think that God has 
 forofottcn us because he does not errant our 
 prayers, and so stop praying, but rather 
 pray in this way: 'Now I am sure, dear 
 God, that there is something better in 
 store for me, and so I will be happy, be- 
 cause you will providj.'" 
 
 ** How did you think of all this, Heidi ? " 
 asked Klara. 
 
 " Your grandmamma told me hrst, and 
 then it happened, and I knew it was true. 
 But I meant to say, Klara," and Heidi sat 
 up in her bed, " to-day we ought to thank 
 the dear God particularly, for the great 
 happiness he has sent us in letting you 
 walk." 
 
SOMETHING HAPPENS. 2I3 
 
 " Yes, you are right, Heidi ; I am glad 
 that you have reminded me. For sheer 
 happiness I had quite forgotten." 
 
 So the children prayed, and thanked 
 God in their own way, that he had cured 
 Klara who had been sick so long. 
 
 Next morning the grandfather proposed 
 that the children should write to the grand- 
 mamma in Ragatz, and ask her to come 
 up to the Aim, as there was something 
 worth seeinof there. But the children had 
 made a different plan. They had proposed 
 to give the grandmamma a very great sur- 
 prise. Klara was to practise until she 
 could take a little walk, supported by Heidi 
 alone ; but the grandmamma must not 
 have the least suspicion of it. And they 
 begged the uncle to tell them how long 
 he thought it would take ; and when he 
 
214 HEIDI. 
 
 said, not more than a week, they proposed 
 to write a letter invithig- the grandmamma 
 urgently to be at the end of a week on 
 the Alp. But not a word of the surprise 
 was to be breathed. 
 
 The days that followed were the most 
 delightful of all that Klara had passed on 
 the mountain. Every morning she woke 
 with the happy sound ringing in her heart : 
 " I am well, I am well ! I need lie no 
 longer in a chair, I can go about by my- 
 self like other people ! " 
 
 The walking exercise followed, and she 
 went better and better, and took a longer 
 walk each day. The unwonted exercise 
 brought such an appetite with it, that daily 
 the slice of bread and butter had to be 
 bigger, and the grandfather stood by and 
 watched it disappear with immense satis 
 
SOMETHING HAPPENS. 21 5 
 
 faction ; and he always brought a big jug 
 of the foaming milk out to the children 
 now, and filled muQ- after muo- for them. 
 At last the week was over, and the day 
 came that was to bring the grandmamma. 
 
2l6 HEIDL 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A PARTING, BUT NOT FOREVER. 
 
 The day before she was to start, the 
 grandmamma had sent off a letter to the 
 Aim, so that her arrival would not take them 
 by surprise. Peter brought this letter as 
 he came up toward the pasture. The Aim 
 uncle had already come out before the hut 
 with the children, and stood ready with 
 Schwanli and Barli by his side. The goats 
 shook their pretty heads in the fresh 
 morning breeze, while the children patted 
 them, and wished them a happy journey 
 to the pasture. The uncle looked with 
 satisfaction first at the fresh faces of the 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FOREVER. 2 I 7 
 
 children, and then at his clean, well-fed 
 g-oats. His face wore a very happy ex- 
 pression. 
 
 At this moment Peter made his ap- 
 pearance. When he saw the little group 
 he drew near very slowly, held his letter 
 out to the uncle, and the moment it had 
 left his hand he sprang back timidly and 
 looked quickly behind him, as if something 
 might be coming of which he was afraid ; 
 then with one leap he was off, and up the 
 mountain. 
 
 " Grandfather," said Heidi, who was 
 much surprised at this queer conduct on 
 the part of the goatherd, " why does Peter 
 behave exactly like the big Turk, when he 
 sees a 'rod behind him?" 
 
 " Perhaps Peter sees a rod behind him, 
 that he deserves," replied her grandfather 
 
2l8 HEIDI. 
 
 The lad ran up the nearest slopes at 
 one pull. As soon as he was out of sight 
 of the hut, it was different ; then he stopped 
 and turned his head in a scared fashion in 
 every direction. Suddenly he gave a jump 
 and looked behind him, as frightened as 
 if some one had seized him by the nape 
 of his neck. From behind every bush, 
 out of every thicket, he thought the police 
 from Frankfort might be ready to spring 
 upon him. The longer this anxious dread 
 lasted the more unhappy Peter was, and he 
 had at last not one quiet moment. 
 
 Heidi soon went into the hut, to put 
 everything in order ; for she wished the 
 grandmamma to find it looking very neat 
 when she came. Klara found so much 
 amusement in watching these proceedings 
 on the part of Heidi, that she always came 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FOREVER. 219 
 
 in to look on, while her friend worked. 
 They were both so well emplo)ed that the 
 early morning hours slipped away, and it 
 was almost time for the visitor to arri^■e, 
 before they knew how^ late it was. Then 
 they came out, and seated themselves to 
 await the great event. 
 
 The grandfather joined them ; he had 
 taken a walk that morning, and brought 
 home a big bunch of dark-blue gentians, 
 which looked so beautiful in the briorht 
 sunliorht that the children exclaimed at the 
 sight. He carried them into the hut. 
 Every now and then Heidi sprang up from 
 the bench, in hope to descry some sign 
 of the grandmamma's procession. 
 
 There it was, at last, just as Heidi had 
 expected it would be ! First came the 
 guide, then the grandmamma on her white 
 
IsO HEIDI. 
 
 horse, then the porter \vith his basket piled 
 with wraps, for the lady never would go up 
 the mountains without plenty of means of 
 keeping" dry and warm. Tliey came nearer 
 and nearer. Now they had reached the 
 summit, and the trrandmamma from her 
 horse cauo-ht si^ht of the children, 
 / ■' What do I see, Klara, my child ? 
 What is this ? You are not sitting in 
 your chair!" the grandmamma cried quite 
 startled, and hastened to dismount. But 
 before even she reached the children she 
 clasped her hands together, and said : "Is 
 it you, Klara, or is it not? Your cheeks 
 are red, and round as apples. Child, I 
 should not know you ! " 
 
 The good lady darted tow^ards^ her 
 grandchild ; but in a trice Heidi had 
 slipped from the bench, Klara had risen 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FOREVER. 22 1 
 
 quickly, supporting herself on her little 
 friend's shoulder, and the two girls were 
 calmly taking a little walk. The grand 
 mamma stood perfectly still, at first from 
 fright. She thought that Heidi was under 
 taking some unheard-ot thing. 
 
 But what was it that she saw ? Upright 
 and steady Klara was walking by Heidi's 
 side ; the children came back after a few 
 minutes, both with rosy cheeks, both with 
 beaminof faces. Now the o-fandmamma 
 threw herself upon them. Laughing and 
 crying at once she clasped Klara in her 
 arms, then Heidi, and then again embraced 
 her granddaughter, finding no words to 
 ex-press her joy. 
 
 Presently she espied the uncle, who was 
 standing by the bench looking at the group 
 with a contented smile. The grandmamma 
 
222 HEIDI. 
 
 took Klara by the arm, and with increasing 
 surprise and delight that it was indeed so, 
 that the child was indeed walking by her 
 side, moved with her toward the bench. 
 Then -he stopped, and seized the uncle 
 by both hands. 
 
 " My dear, good uncle ! How can we 
 ever thank )'ou ? This is your work ! It 
 is your care and nursino- — " 
 
 "And our good Lord's sunshine and 
 mountain air," added the uncle, smiling. 
 
 " Yes, and Schwanli's good sweet milk, 
 too," added Klara. "You must see how 
 I drink the goat's milk, grandmamma, and 
 how crood it is ' " 
 
 " I can see that b)- your cheeksTlciarar- 
 No, 1 really do not know you ; ) ou have 
 grown round and plumi), as I never dreamed 
 you could be. Is it reall) my Klara .> \\'e 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FOREVER. 223 
 
 will not lose one moment, but telegraph to 
 my son in Paris ; he must come to see yoi' 
 immediately. I will not tell him why ; it 
 will be the greatest happiness of his whole 
 life. How shall we arrange this, my dcai 
 uncle ? You have sent the men down 
 again, I suppose ?" 
 
 " Yes, they have gone ; but if you are 
 in such haste, we can send the goatherd 
 down ; he will have time enough." 
 
 The grandmamma stood tc -^ that sh^ 
 would send a despatch at once ,,. >er son, 
 he ought not to be deprived oi '^is happi- 
 ness a single hour. So the uncle went a 
 little to one side, and g^ave such a search- 
 inor whistle through his finders that the 
 echo came back from the rocks far above 
 them. Before long Peter came running 
 down. He was as white as chalk, for he 
 
2 24 HEIDI. 
 
 thought that the uncle was whistling- him 
 down to be punished. Only a bit of paper 
 was given to him, however, which the 
 grandmamma had in the mean time writ- 
 ten, and he received the order to take this 
 paper to the post-office in Dorfli. The 
 uncle said he would attend to the payment 
 later, for it was not safe to give Peter too 
 much to do at once. Thus Peter set out 
 quite relieved, his paper in his hand, for 
 the uncle had not whistled him to his de- 
 serts, and no policeman was to be seen. 
 
 The party now seated themselves com- 
 fortably at the table, and everything that 
 had passed was rehearsed to the grand- 
 mamma from the begiiuiing. It-4ook_a 
 long time to finish the story, for they were 
 constantly interrupted by questions, and 
 expressions of thankful surprise. " And 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FOREVER. 225 
 
 my weak, pale, lame little grandchild is 
 transformed into this blooming, round- 
 faced maiden ! It is a fairy tale, I 
 do believe," cried the grandmamma, and 
 delighted the children by showing how 
 completely their plan of surprise had suc- 
 ceeded. 
 
 Mr. Sesemann, in his turn, had planned 
 a surprise. He had set out one fine 
 sunny morning from Paris, and travelled 
 on to Basle without stopping, and on again 
 the following day as quickly as possible, 
 for he had been seized with an irresistible 
 desire to see his daughter, from whom he 
 had been separated all summer. He had 
 arrived in Ragatz just as his mother had 
 left for the Aim ; had followed in a car- 
 riage to Mayenfeld, and on to Dorfli, for 
 he thought the walk up the Aim would be 
 enough for him to undertake. 
 
226 HEIDT. 
 
 He was quite right, moreover ; the steep 
 dimb was very fatiguing to him. He saw 
 no cottage anywhere ; and he knew, too, 
 that hah'-way up he should have found 
 the dwelHng of goat- Peter, for he had 
 heard the description of the mountain path 
 often enough. There were Httle footpaths 
 visible everywhere, crossing and recrossing 
 each other. Mr. Sesemann beo^an to be 
 afraid that he was mistaken, and that the 
 mountain cottage lay on another part of 
 the Alp. H*e looked about, hoping to see 
 some human being. It was perfectly quiet, 
 nowhere a sound to be heard, not a liv- 
 ing creature to be seen ; only a moun- 
 tain breeze fanned the air, while insects 
 hummed, and a bird sang in the clear 
 sky. Mr. Sesemann stood still, and let the 
 Alpine wind cool his heated brow. 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FOREVER. 227 
 
 Somebody came running down the 
 mountain. It was Peter, with his despatch 
 in his hand. He ran as the crow flies, not 
 following the path, on which Mr. Sese- 
 mann was standing^. As soon as the run- 
 ner was near enough, Mr. Sesemann 
 beckoned to him. Hesitatingly and tim- 
 idly Peter advanced, sidewise, not in a 
 straight line, and as if he could not put 
 one foot before the other properly, but 
 must drag one behind him. 
 
 " Well, my lad, this way ! " said Mr. 
 Sesemann encouragingly. " Just tell me 
 if by this path I shall come to the cottage, 
 where an old man lives with a child called 
 Heidi, and where the people from F"rank- 
 fort are staying ? " 
 
 A smothered cry of fear was the only 
 answer, and Peter dashed away with such 
 
228 HEIDI. 
 
 tremendous force that he went heels over 
 head down the steep slope, and rolled in 
 involuntary somersets farther and farther, 
 just as the bath-chair had done, only for- 
 tunately Peter did not come all to pieces 
 like the chair. Meanwhile the despatch 
 received terrible treatment, and Hew away, 
 torn into bits. 
 
 " A singularly bashful mountaineer," 
 said Mr. Sesemann to himself, for he sup- 
 posed this conduct to have been caused by 
 the unexpected appearance of a stranger 
 before the simple Alpine boy ; and after 
 he had watched Peter's powerful move- 
 ment down the hillside for a little, he went 
 on his way. 
 
 Peter could not stop liimself. no matter 
 how he struggled. He rolled on and on, 
 and now and then over and over. But 
 
A PARTING, P.UT NOT FOREVER. 229 
 
 this was not the worst for him at this mo- 
 ment ; the worst was the knowledge that 
 the poHceman had arrived from Frankfort, 
 for Peter did not doubt that the stranger 
 who had asked the way to tlie Ahn uncle's 
 hut was he. At last he tumbled into a 
 bush, about half-way down the last slope 
 towards Dorfh, and there he stuck fast. 
 He lay still for a moment to collect him- 
 self, and think what to do next. 
 
 "This is first-rate, here comes another," 
 said a voice close to Peter. " And who 
 will get a shove to-morrow, I wonder, and 
 come tumbling down like a half-made 
 potato-sack ? " 
 
 It was the baker who was joking in this 
 wise. He had come up the hill a little 
 way, to refresh himself after his hot day's 
 work, and had quietly watched Peter as he 
 
230 HEIDI. 
 
 rolled, not unlike the bath-chair, down the 
 steep mountain-side. 
 
 The lad hastened to regain his feet. A 
 new fear had seized him. Now the baker 
 knew, too, that the chair had been shoveci 
 down. Without a single glance backward, 
 Peter turned again up the mountain. If 
 he could have had his way he would have 
 liked to creep into his bed, for he felt 
 safest there. But his goats were up above, 
 and the uncle had strictly charged him to 
 come back quickly, because they ought not 
 to be left very long alone. He was afraid 
 of the uncle, and had never yet ventured 
 to disobey him. Peter groaned aloud and 
 limped on ; it must be, he must go up 
 again. But he could not run ; the anxiety, 
 and the manifold bruises that he had just 
 received, distressed him too much. So on 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FOREVER. 23 I 
 
 he went, limping and groaning all the way 
 up the Alp. 
 
 Mr. Sesemann reached the first cottage 
 soon after he had seen Peter, and when he 
 thus knew that he was on the right path, 
 he went on more courageously. At last 
 he saw his goal before him. There stood 
 the Aim hut, and there the dark treetops 
 of the old pines waved to and fro. 
 
 Mr. Sesemann went gayly along the last 
 ascent, picturing to himself his daughter's 
 pleased surprise. He was quickly discov- 
 ered and recognized by the party before 
 the hut, where a surprise was ready for the 
 father of which he had no idea. As he 
 came up the last steps of the hill, two 
 figures came towards him ; a large gir.\ 
 with fair hair and a rosy face, supporting 
 herself upon the smaller Heidi, out of 
 
2.32 HEIDI. 
 
 whose dark eyes streamed glances of hap 
 piness. Mr. Sesemann started ; he stood 
 still, and stared at the approaching chil- 
 dren. Suddenly great tears rolled down 
 his cheeks. What remembrances were 
 rising" in his heart ? It was the ima^e of 
 Klara's mother that rose before him, so 
 had she looked, such oolden locks, such 
 rosy cheeks. Mr. Sesemann did not know 
 if he were awake or asleep. 
 
 "Papa, do you not know me again? 
 Am I really so much altered ? " And with 
 the words Klara was clasped in her father's 
 arms. 
 
 •'Yes, you are altered! Is it possible? 
 Is it reality?'' The father drew a step or 
 two backward, to see if the picture would 
 not vanish from before his eyes; then again 
 he folded her in his arms, and then held 
 
A PARTING. BUT NOT FOREVER. 233 
 
 her off from him, Lu gaze on her rosy 
 cheeks and to see how firmly she held 
 herself. 
 
 By this time the grandmamma had come 
 up, for she could not wait another moment, 
 she was so desirous of seeintr her son's 
 happy face. 
 
 "What do you say, my son? The sur- 
 prise you have given us is good ; but ours 
 for you is far better, is it not ? " and she 
 kissed her son affectionately ; " but now 
 you must come up to the hut to make the 
 acquaintance of the uncle, who is our great 
 benefactor." 
 
 " Certainly, and I ought to say a v.ord 
 to our little fricM^l here," said Mr. Sese- 
 mann, as he shook Heidi's hand. '* How 
 is it ? Fresh and healthy once more on 
 the Alp ? But it is u.seless to ask, no 
 
234 HEIDI. 
 
 x'\lpine rose could look more blooming 
 This is a pleasure to me, child, a real 
 pleasure." 
 
 Heidi looked affectionately up into Mr 
 Sesemann's face. How good he had 
 always been to her ! and that now, here on 
 the Alp, such a great happiness should 
 have befallen him, made Heidi's heart beat 
 rapidly for joy. 
 
 Mrs. Sesemann carried her son off now 
 to see the Aim uncle. The two men stood 
 holding each other's hands, and Mr. Sese- 
 mann expressed his gratitude and aston- 
 ishment at what seemed to him almost a 
 miracle ; and the grandmamma turned 
 away, for she had said all this a few mo- 
 ments before, and she wished to have 
 another look at the old pines. Here, 
 under the shade of the trees, where the 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FOREVER. 235 
 
 broad branches left a free place, stood a 
 great cluster of most wonderful dark-blue 
 gentians, as fresh as if they grew there 
 naturally. She clasped her hands with 
 pleasure and astonishment. 
 
 " How splendid ! How lovely ! What 
 a sight! Come here, Heidi, my dear 
 child, did you arrange this for me ? It is 
 perfectly wonderful ! " 
 
 The children were by her side in a 
 moment. " No, no, I did not do it," said 
 Heidi ; " but I know who did." 
 
 " That is just the way it looks up in the 
 pasture, and more beautiful yet," said 
 I\Jara. " But guess, grandmamma, w^ho 
 brought \ou these flowers early in the 
 morni.ig from the pasture ! " and Klara 
 smiled so merrily that the grandmamma 
 began to think the child had been up the/i; 
 
236^____:,^ HEIDI. 
 
 herself before her arrival. But that in- 
 deed was a thing- impossible^. 
 
 A slight noise was just then heard under 
 the pines. It was made by Peter, who had 
 just got back. When he saw from afar 
 who was there with the Aim uncle, he had 
 made a wide circuit, and was creeping 
 secretly along under the trees. The 
 grandmamma recognized him, and a new 
 idea took possession of her. Peter must 
 have brought these beautiful flowers down 
 for her, and now was hiding himself for 
 bashfulness. No, that could not be per- 
 mitted, he must have a little recompense. 
 
 " Come, my lad, come here ; quick, 
 don't be afraid ! " said the grandmamma, 
 and peered, as she spoke, through the 
 *:rees at Peter. 
 
 The lad stood still, stiff with fear. Es- 
 
.1 PARTING. BUT NOT FOREVER. 237 
 
 rape was no longer possible to him. He 
 had but one idea left, "It is out!" His 
 hair stood on end, and pale and trembling 
 he crept out from behind the pines. 
 
 " Come, my boy, don't stay there," said 
 the grandmamma, meaning- to encourage 
 him. " Now tell me, did you do it?" 
 
 As Peter did not raise his eyes, he did 
 not see where the lady was pointing. He 
 did see that the uncle was standing not 
 far off at the corner of the hut, piercing 
 him with his clear gray eyes, and that the 
 most dreadful of all people in the w-orld, 
 the policeman froni Frankfort, w-as stand- 
 ing by his side. Trembling and quivering 
 in every limb, Peter gave forth a loud cry ; 
 it was " Yes ! " 
 
 " Now% now%" said the grandmamma, 
 "what does all this fright mean?" 
 
38 HEIDI. 
 
 "Because — because — it is all broker. 
 t.o pieces, and can never be mended," 
 stammered the lad, and his knees shook 
 so that he could no longer stand. 
 
 The orrandmamma went towards the cor- 
 
 o 
 
 ner of the hut. " My dear uncle," said 
 she compassionately, " is that boy really 
 cracked ? " 
 
 " No, not in the least," said the uncle 
 reassuringly ; " the boy is only the wind, 
 that chased the bath-chair down the moun- 
 tain, and now he is expecting his well- 
 earned punishment." 
 
 The grandmamma could hardly believe 
 this, for she did not find Peter at all mis- 
 chievous in appearance ; and then, he had 
 no reason for destroying thvs very useful 
 bath-chair. The uncle, indeed, had only 
 a suspicion to sustain his assertion, a sus- 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FOREVER. 23c 
 
 picion that he had conceived directly after 
 the deed. The scowhng looks that Peter 
 had cast at Klara from the very' beginning, 
 and all the sig-ns of dislike he had mani- 
 fested towards the visitors to the Alp, 
 had not escaped him. He had put this 
 and that together, and was quite con- 
 vinced that he understood the whole story 
 which he now confided to the orrandmamma. 
 When he had finished, the lady declared 
 with great energy: "No, my dear uncle, 
 no, no, the poor boy has been quite 
 enough punished. One must be merciful. 
 Here come strange people from Frankfort 
 and carry off his Heidi from him, for whole 
 weeks at a time, his only happiness, and 
 truly a great happiness, and he sits up 
 there alone day after day, and looks on. 
 No, no, one must be forgiving. Anger 
 
240 HEIDI. 
 
 has overpowered him, and driven him to a 
 revenge which was rather a stupid one, I 
 must acknowledge, but anger makes us all 
 stupid." 
 
 With this the grandmamma went over 
 to the poor fellow, who was still trembling 
 and shaking violently. She sat down on 
 the bench under the pines, and said kindly • 
 " Now come here, my lad, I have something 
 to say to you. Stop shivering and shak- 
 ing, and listen ; you must obey me. You 
 pushed the bath-chair down the mountain, 
 to break it in pieces. It was ver)' wrong, 
 and )'OU knew it ; and that you deserved 
 to be punished you knew also, and so you 
 tried very hard to prevent anybody from 
 finding out what you had done. But now 
 you see, whoever has done a wrong deed., 
 and thinks that no one knows it, deceives 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FOR1;VP:r. 24 1 
 
 himself. The good God sees and hears 
 everything, and as soon as he sees that 
 anybody has done wrong, and wishes to 
 hide it. he wakens quickly in that person 
 the little watchman, that he has placed in 
 eveiybody at his birth, and that is allowed 
 to sleep until that person has done some- 
 thintr wrono"- The little watchman has a 
 
 o o 
 
 little sting in his hand, and with that he 
 keeps pricking the wrong-doer, until he 
 has not one moment's peace. And then 
 he worries the tormented person with his 
 voice, for he calls out continually, ' Now 
 they are coming to punish )ou ! Now it 
 is all found out ! ' So he is always anxious 
 and frightened, and has no comfort, not 
 one bit. Have you not felt .something like 
 this, Peter, just now ? " 
 
 Peter nodded quite abashed, but con- 
 sent ingly, for the description was exact 
 
242 HEIDI, 
 
 " And yet, in one way, you were wTong 
 in your calculation," said the grandmamma 
 further. " Just see how that wrong thing 
 that you did has turned out to be the 
 best, the very best, for the person towards 
 whom you felt so unkindly. Because 
 Klara had no chair, in which she could be 
 carried up the mountain to see the lovely 
 fiowers, she made great exertions to get 
 to them ; and so she learned to walk, and 
 walks better and better every day. If she 
 stays here, at last she will be able to 
 go to the pasture whenever she chooses ; 
 much oftener than if she had to be rolled 
 up in her chair. So you see, Peter, the 
 good God can turn anything that is meant 
 to be wicked into something good for the 
 person who was to be hurt. And only 
 the evil-doer has the sorrow and harm. 
 
A PARTIXG, BUT NOT FOREVER. 243 
 
 Have you understood all that I have said, 
 Peter? Well, then, think on it; and ever\' 
 time you have an inclination to do some- 
 thing wrong, think of the little watchman 
 inside of you with his sting and disagree- 
 able voice. Will you promise me that ? " 
 
 " Yes, I will," replied Peter, still more 
 depressed, for he did not know in the least 
 what the end of this was to be ; there was 
 the policeman, standing all this time be- 
 side the uncle. 
 
 " Well, that is good. Now the thing is 
 settled," returned the grandmamma. " But 
 1 mean to give you something In remem- 
 brance of the people from Frankfort, some- 
 thing that you will like to have. So now^ 
 tell me, have you ever wished for anything 
 very much ? W'hat is it ? W^hat would 
 you like best to have ? " 
 
244 HEIDI. 
 
 At this Peter raised his head, and stared 
 at the grandmamma with big round eyeS. 
 He had been expecting something horrible 
 to happen to him, and now he was to get 
 something that he wanted very much ! He 
 scarcely knew what to think. 
 
 " Yes, yes, I am in earnest," said the 
 grandmamma, "you shall have something 
 that you will like very much, to remind 
 you of us, and to show you that we do not 
 remember what you have done to harm us. 
 Do you understand, my boy?" 
 
 At this Peter's prospect began to clear 
 up a little, and he understood that he had 
 no punishment to fear, and that the £^ood 
 woman before whom he stood would save 
 him from the power of the police. He 
 felt a sense of relief as if a mountain 
 were lifted that had been weighing him 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FOREVER. 245 
 
 down to the ground. He had also learned 
 that it is wiser to acknowledore at once 
 what one has done that is wrong, than to 
 wait until it is found out; so he said, "And 
 I lost the paper too." 
 
 The grandmamma had to ponder a little 
 over this abrupt announcement, but she 
 soon discovered the connection, and said 
 kindly : " Yes, yes, that is v-ery good of 
 you, to tell it. Always confess anything 
 you have done that is wrong, and then it 
 ran be repaired. Now tell me what you 
 wish for." 
 
 Peter realized now that he had leave to 
 wish for anything in the world, and he felt 
 almost. dizzy. The whole fair at Mayenfeld 
 swam before his eyes, with all the beautiful 
 things that he had stood for hours looking 
 at and never even hoping to possess ; foi 
 
J?46 HEIDI. 
 
 Peter's fortune was never so great but that 
 everything there cost at least its double. 
 There were the handsome red whistles, 
 which he could use for his goats so nice- 
 ly ; there were the tempting kni\es with 
 round handles, toad-stickers they were 
 called, with which one could do a livel) 
 business in the hazel copses. 
 
 The boy stood deep in thought, trying 
 to decide which of these two was the more 
 desirable, and he found it impossible to 
 thoosc. Presently a luminous idea came 
 to him, by which means he could wait until 
 the next fair, and have time to think it 
 well over. 
 
 "A two-cent piece," he said, quite de- 
 cided. 
 
 The crrandmamma lauofhed. 
 
 " That is not extravagant. Come here I " 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FOREVER, 247 
 
 She drew out her purse, and took from it 
 a big round dollar, upon which she placed 
 two two-cent hits. " We will make a little 
 ':alculation," she said. " Here we have as 
 many two-cent bits as there are weeks in 
 the year. You can take two cents every 
 Sunday, and so have a bit every week all 
 the year round." 
 
 "All the rest of my life?" asked the 
 boy innocently. 
 
 At this the grandmamma began to 
 laugh so immoderately that the uncle and 
 Mr. Sesemann broke off their conversa- 
 tion, to hear what it was about. 
 
 The grandmamma kept on laughing. 
 
 " You shall have it, my lad ; there shall 
 be a clause in my will to that effect — do 
 you hear, my son ? Two cents a week to 
 the goat- Peter, as long as he shall live." 
 
a48 i\Zivi. 
 
 Mr. Sesemann nodded approvingly, and 
 joined in the laugh. 
 
 Peter gazed at the money in his hand, 
 to see if it were really true ; then he said, 
 "Thank God!" and ran off in a most un- 
 usual fashion ; but this time he kept his 
 feet, for he was not driven by fear but by 
 joy, a joy such as Peter had never yet 
 known. All fear and anxiety were gone, 
 and he was to have a two-cent bit every 
 week for all the rest of his life ! 
 
 Later in the day, when the party had 
 finished their merry dinner before the hut, 
 and sat there talking over all sorts of 
 things, Klara took her father, whose face 
 beamed more and more with joy each time 
 he looked at her, by the hand, and said, 
 with a sprightliness that no one had ever 
 observed in the delicate and languid child : 
 
 i 
 
A PARTING, KUT NOT FOREVER. 249 
 
 " O papa, if you only could know what the 
 grandfather has done for me ! vSo mucli 
 ever)' day that it would be impossible to 
 tell it all, but I shall never forget it in all 
 my life. x'Xnd I shall always be thinking 
 how I can do something for him, or send 
 him a present, that will give him half the 
 happiness that he has given me." 
 
 "This is also my greatest wish, my dear 
 child," said her father ; " I am at this mo- 
 ment thinking of it, of how we can in 
 some small measure repay what we owe to 
 his kindness." 
 
 With the words Mr. Sesemann rose and 
 went towards the uncle, who w^as sitting 
 beside the grandmamma and talking with 
 her very animatedly, but who rose as his 
 guest came towards him. " My dear 
 friend," said Mr. Sesemann, taking the old 
 
250 HEIDI. 
 
 man's hand very affectionately, " let me 
 say a word to you ! You can easily under- 
 stand that for many years I have not 
 known real happiness. What were all my 
 money and possessions worth to me when 
 I glanced at my child, and felt that I could 
 never make her sound or well, no matter 
 how much I might accumulate ? Next to 
 our good Heavenly Father I feel that you 
 have healed her for me, and have given 
 nie, as well as the child, a new life. Now 
 tell me how I can show you my gratitude. 
 Recompense you I cannot, but what I pos- 
 sess I place at your disposal. Speak, m)- 
 friend, is there anything I can do?" 
 
 The Aim uncle had listened in silence, 
 while surveying the happy parent with a 
 benevolent smile. 
 , "Mr. Sesemann will well believe that 1 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT Ff)REVER. 251 
 
 have my share in the pleasure of this cure, 
 which has been worked on my belo\-ed 
 Aim ; my trouble is more than repaid," 
 said he, in his decided manner. " I thank 
 Mr. Sesemann for his kind offer, but I 
 need nothing whatever. As long as I may 
 live, I have enough for myself and for my 
 grandchild. I have one wish, however, 
 and could that be fulfilled, I should for this 
 life feel no further concern." 
 
 " Name it, name it, my dear friend," 
 beesfed Mr. Sesemann. 
 
 " I am old," continued the uncle, " and 
 cannot live very much longer. When I 
 go, I cannot leave the child anything, and 
 she has no other relatives ; no one person, 
 who would take charge of her and care for 
 her. If Mr. Sesemann will give me the 
 assurance that Heidi need never go out 
 
252 HEIDI. 
 
 into the world to seek her bread among 
 strangers, he will have richly repaid me for 
 what I have done for his daughter." 
 
 " But, my dear friend," said Mr. Sese- 
 mann, " there can never be any question 
 of that at ?ill ; the child belongs to us. 
 Ask my mother, ask my daughter, if they 
 would ever dreani of allowing Heidi to go 
 to anybody else, ^s lopg as they were liv- 
 ing. But if it woyld be of the least com- 
 fort to you, here is rny hand upon it. I 
 promise you that this child shall never in 
 her life go out to earn her bread amongst 
 strangers. I will provide against that, 
 now and after my death. I will say too 
 thut this child of yours is not made to live 
 amongst strangers, no matter how favora- 
 ble the circumstances might be ; we have 
 experienced that. But she has made 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FOREVER. 253 
 
 friends for herself. I know such an one ; 
 he is in Frankfort, he is closing up his 
 affairs, to be able to go where he will and 
 give himself some rest. That is my friend 
 Dr. Classen, who means to return here in 
 the autumn, and to establish himself, tak- 
 ing council with you, in this neighborhood, 
 for he has never felt so well elsewhere, he 
 says. So you see the child Heidi will 
 have henceforth two protectors near her. 
 May you both live long and happily 
 together ! " 
 
 '* God grant this may be so," said the 
 grandmamma, and she shook the uncle's 
 hand for a long time with great cordiality. 
 Then putting her arm round Heidi's neck, 
 for the child stood near her, she said very 
 tenderly: "And you, my dear child, you 
 must also ask for something. Tell me 
 
254 HEIDI. 
 
 now, have you no wish that you would 
 gladly have fulfilled ? " 
 
 " Yes, nideed, I have," answered Heidi, 
 and looked at the grandmamma with much 
 satisfaction. 
 
 " Well, tell me at once, my child." 
 
 " I should like to have my bed from 
 Frankfort with the high pillows and the 
 thick coverlet, because the blind grand 
 mother has to lie with her head down and 
 can scarcely breathe, and then she will be 
 warm enough under the coverlet, and nol 
 have to wear the shawl in bed because she 
 is so cold." 
 
 Heidi had said this without stopping tc 
 breathe, she was in such haste to express 
 this darling wish of hers. 
 
 " Oh, my dear Heidi, what are you 
 saying?" cried the grandmamma, much 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FOREVER. 255 
 
 moved. "It Is a good thing that you re 
 minded me of this, for in greaL happiness 
 it is so easy to forget one's duties. When 
 God sends us everything that is good, we 
 ought to thintc of those who are deprived 
 of so much ! We will telegraph to Frank- 
 fort at once. This very day Rottenmeier 
 shall pack the bed, and it will get here in 
 two days. God willing, the grandmother 
 shall sleep well in it ! " 
 
 Heidi danced round and round the 
 grandmamma, as the easiest way to ex- 
 press her delight. But suddenly she 
 stood still and said : " Now I rhust eo 
 down to tell the Qrrandmother all about it ; 
 she will be anxious because I have not 
 been to see her for so loner." 
 
 " No, no, Heidi, what are you thinking 
 oH " said her grandfather reprovingly. 
 
256 HEIDI. 
 
 *' When one has visitors, it is not proper to 
 run away and leave them." 
 
 But the grandmamma supported Heidi. 
 
 *' The child is right, my dear uncle," 
 said she, " the poor grandmother has for a 
 long time been deprived of enough on our 
 account. We will all oro top-ether to see 
 her, and I will take my horse from her 
 cottagfe. Then we will g-o down to Dorfli, 
 and will telegraph at once to Frankfort. 
 What do you think of it, my son ? " 
 
 But IVIr. Sesemann had not yet had 
 time to talk over his trip. He therefore 
 begged his mother to be quiet a little 
 while, and not to start off so hastily, as he 
 wished to say a few more words to the 
 uncle. 
 
 Mr. Sesemann had proposed to travel a 
 jlittle with his mother through Switzerland, 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FOREVER. 257 
 
 and to see if Klara were strong enough to 
 make a short distance with them. Now, it 
 was all so different ; he could have the 
 most delightfully interesting trip with his 
 daugfhter, and he would make use of these 
 beautiful late summer da)'s for that pur- 
 [X)se. He therefore proposed to pass the 
 night in Dorfli, and the next day to take 
 Klara awa)' from the Aim, in order to 
 journey with her to her grandmamma in 
 Ragatzbad, and from there farther. 
 
 Klara was rather cast down at this sud- 
 den prospect of leaving the Alp ; but it 
 would certainly be a very delightful trip, 
 and then this was not a time to show any 
 disappointment. 
 
 The grandmamma had risen and taken 
 Heidi's hand, ready to start on their walk, 
 when she turned suddenly about, rather 
 
^5^ HEIDI. 
 
 Startled, for she had just remembered her 
 granddaughter. "But what in the world 
 shall we do with Klara ? " she said ; " the 
 walk will be far too long for her." 
 
 The uncle took his foster daughter on 
 his arm, and followed with firm steps the 
 grandmamma and Heidi. Last of all 
 came Mr. Sesemann, and in this manner 
 they went down the mountain. 
 
 Heidi went dancing and jumping along 
 by the grandmammas side, and the latter 
 wished to know all about the poor blind 
 woman, how she lived, and how everything 
 went on in her house, especially in the 
 cold winter. Heidi could tell all about 
 this, for she knew how the grandmother 
 sat drawn together in her corner, trem- 
 bling with cold ; knew, too, what she had 
 to eat, as well as what she did not have. 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FOREVER. 259 
 
 4. 
 
 The grandmamma listened with the hve- 
 liest interest to Heidi's account, until they 
 reached the hut. Brigitte was just then 
 busy hanging Peter's second shirt in the 
 sun to dr)', so that when he had worn 
 the other long enough he could change. 
 She caught sight of the company, and 
 ran into the cottage. 
 
 " Now they are all going away, mother," 
 she said ; " there is a whole procession 
 of them, and the uncle is carrying the sick 
 child." 
 
 " Oh, must it really be ? " sighed the 
 grandmother. " Are they going to take 
 Heidi with them ? Did you see that ? 
 Oh, how I wish I could take her hand 
 once more ! If I could only hear her 
 speak again ! " 
 
 At this moment the door flew open, and 
 
26o HEIDI. 
 
 Heidi came leaping in, up to the corner 
 where the old woman sat, and hugged her 
 tightly. " Grandmother ! grandmother ! 
 my bed is coming from Frankfort, and all 
 the three pillows, and the thick coverlet. 
 They will be here in two days, the grand- 
 mamma says so." 
 
 Heidi was not able to bring out her 
 words fast enough, in her impatience to 
 see the great delight of the grandmother, 
 who smiled, but looked rather sad, 
 
 " Oh, what a good woman she is ! I 
 ought to be glad that she is taking you 
 away with her, Heidi ; but I shall not live 
 long, after it." 
 
 "What? what? who told the good old 
 grandmother such a thing as that ? " It 
 was the friendly voice of Mrs. Sesemann, 
 and her hand grasped that of the blind 
 
A PARTING, r.UT NOT FOREVER. 26 1 
 
 woman, which she pressed warmly. " No, 
 no ! there is no talk of any such thing. 
 Heidi is going to stay with the grand- 
 mother, and aKva)s make her happy. We 
 wished to see the child again, but we came 
 to her. We shall come up to the Aim 
 ever)' year, for we have good reason to 
 thank God for the goodness he has shown 
 to us up here, where he has performed a 
 miracle on our dear child ! " 
 
 With this the light of true happiness 
 came over the face of the grandmother, 
 and with speechless joy she pressed the 
 hand of the kind Mrs. Sesemann, while 
 two big tears rolled slowly down her face. 
 Heidi recognized the look of happiness, 
 however, and was contented. 
 
 " It is true, grandmother, is it not?" she 
 said, as she nestled closely up to the old 
 
262 HEIDI. 
 
 woman, "just as we read a while ago in 
 the hymn-book. The bed from Frankfort 
 is provided." 
 
 " Yes, Heidi, and all the many, many 
 things that God gives me. How is it pos- 
 sible that there can be such good people, 
 who will trouble themselves about a poor 
 old creature like me, and do so much for 
 her? It is not strange that we can believe 
 in a good Father in heaven, who takes 
 thoutrht for the least of his creatures, when 
 we learn that there are people who are full 
 of kindness and pity for such a poor use- 
 less old woman as I am." 
 
 " My good grandmother, before our 
 Father in heaven we are all alike pitiful," 
 said Mrs. Sesemann, " and we are all 
 equally in need of his care. And now 
 farewell, but we shall soon meet again, for 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FUREVEK. 263 
 
 we shall come next year, and not forget to 
 visit you then. Wa will not forget that ! " 
 Mrs. Sesemann took the old woman's hand 
 again, and shook it kindly. 
 
 Now they went down to the valley, Mr. 
 Sesemann and his mother, while the uncle 
 took Klara up once more in his arms, and 
 Heidi gambolled along by his side, up the 
 Aim without stopping once to rest. She 
 was indeed happy at the grandmother's 
 good fortune. 
 
 There w^ere hot tears shed the next 
 morning when it was time for Klara to 
 take leave ; the girl was very loath to part 
 from her friends, and from the beautiful 
 Aim where she had felt well, as she had 
 never felt before. But Heidi comforted 
 her, saying : " It will be summer again 
 before we think of it, and then you will 
 
2^4 HEIDI. 
 
 come again, and it will be more beautiful 
 than ever. Then wg can begin at once to 
 walk about, and go up every day with the 
 goats to the pasture, and see the flowers. 
 ana everything will be delightful from the 
 beginning." 
 
 Mr. Sesemann came, as agreed upon, to 
 fetch his daughter. While he stood talk- 
 ing with the grandfather, Klara wiped the 
 tears from her eyes, for Heidi's words had 
 comforted her a little. 
 
 "Give my good-bye to Peter," she said, 
 " and to all the goats. I wish I could give 
 Schwanli something, she has helped so 
 n uch in making me Avell." 
 
 " You can do that easily enough," said 
 Heidi. " Send her a little salt, you know 
 how she likes to lick it from my grand 
 father's hand in the evening." 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FOREVER. 265 
 
 This counsel pleased Klara. "Oh. I 
 will send a hundred pounds from Frank- 
 fort," she cried, " as a remembrance of 
 
 me." 
 
 IMr. Sesjmann here beckoned to the 
 children, for he must be going, ^irs. 
 Sesemann's white horse had been sent up 
 for Klara. She could ride down now, she 
 no longer needed a litter. 
 
 Heidi stationed herself on the most 
 prominent point of the slope, and waved 
 her hand to Klara until there was no 
 longer a sign of horse or rider to be seen. 
 
 The bed from Frankfort has arrived, and 
 the grandmother sleeps so soundly every 
 night that she will certainly get new 
 strength from it. The good grandmamma 
 has also not forgotten the hard winter on 
 the Alp. She has sent a big package to 
 
266 HEIDI. 
 
 the goat-Peter's cottage, and in it were all 
 sorts of warm things, so that the grand- 
 mother could wrap herself up very snugly, 
 and not shiver from the cold any more in 
 her corner. 
 
 In Dorfli a great building is going up. 
 The doctor has come from Frankfort, and 
 has for the time beinu eone into his 
 former quarters. By the advice of the 
 uncle, the doctor has purchased the old 
 buildine that he and Heidi lived in, which 
 was formerly a fine house, as one might 
 see from the room where the stove with 
 the beautiful tiles stood. This part the 
 doctor is to have arranged for his lodging. 
 The other part will be put in condition for 
 the uncle and Heidi, for the doctor recog- 
 nizes in his old friend an independent 
 man, who must have his own dwelling- 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FOREVER. 267 
 
 place. Quite at the back Schwlinli and 
 Barli will have comfortable winter lodg- 
 ings. 
 
 The doctor and the Aim uncle are daily 
 more and more intimate, and as they walk 
 about inspecting the progress of the build- 
 ing in Dorlli, their talk falls mostly upon 
 Heidi, for their greatest pleasure in the 
 new dwelling is that the happy child will 
 here live with them. 
 
 " My dear friend," said the doctor re- 
 cently to his companion, as they stood 
 together on the walls, " you must look at 
 the thing from my point of view. I share 
 all your pleasure in the child as if I were 
 her next nearest relative ; I must also share 
 all duties, and decide what will be best for 
 her welfan*. In this wa)' I shall have a 
 kind of right to our Heidi, and can hope 
 
268 HEIDI. 
 
 that she will care for me in my old age, 
 and stay with me and nurse me. That is 
 my dearest wish. She shall be recognized 
 as my heiress, and Vvhen we leave her be- 
 hind, you and I, we need not be anxious 
 about her comfort." 
 
 The uncle pressed the doctor's hand 
 long in silence. In his eyes were visible 
 the emotion and pure joy that stirred his 
 heart to its depths. 
 
 In the mean time, Heidi and Peter sat 
 together at the grandmother's side, and 
 the former had so much to tell and the 
 latter so much to hear that the\' pressed 
 closer and closer against the happy blind 
 woman, who listened intently to the little 
 girl's account ^i liic e^citi.is^ events of the 
 past summer, when Heidi's visitors pre- 
 vented her from going to the cottage. 
 
A PARTING, BUT NOT FOREVER. 269 
 
 And of the three who sat thus together, 
 each looked happier than the other, be- 
 cause of being all once more together, and 
 because of all the delightful things that 
 had taken place. Perhaps the face of 
 Peter's mother was the happiest of all, she 
 had just now for the first time clearly 
 understood from Heidi the true history of 
 her son's two-cent pieces. 
 
 At last the grrandmother said : " Heidi, 
 read me a hymn of praise ! It seems to 
 me that I ought to do nothing but praise 
 and glorify our Lord God in heaven, for 
 all that he has in his mercy granted us, his 
 poor children." 
 
 F.NT^ OF VOT- II. 
 
^