Heidi
quiet her. Heidi did not often weep, but when she did she could not get
over her trouble for a long while. At last the old woman said, "Dear
Heidi, you cannot think how glad I am to hear a kind word when I can no
longer see, and it is such a pleasure to me to listen to you while you
talk. So come and sit beside me and tell me what you do up there, and
how grandfather occupies himself. I knew him very well in the old days;
but for many years now I have heard nothing of him, except through
Peter, who never says much."
This was a new and happy idea to Heidi; she quickly dried her tears
and said in a comforting voice, "Wait, Grandmother, till I have told
grandfather everything, he will make it light for you again, I am sure,
and will do something so that the house will not fall; he will put
everything right for you."
Heidi now began to give a lively description of her life with the
grandfather, and of the days she spent on the mountain with the goats,
and then went on to tell what she did during the winter, and how her
grandfather was able to make all sorts of things, seats and stools, and
mangers where the hay was put for Little Swan and Little Bear, besides
a new large water-tub for her to bathe in when the summer came, and a
new milk-bowl and spoon.
The grandmother listened with the greatest attention, only from time to
time addressing her daughter, "Do you hear that, Brigitta? Do you hear
what she is saying about Uncle?"
The conversation was suddenly interrupted by a heavy thump on the door,
and in marched Peter, who stood stock-still, opening his eyes with
astonishment, when he caught sight of Heidi; then his face beamed with
smiles as she called out, "Good-evening, Peter."
"What, is the boy back from school already," exclaimed the grandmother
in surprise. "I have not known an afternoon to pass so quickly as this
one for years. How is the reading getting on, Peter?"
"As usual," was Peter's answer.
The old woman gave a little sigh, "Ah, well," she said, "I hoped you
would have something different to tell me by this time, as you are
going to be twelve years old this February."
"What was it you hoped he would have to tell you?" asked Heidi,
interested in all the grandmother said.
"I mean that he ought to have learnt to read a bit by now," continued
the grandmother. "Up there on the shelf is an old prayer-book, with
beautiful songs in it which I have not heard for a long time and
cannot now remember to repeat to myself, and I hoped that Peter would
soon learn enough to be able to read one of them to me sometimes; but
he finds it too difficult."
Heidi now jumped up from her low chair, and holding out her hand
hastily to the grandmother said, "Good-night, Grandmother, it is
getting dark; I must go home at once," and bidding good-bye to Peter
and his mother she went towards the door. But the grandmother called
out in an anxious voice, "Wait, wait, Heidi, you must not go alone like
that, Peter must go with you. Have you got something warm to put round
your throat?"
"I have not anything to put on," called back Heidi, "but I am sure I
shall not be cold," and with that she ran outside and went off at such
a pace that Peter had difficulty in overtaking her.
The children had taken but a few steps before they saw the grandfather
coming down to meet them, and in another minute his long strides had
brought him to their side.
"That's right, Heidi; you have kept your word," said the grandfather,
and then wrapping the sack firmly round her he lifted her in his arms
and strode off with her up the mountain.
They had no sooner got inside the hut than Heidi at once began:
"Grandfather, tomorrow we must take the hammer and the long nails and
fasten grandmother's shutter, and drive in a lot more nails in other
places, for her house shakes and rattles all over."
"We must, must we? who told you that?" asked her grandfather.
"Nobody told me, but I know it for all that," replied Heidi, "for
everything is giving way, and when the grandmother cannot sleep, she
lies trembling, for she thinks that every minute the house will fall
down on their heads; and everything now is dark for grandmother, and
she does not think any one can make it light for her again, but you
will be able to, I am sure, Grandfather. Tomorrow we must go and help
her; we will, won't we, Grandfather?"
The child was clinging to the old man and looking up at him in trustful
confidence. The grandfather looked down at Heidi for a while without
speaking, and then said, "Yes, Heidi, we will do something to stop the
rattling, at least we can do that; we will go down about it tomorrow."
The child went skipping round the room for joy, crying out, "We shall
go tomorrow! we shall go tomorrow!"
The grandfather kept his promise. On the following afternoon he brought
the sleigh out again, and as on the previous day, he set Heidi down at
the door of the grandmother's hut and said, "Go in now, and when it
grows dark, come out again." Then he put the sack in the sleigh and
went round the house.
Heidi had hardly opened the door and sprung into the room when the
grandmother called out from her corner, "It's the child again! here she
comes!" Heidi ran to her, and then quickly drew the little stool close
up to the old woman, and seating herself upon it, began to tell and
ask her all kinds of things. All at once came the sound of heavy blows
against the wall of the hut and grandmother gave such a start of alarm
that she nearly upset the spinning-wheel, and cried in a trembling
voice, "Ah, my God, now it is coming, the house is going to fall upon
us!" But Heidi caught her by the arm, and said soothingly, "No, no,
Grandmother, do not be frightened, it is only grandfather with his
hammer; he is mending up everything, so that you shan't have such fear
and trouble."
"Is it possible! is it really possible! so the dear God has not
forgotten us!" exclaimed the grandmother. "Do you hear, Brigitta, what
that noise is? Did you hear what the child says? Go outside, Brigitta,
and if it is Alm-Uncle, tell him he must come inside a moment that I
may thank him."
Brigitta went outside and found Alm-Uncle in the act of fastening some
heavy pieces of new wood along the wall. She stepped up to him and
said, "Good-evening, Uncle, mother and I thank you for doing us such
a kind service, and she would like to tell you herself how grateful
she is; I do not know who else would have done it for us; we shall not
forget your kindness, for I am sure--"
"That will do," said the old man, interrupting her. "I know what you
think of Alm-Uncle without your telling me. Go indoors again, I can
find out for myself where the mending is wanted."
Brigitta obeyed on the spot, for Uncle had a way with him that made few
people care to oppose his will. He went on knocking with his hammer all
round the house, and then mounted the narrow steps to the roof, and
hammered away there, until he had used up all the nails he had brought
with him. Meanwhile it had been growing dark, and he had hardly come
down from the roof and dragged the sleigh out from behind the goat-shed
when Heidi appeared outside. The grandfather wrapped her up and took
her in his arms as he had done the day before, for although he had to
drag the sleigh up the mountain after him, he feared that if the child
sat in it alone her wrappings would fall off and that she would be
nearly if not quite frozen, so he carried her warm and safe in his arms.
So the winter went by. After many years of joyless life, the blind
grandmother had at last found something to make her happy. She listened
for the little tripping footstep as soon as day had come, and when she
heard the door open and knew the child was really there, she would call
out, "God be thanked, she has come again!"
And Heidi had also grown very fond of the old grandmother, and when
at last she knew for certain that no one could make it light for her
again, she was overcome with sorrow; but the grandmother told her
again that she felt the darkness much less when Heidi was with her,
and so every fine winter's day the child came traveling down in her
sleigh. The grandfather always took her, never raising any objection,
indeed he always carried the hammer and sundry other things down in the
sleigh with him, and many an afternoon was spent by him in making the
goatherd's cottage sound and tight. It no longer groaned and rattled
the whole night through, and the grandmother, who for many winters had
not been able to sleep in peace as she did now, said she should never
forget what the Uncle had done for her.
CHAPTER V
A RAILROAD JOURNEY
Heidi was now in her eighth year; she had learnt all kinds of useful
things from her grandfather; she knew how to look after the goats as
well as any one, and Little Swan and Little Bear would follow her
like two faithful dogs, and give a loud bleat of pleasure when they
heard her voice. Twice during the course of this last winter Peter had
brought up a message from the schoolmaster at Doerfli, who sent word to
Alm-Uncle that he ought to send Heidi to school, as she was over the
usual age, and ought indeed to have gone the winter before. Uncle had
sent word back each time that the schoolmaster would find him at home
if he had anything he wished to say to him, but that he did not intend
to send Heidi to school.
As Heidi was running about one sunny March morning, and had just
jumped over the water-trough for the tenth time at least, she nearly
fell backwards into it with fright, for there in front of her stood an
old gentleman dressed in black. When he saw how startled she was, he
said in a kind voice, "Don't be afraid of me, for I am very fond of
children. Shake hands! You must be the Heidi I have heard of; where is
your grandfather?"
"He is sitting by the table, making round wooden spoons," Heidi
informed him, as she opened the door.
It was the old village pastor from Doerfli who had been a neighbor of
Uncle's when he lived down there. He stepped inside the hut, and going
up to the old man, who was bending over his work, said, "Good-morning,
neighbor."
The grandfather looked up in surprise, and then rising said,
"Good-morning" in return. He pushed his chair towards the visitor as he
continued, "If you do not mind a wooden seat there is one for you."
The pastor sat down. "It is a long time since I have seen you,
neighbor," he said. "I think you know already what it is that has
brought me here," and as he spoke he looked towards the child who was
standing at the door.
"Heidi, go off to the goats," said her grandfather. "You can take them
a little salt and stay with them till I come."
Heidi vanished on the spot.
"The child ought to have been at school a year ago, and most certainly
this last winter," said the pastor. "The schoolmaster sent you word
about it, but you gave him no answer. What are you thinking of doing
with the child, neighbor?"
"I am thinking of not sending her to school," was the answer.
"How are you going to let her grow up then?"
"I am going to let her grow up and be happy among the goats and birds;
with them she is safe, and will learn nothing evil."
"But the child is not a goat or a bird, she is a human being. It is
time she began her lessons. This is the last winter she must be allowed
to run wild; next winter she must come regularly to school every day."
"She will do no such thing," said the old man with calm determination.
"Do you mean that you intend to stick obstinately to your decision?"
said the pastor, growing somewhat angry. "You have been about the
world, and I should have given you credit for more sense, neighbor."