Heidi
White with terror, and hardly able to make her voice heard, Heidi
answered, "I don't know."
But now the doctor stepped forward. "This is a matter for me to see to,
Sesemann; go back to your chair. I must take the child upstairs to her
bed."
And with that he put down his revolver and gently taking the child by
the hand led her upstairs. "Don't be frightened," he said as they went
up side by side, "it's nothing to be frightened about; it's all right,
only just go quietly."
On reaching Heidi's room the doctor put the candle down on the table,
and taking Heidi up in his arms laid her on the bed and carefully
covered her over. Then he sat down beside her and waited until she had
grown quieter and no longer trembled so violently. He then took her
hand and said in a kind, soothing voice, "There, now you feel better,
and now tell me where you were wanting to go to?"
"I did not want to go anywhere," said Heidi. "I did not know I went
downstairs, but all at once I was there."
"I see, and had you been dreaming, so that you seemed to see and hear
something very distinctly?"
"Yes, I dream every night, and always about the same things. I think
I am back with grandfather, and I hear the sound in the fir trees
outside, and I see the stars shining so brightly, and then I open the
door quickly and run out, and it is all so beautiful! But when I wake I
am still in Frankfurt." And Heidi struggled as she spoke to keep back
the sobs which seemed to choke her.
"And have you no pain anywhere? no pain in your head or back?"
"No, only a feeling as if there were a great stone weighing on me here."
"As if you had eaten something that would not go down."
"No, not like that; something heavy as if I wanted to cry very much."
"I see, and then do you have a good cry?"
"Oh, no, I mustn't; Miss Rottermeyer forbade me to cry."
"So you swallow it all down, I suppose? Are you happy here in
Frankfurt?"
"Yes," was the low answer; but it sounded more like "No."
"And where did you live with your grandfather?"
"Up on the mountain."
"That wasn't very amusing; rather dull at times, eh?"
"No, no, it was beautiful, beautiful!" Heidi could go no further; the
remembrance of the past, the excitement she had just gone through, the
long suppressed weeping, were too much for the child's strength; the
tears began to fall fast, and she broke into violent weeping.
The doctor patted her head kindly. "There, there, go on crying, it will
do you good, and then go to sleep: it will be all right tomorrow."
Then he left the room and went downstairs to Mr. Sesemann; when he was
once more sitting in the arm-chair opposite his friend, "Sesemann," he
said, "let me first tell you that your little charge is a sleep-walker;
she is the ghost who has nightly opened the front door and put your
household into this fever of alarm. Secondly, the child is consumed
with home-sickness to such an extent that she is nearly a skeleton
already, and soon will be quite one; something must be done at once.
There is but one remedy and that is to send her back to her native
mountain air. So tomorrow the child must start for home; there you have
my prescription."
Mr. Sesemann had risen and now paced up and down the room in the
greatest state of concern.
"What!" he exclaimed, "the child a sleep-walker and ill! All this has
taken place in my house and no one noticed it! And you mean, doctor,
that the child who came here happy and healthy, I am to send back to
her grandfather a miserable little skeleton? I can't do it; you cannot
dream of my doing such a thing! Take the child in hand, do with her
what you will, and make her whole and sound, and then she shall go
home; but you must cure her first."
"Sesemann," replied the doctor, "this illness of the child's is not
one to be cured with pills and powders. The child has not a strong
constitution, but if you send her back at once she may recover in the
mountain air, if not--you would rather she went back ill than not at
all?"
Mr. Sesemann stood still; the doctor's words were a shock to him.
"If you put it so, doctor, there is assuredly only one way--and that is
to send her home at once."
CHAPTER XIII
AT HOME AGAIN ON THE MOUNTAIN
At daylight Mr. Sesemann went quickly upstairs and along the passage to
Miss Rottermeyer's room, and there gave such an unusually loud knock at
the door that the lady awoke from sleep with a cry of alarm. She heard
the master of the house calling to her from the other side of the door,
"Please make haste and come down to the dining-room; we must make ready
for a journey at once."
When Miss Rottermeyer came down, with everything well adjusted about
her except her cap, which was put on hind side before, Mr. Sesemann
began without delay to give her directions. She was to get out a
trunk and pack up all the things belonging to Heidi, and a good part
of Clara's clothes as well, so that the child might take home proper
apparel.
Miss Rottermeyer stood as if rooted to the spot and stared in
astonishment at Mr. Sesemann. She had quite expected a long private
account of some terrible ghostly experience of his during the night.
But Mr. Sesemann had no thought or time for explanations and left her
standing there while he went to speak to Clara. He told her everything
that had occurred during the past night, and explained how Heidi's
nightly wanderings might gradually lead her farther and farther,
perhaps even on to the roof, which of course would be very dangerous
for her. And so they had decided to send her home at once, as he did
not like to take the responsibility of her remaining, and Clara would
see for herself that it was the only thing to do. Clara was very much
distressed, and at first made all kinds of suggestions for keeping
Heidi with her; but her father was firm, and promised her, if she would
be reasonable and make no further fuss, that he would take her to
Switzerland next summer.
Next he sent for Sebastian and told him to make ready to start: he was
to travel with Heidi as far as Basle that day, and the next day take
her home. He would give him a letter to carry to the grandfather, which
would explain everything, and he could then return to Frankfurt.
"But there is one thing in particular which I wish you to look after,"
said Mr. Sesemann in conclusion. "When you reach the hotel, go at once
into the child's room and see that the windows are all firmly fastened
so that they cannot be easily opened. After Heidi is in bed, lock the
door of her room on the outside, for the child walks in her sleep
and might run into danger in a strange house if she went wandering
downstairs and tried to open the front door; so you understand?"
"Oh! then that was it?" exclaimed Sebastian, for now a light was thrown
on the ghostly visitations.
"Yes, that was it! and you are a coward, and you may tell John he is
the same, and the whole household a pack of idiots." And with this Mr.
Sesemann went off to his study to write a letter to Alm-Uncle.
Meanwhile Heidi was standing expectantly dressed in her Sunday frock
waiting to see what would happen next, for Tinette had awakened her
with a shake and put on her clothes without a word of explanation. The
little uneducated child was far too much beneath her for Tinette to
speak to.
When she appeared at the breakfast table, Mr. Sesemann said: "You are
going home today, little one."
"Home?" murmured Heidi in a low voice, turning pale; she was so
overcome that for a moment or two she could hardly breathe.
"Don't you want to hear more about it?"
"Oh, yes, yes!" exclaimed Heidi, her face now rosy with delight.
"All right, then," said Mr. Sesemann as he sat down and made her a sign
to do the same, "but now eat a good breakfast, and then off you go in
the carriage."
But Heidi could not swallow a morsel though she tried to do what she
was told; she was in such a state of excitement that she hardly knew if
she was awake or dreaming, or if she would again open her eyes to find
herself in her nightgown at the front door.
"Tell Sebastian to take plenty of provisions with him," Mr. Sesemann
called out to Miss Rottermeyer, who just then came into the room;
"the child can't eat anything now, which is quite natural. Now run up
to Clara and stay with her till the carriage comes round," he added
kindly, turning to Heidi.
Heidi had been longing for this, and ran quickly upstairs. An immense
trunk was standing open in the middle of the room.
"Oh Heidi," cried Clara, as she entered; "see all the things I have had
put in for you--aren't you pleased?"
And she ran over a list of things, dresses and aprons and
handkerchiefs, and all kinds of working materials. "And look here," she
added, as she triumphantly held up a basket. Heidi peeped in and jumped
for joy, for inside it were twelve beautiful round white rolls, all for
grandmother. In their delight the children forgot that the time had
come for them to separate, and when some one called out, "The carriage
is here," there was no time for grieving.
Heidi ran to her room to fetch her darling book; she knew no one could
have packed that, as it lay under her pillow, for she had kept it by
her night and day. This was put in the basket with the rolls. Then she
opened her wardrobe to look for another treasure--the old red shawl
which had been left behind. Heidi wrapped it round her old hat and
laid it on the top of the basket, so that the red package was quite
conspicuous. Then she put on her pretty hat and left the room. Miss
Rottermeyer was waiting at the top of the stairs to say good-bye to
her. When she caught sight of the strange little red bundle, she took
it out of the basket and threw it on the ground. "No, no, Adelaide,"
she exclaimed, "you cannot leave the house with that thing. What can
you possibly want with it!" Heidi did not dare take up her little
bundle, but she gave the master of the house an imploring look, as if
her greatest treasure had been taken from her.
"No, no," said Mr. Sesemann in a very decided voice, "the child
shall take home with her whatever she likes, kittens and tortoises,
if it pleases her; we need not put ourselves out about that, Miss
Rottermeyer."
Heidi quickly picked up her bundle, with a look of joy and gratitude.
As she stood by the carriage door, Mr. Sesemann gave her his hand
and said he hoped she would remember him and Clara. He wished her a
happy journey, and Heidi thanked him for all his kindness, and added,
"And please say good-bye to the doctor for me and give him many, many
thanks." For she had not forgotten that he had said to her the night
before, 'It will be all right tomorrow,' and she rightly divined that
he had helped to make it so for her. Heidi was now lifted into the
carriage, and then the basket and the provisions were put in, and
finally Sebastian took his place. Then Mr. Sesemann called out once
more, "A pleasant journey to you," and the carriage rolled away.
Heidi was soon sitting in the railway carriage, holding her basket
tightly on her lap; she would not let it out of her hands for a
moment, for it contained the delicious rolls for grandmother; so she
must keep it carefully, and even peep inside it from time to time to
enjoy the sight of them. For many hours she sat as still as a mouse;
only now was she beginning to realize that she was going home to the
grandfather, the mountain, the grandmother, and Peter. All of a sudden
she said anxiously, "Sebastian, are you sure that grandmother on the
mountain is not dead?"
"No, no," said Sebastian, wishing to soothe her, "we will hope not; she
is sure to be alive still."
Then Heidi fell back on her own thoughts again. Now and then she looked