Heidi, Johanna Spyri [reading e books .TXT] 📗

>it. Then they went down again, well satisfied, and found the

children laughing and talking together and arranging all they

were going to do from morning till evening as long as Clara

stayed. The next question was how long she was to remain, and

first grandmamma was asked, but she referred them to the

grandfather, who gave it as his opinion that she ought to make

the trial of the mountain air for at least a month. The children

clapped their hands for joy, for they had not expected to be

together for so long a time.

 

The bearers and the horse and guide were now seen approaching;

the former were sent back at once, and grandmamma prepared to

mount for her return journey.

 

“It’s not saying good-bye, grandmamma,” Clara called out, “for

you will come up now and then and see how we are getting on, and

we shall so look forward to your visits, shan’t we, Heidi?”

 

Heidi, who felt that life this day had been crowded with

pleasures, could only respond to Clara with another jump of joy.

 

Grandmamma being now seated on her sturdy animal, Uncle took the

bridle to lead her down the steep mountain path; she begged him

not to come far with her, but he insisted on seeing her safely

as far as Dorfli, for the way was precipitous and not without

danger for the rider, he said.

 

Grandmamma did not care to stay alone in Dorfli, and therefore

decided to return to Ragatz, and thence to make excursions up

the mountain from time to time.

 

Peter came down with his goats before Uncle had returned. As

soon as the animals caught sight of Heidi they all came flocking

towards her, and she, as well as Clara on her couch, were soon

surrounded by the goats, pushing and poking their heads one over

the other, while Heidi introduced each in turn by its name to

her friend Clara.

 

It was not long before the latter had made the long-wished-for

acquaintance of little Snowflake, the lively Greenfinch, and the

well-behaved goats belonging to grandfather, as well as of the

many others, including the Grand Turk. Peter meanwhile stood

apart looking on, and casting somewhat unfriendly glances

towards Clara.

 

When the two children called out, “Good-evening, Peter,” he made

no answer, but swung up his stick angrily, as if wanting to cut

the air in two, and then ran off with his goats after him.

 

The climax to all the beautiful things that Clara had already

seen upon the mountain came at the close of the day.

 

As she lay on the large soft bed in the hay loft, with Heidi

near her, she looked out through the round open window right into

the middle of the shining clusters of stars, and she exclaimed in

delight,—

 

“Heidi, it’s just as if we were in a high carriage and were

going to drive straight into heaven.”

 

“Yes, and do you know why the stars are so happy and look down

and nod to us like that?” asked Heidi.

 

“No, why is it?” Clara asked in return.

 

“Because they live up in heaven, and know how well God arranges

everything for us, so that we need have no more fear or trouble

and may be quite sure that all things will come right in the

end. That’s why they are so happy, and they nod to us because

they want us to be happy too. But then we must never forget to

pray, and to ask God to remember us when He is arranging things,

so that we too may feel safe and have no anxiety about what is

going to happen.”

 

The two children now sat up and said their prayers, and then

Heidi put her head down on her little round arm and fell off to

sleep at once, but Clara lay awake some time, for she could not

get over the wonder of this new experience of being in bed up

here among the stars. She had indeed seldom seen a star, for she

never went outside the house at night, and the curtains at home

were always drawn before the stars came out. Each time she

closed her eyes she felt she must open them again to see if the

two very large stars were still looking in, and nodding to her as

Heidi said they did. There they were, always in the same place,

and Clara felt she could not look long enough into their bright

sparkling faces, until at last her eyes closed of their own

accord, and it was only in her dreams that she still saw the two

large friendly stars shining down upon her.

 

CHAPTER XXI. HOW LIFE WENT ON AT GRANDFATHER’S

 

The sun had just risen above the mountains and was shedding its

first golden rays over the hut and the valley below. Alm-Uncle,

as was his custom, had been standing in a quiet and, devout

attitude for some little while, watching the light mists

gradually lifting, and the heights and valley emerging from

their twilight shadows and awakening to another day.

 

The light morning clouds overhead grew brighter and brighter,

till at last the sun shone out in its full glory, and rock and

wood and hill lay bathed in golden light.

 

Uncle now stepped back into the hut and went softly up the

ladder. Clara had just opened her eyes and was looking with

wonder at the bright sunlight that shone through the round

window and danced and sparkled about her bed. She could not at

first think what she was looking at or where she was. Then she

caught sight of Heidi sleeping beside her, and now she heard the

grandfather’s cheery voice asking her if she had slept well and

was feeling rested. She assured him she was not tired, and that

when she had once fallen asleep she had not opened her eyes

again all night. The grandfather was satisfied at this and

immediately began to attend upon her with so much gentleness and

understanding that it seemed as if his chief calling had been to

look after sick children.

 

Heidi now awoke and was surprised to see Clara dressed, and

already in the grandfather’s arms ready to be carried down. She

must be up too, and she went through her toilette with lightning-like speed. She ran down the ladder and out of the hut, and there

further astonishment awaited her, for grandfather had been busy

the night before after they were in bed. Seeing that it was

impossible to get Clara’s chair through the hut-door, he had

taken down two of the boards at the side of the shed and made an

opening large enough to admit the chair; these he left loose so

that they could be taken away and put up at pleasure. He was at

this moment wheeling Clara out into the sun; he left her in

front of the hut while he went to look after the goats, and Heidi

ran up to her friend.

 

The fresh morning breeze blew round the children’s faces, and

every fresh puff brought a waft of fragrance from the fir trees.

Clara drew it in with delight and lay back in her chair with an

unaccustomed feeling of health and comfort.

 

It was the first time in her life that she had been out in the

open country at this early hour and felt the fresh morning

breeze, and the pure mountain air was so cool and refreshing

that every breath she drew was a pleasure. And then the bright

sweet sun, which was not hot and sultry up here, but lay soft and

warm on her hands and on the grass at her feet. Clara had not

imagined that it would be like this on the mountain.

 

“O Heidi, if only I could stay up here for ever with you,” she

exclaimed happily, turning in her chair from side to side that

she might drink in the air and sun from all quarters.

 

“Now you see that it is just what I told you,” replied Heidi

delighted; “that it is the most beautiful thing in the world to

be up here with grandfather.”

 

The latter at that moment appeared coming from the goat shed and

bringing two small foaming bowls of snow-white milk—one for

Clara and one for Heidi.

 

“That will do the little daughter good,” he said, nodding to

Clara; “it is from Little Swan and will make her strong. To your

health, child! drink it up.”

 

Clara had never tasted goat’s milk before; she hesitated and

smelt it before putting it to her lips, but seeing how Heidi

drank hers up without hesitating, and how much she seemed to like

it, Clara did the same, and drank till there was not a drop left,

for she too found it delicious, tasting just as if sugar and

cinnamon had been mixed with it.

 

“Tomorrow we will drink two,” said the grandfather, who had

looked on with satisfaction at seeing her follow Heidi’s

example.

 

Peter now arrived with the goats, and while Heidi was receiving

her usual crowded morning greetings, Uncle drew Peter aside to

speak to him, for the goats, bleated so loudly and continuously

in their wish to express their joy and affection that no one

could be heard near them.

 

“Attend to what I have to say,” he said. “From to-day be sure you

let Little Swan go where she likes. She has an instinct where to

find the best food for herself, and so if she wants to climb

higher, you follow her, and it will do the others no harm if they

go too; on no account bring her back. A little more climbing

won’t hurt you, and in this matter she probably knows better than

you what is good for her; I want her to give as fine milk as

possible. Why are you looking over there as if you wanted to eat

somebody? Nobody will interfere with you. So now be off and

remember what I say.”

 

Peter was accustomed to give immediate obedience to Uncle, and

he marched off with his goats, but with a turn of the head and

roll of the eye that showed he had some thought in reserve. The

goats carried Heidi along with them a little way, which was what

Peter wanted. “You will have to come with them,” he called to

her, “for I shall be obliged to follow Little Swan.”

 

“I cannot,” Heidi called back from the midst of her friends,

“and I shall not be able to come for a long, long time—not as

long as Clara is with me. Grandfather, however, has promised to

go up the mountain with both of us one day.”

 

Heidi had now extricated herself from the goats and she ran back

to Clara. Peter doubled his fists and made threatening gestures

towards the invalid on her couch, and then climbed up some

distance without pause until he was out of sight, for he was

afraid Uncle might have seen him, and he did not care to know

what Uncle might have thought of the fists.

 

Clara and Heidi had made so many plans for themselves that they

hardly knew where to begin. Heidi suggested that they should

first write to grandmamma, to whom they had promised to send word

every day, for grandmamma had not felt sure whether it would in

the long run suit Clara’s health to remain up the mountain, or if

she would continue to enjoy herself there. With daily news of her

granddaughter she could stay on without anxiety at Ragatz, and be

ready to go to Clara at a moment’s notice.

 

“Must we go indoors to write?” asked