Heidi
each other bad things, and not going to live up on the rocks, where it
is so much better."
"Heaven have mercy on us, the child is out of her mind!" cried Miss
Rottermeyer, and she turned and went quickly up the steps. "Go and
bring that unhappy little creature in at once," she ordered Sebastian.
"What, are you in trouble again?" said Sebastian in a pleasant voice,
as he led Heidi back up the stairs. He tried to cheer her up by telling
her he was taking good care of all the kittens. But she was too sad to
care and silently crept away to her room.
At supper that evening she sat without moving or eating; all she did
was to hastily hide her roll in her pocket.
Next day Miss Rottermeyer made up her mind that she would supplement
Heidi's clothing with various garments from Clara's wardrobe, so as to
give her a decent appearance when Mr. Sesemann returned. She confided
her intention to Clara, who was quite willing to give up any number
of dresses and hats to Heidi; so the lady went upstairs to overhaul
the child's belongings and see what was to be kept and what thrown
away. She returned, however, in the course of a few minutes with an
expression of horror upon her face.
"What is this, Adelaide, that I find in your wardrobe!" she exclaimed.
"I never heard of any one doing such a thing before! In a cupboard
meant for clothes, Adelaide, what do I see at the bottom but a heap of
rolls! Will you believe it, Clara, bread in a wardrobe! a whole pile of
bread!"
"Tinette," she called, "go upstairs and take away all those rolls out
of Adelaide's cupboard and the old straw hat on the table."
"No! no!" screamed Heidi. "I must keep the hat, and the rolls are for
grandmother," and she was rushing to stop Tinette when Miss Rottermeyer
caught hold of her: "You will stop here, and all that bread and rubbish
shall be taken to the place they belong to," she said in a determined
tone as she kept her hand on the child to prevent her running forward.
Heidi flung herself down on Clara's couch and broke into a wild fit
of weeping, sobbing out at intervals, "Now grandmother's bread is all
gone! They were all for grandmother, and now they are taken away, and
grandmother won't have one," and she wept as if her heart would break.
She could not get over her sobs for a long time; she would never have
been able to leave off crying at all if it had not been for Clara's
promise that she should have fresh, new rolls to take to grandmother
when the time came for her to go home.
When Heidi got into bed that night she found her old straw hat lying
under the counterpane. She snatched it up with delight, made it more
out of shape still in her joy, and then, after wrapping a handkerchief
round it, she stuck it in a corner of the cupboard as far back as she
could.
It was Sebastian who had hidden it there for her; he had been in the
dining-room when Tinette was called, and had heard all that went on
with the child and the latter's loud weeping. So he followed Tinette,
and when she came out of Heidi's room carrying the rolls and the hat,
he caught up the hat and said, "I will see to this old thing."
CHAPTER IX
MR. SESEMANN TAKES HEIDI'S PART
A few days after these events there was great commotion and much
running up and down stairs in Mr. Sesemann's house. The master had just
returned, and Sebastian and Tinette were busy carrying up one package
after another from the carriage, for Mr. Sesemann always brought back
a lot of pretty things for his home. He himself had not waited to do
anything before going in to see his daughter. Heidi was sitting beside
her, for it was late afternoon, when the two were always together.
Father and daughter greeted each other with warm affection, for they
were deeply attached to one another. Then he held out his hand to
Heidi, who had stolen away into the corner, and said kindly to her,
"And this is our little Swiss girl; come and shake hands with me!
That's right! Now, tell me, are Clara and you good friends with one
another, or do you get angry and quarrel, and then cry and make it up,
and then start quarrelling again on the next occasion?"
"No, Clara is always kind to me," answered Heidi.
"And Heidi," put in Clara quickly, "has not once tried to quarrel."
"That's all right, I am glad to hear it," said her father, as he rose
from his chair. "But you must excuse me, Clara, for I have had nothing
to eat all day. Afterwards I will show you all the things I have
brought home with me."
He found Miss Rottermeyer in the dining-room and when he had taken his
place she sat down opposite to him, looking so gloomy that he turned to
her and said, "What is the matter?"
"Mr. Sesemann," began the lady in a solemn voice, "we have been
frightfully imposed upon."
"Indeed, in what way?" asked Mr. Sesemann as he went on calmly drinking
his wine.
"Well, I supposed I was getting a well-behaved and nicely brought up
little Swiss girl for Clara's companion but I have been shockingly,
disgracefully imposed upon."
"But how? what is there shocking and disgraceful? I see nothing
shocking in the child," remarked Mr. Sesemann quietly.
"If you only knew the kind of people and animals she has brought into
the house during your absence! The tutor can tell you more about that."
"Animals? what am I to understand by animals, Miss Rottermeyer?"
"It is past understanding; the whole behavior of the child would be
past understanding, if it were not that at times she is evidently not
in her right mind."
At that moment the door opened and the tutor was announced. "Ah! here
is some one," exclaimed Mr. Sesemann, "who will help to clear up
matters for me. Take a seat," he continued, as he held out his hand to
the tutor. "And now tell me, what is the matter with this child that
has come to be a companion to my daughter?"
The tutor started in his usual style. "If I must give my opinion about
this little girl, I should like first to state that, if on one side,
there is a lack of development which has been caused by the more or
less careless way in which she has been brought up--"
"My good friend," interrupted Mr. Sesemann, "you are giving yourself
more trouble than you need. I only want to know what your opinion is as
to her being a fit companion or not for my daughter?"
"I should not like in any way to prejudice you against her," began
the tutor once more; "for if on the one hand there is a certain
inexperience of the ways of society, owing to the uncivilized life she
led up to the time of her removal to Frankfurt, on the other hand she
is endowed with certain good qualities, and, taken on the whole--"
"Excuse me, my dear sir, do not disturb yourself, but I must--I think
my daughter will be wanting me," and with that Mr. Sesemann quickly
left the room and went into the study to talk to Clara.
"And now, my dear," he said, drawing his chair nearer and laying her
hand in his, "what kind of animals has your little companion brought
into the house, and why does Miss Rottermeyer think that she is not
always in her right mind?"
Clara had no difficulty in answering. She told her father everything
about the tortoise and the kittens, and explained to him what Heidi
had said the day Miss Rottermeyer had been put in such a fright. Mr.
Sesemann laughed heartily at her recital. "So you do not want me to
send the child home again," he asked, "you are not tired of having her
here?"
"Oh, no, no," Clara exclaimed, "please do not send her away. Time has
passed much more quickly since Heidi has been here, for something fresh
happens every day, and it used to be so dull, and she has always so
much to tell me."
That evening when Mr. Sesemann and Miss Rottermeyer were alone,
settling the household affairs, he informed her that he intended to
keep Heidi, for his daughter liked her as a companion. "I desire," he
continued, "that the child shall be in every way kindly treated, and
that her peculiarities shall not be looked upon as crimes. If you find
her too much for you alone, I can hold out a prospect of help for I am
expecting my mother here on a long visit, and she, as you know, can get
along with anybody, whatever they may be like."
"O yes, I know," replied Miss Rottermeyer, but there was no tone of
relief in her voice as she thought of the coming help.
Mr. Sesemann was only home for a short time; he left for Paris again
before the fortnight was over, comforting Clara with the prospect of
her grandmother's arrival, which was to take place in a few days'
time. Clara talked so much about her grandmother that Heidi began also
to call her "grandmamma," which brought forth a look of displeasure
from Miss Rottermeyer. As she was going to her room that night, Miss
Rottermeyer waylaid her, and gave her strict orders not to call Mrs.
Sesemann "grandmamma," but always to say "madam."
CHAPTER X
CLARA'S LOVABLE GRANDMOTHER
There was much expectation and preparation about the house on the
following evening, for Grandmother Sesemann was coming. Tinette had a
new white cap on her head, and Sebastian collected all the footstools
he could find and placed them in convenient spots, so that the lady
might find one ready to her feet whenever she chose to sit.
At last the carriage came driving up to the door, and Tinette and
Sebastian ran down the steps, followed by the housekeeper, who advanced
to greet the guest. Heidi had been sent up to her room and ordered to
remain there until called down, as the grandmother would certainly
like to see Clara alone first. Heidi sat herself down in a corner and
repeated her instructions over to herself. She had not to wait long
before Tinette put her head in and said abruptly, "Go downstairs into
the study."
Heidi had not dared to ask Miss Rottermeyer again how she was to
address the grandmother: she thought the lady had perhaps made a
mistake, for she had never heard any one called by other than their
right name. As she opened the study door she heard a kind voice say,
"Ah, here comes the child! Come along and let me have a good look at
you."
Heidi walked up to her and said very distinctly in her clear voice,
"Good-evening, Mrs. Madam."
"Well!" said the grandmother laughing, "is that how they address people
in your home on the mountain?"
"No," replied Heidi gravely, "I never knew any one with that name
before."
"Nor I either," laughed the grandmother again as she patted Heidi's
cheek. "Never mind! when I am with the children I am always grandmamma;
you won't forget that name, will you?"
"No, no," Heidi assured her, "I often used to say it at home."
"I understand," said the grandmother, with a cheerful little nod of
the head. Then she looked more closely at Heidi, and the child looked
back at her with steady, serious eyes, for there was something kind
and warm-hearted about this newcomer that pleased Heidi, and indeed
everything about the grandmother attracted her. She had such beautiful
white hair, and two long lace ends hung down from the cap on her head
and waved gently about her face every time she moved, as if a soft
breeze were blowing round her, which gave Heidi a peculiar feeling of
pleasure.
"And what is your name, child?" the grandmother now asked.
"I am always called Heidi; but as I am now to be called Adelaide, I
will try and take care--" Heidi stopped short, for Miss Rottermeyer was
at this moment entering the room.
"Mrs. Sesemann will no doubt agree with me," she interrupted, "that it
was necessary to choose a name that could be pronounced easily, if only
for the sake of the servants."
"My worthy Rottermeyer," replied Mrs. Sesemann, "if a person is called
'Heidi' and has grown accustomed to that name, I call her by the same,
and so let it be."
Miss Rottermeyer was always very much annoyed that the old lady