Back to the Mountains

Chapter-8

They reached Dorfli about 5 o’ clock in the evening. Heidi had to climb up the steep path from Dorfli alone with the luggage. She paused now and again to take breath as the basket she carried was heavy. The way got steeper as she drew nearer the top. She was worried about the grandmother whether she was still alive or not.
At last Heidi caught sight of the grandmother’s house in the hollow of the mountain and her heart began to beat. She ran faster and faster before she reached the house. She trembled while opening the door. Then, she saw she was standing inside.
She heard a voice from the corner, “Who is there?”
“It’s I, grandmother,” cried Heidi as she ran and flung herself on her knees. Seizing her hands, she clung to her, unable to speak for joy. The grandmother was speechless for some time as this happiness was unexpected. At last she put out her hand and stroked Heidi’s curly hair, and said, “That is her hair, and her voice. Thank God that He has granted my prayer!” And tears of joy fell from the blind eyes onto Heidi’s hand.
“Is it really you, Heidi; have you really come back to me?” continued the grandmother.
“Yes, grandmother, I am really here,” answered Heidi in a reassuring voice, “Do not cry. I have really come back and I am never going away again.”
Heidi took the rolls from the basket and piled the whole twelve up on the grandmother’s lap.
Then, Heidi told her how unhappy she had been, thinking that the grandmother might die while she was away. She would never have her white rolls, and would never, never see her again.
Peter’s mother came in after a while and stood for a moment to overcome with astonishment. Heidi stood and Brigitta could not say enough in her admiration of the child’s dress and appearance. She walked round her, exclaiming all the while, “Grandmother, if you could see her, you would see what a pretty frock she has on. And the hat with the feather in it is yours too, I suppose. Put it on so that I may see how you look in it?”
After spending a few hours with them Heidi stood at once and said, “I must go home to the grandfather. But I will come again tomorrow. Goodnight.”
“Yes, come again; be sure you come again tomorrow,” begged the grandmother, as she pressed Heidi’s hands in hers, unwilling to let her go.
Heidi quickly took off her dress and wore her old clothes and put a shawl around her neck.
“Why have you taken off that pretty dress?” asked Brigitta.
“Because I would like to go home to the grandfather as I am or else perhaps he would not know me,” said Heidi.
Heidi bade her good-night and continued her way up the mountain, her basket on her arm. All around her, the steep green slopes shone bright in the evening sun. Soon, the great gleaming snowfield up above came in sight. Heidi was obliged to keep on pausing to look behind her, for the higher peaks were behind her as she climbed. The grass upon the mountain sides had turned to gold, the rocks were all aglow, and the whole valley was bathed in golden mist. And as Heidi stood gazing around her at all this splendour the tears ran down her cheeks for very delight and happiness. She put her hands together, and lifting her eyes to heaven, thanked God aloud for having brought her home, thanked Him that everything was as beautiful as ever, more beautiful even than she had thought, and that it was all hers again once more.

She was so overflowing with joy and thankfulness that she could not find words to thank Him enough. Then, she ran on so quickly that in a very little while she caught sight of the tops of the fir trees above the hut roof, then the roof itself, and, at last, the whole hut. There was the grandfather sitting as in old days smoking his pipe. She could see the fir trees waving in the wind. She started walking as quickly as ever. Before Uncle Alp had time to see who was coming, Heidi rushed up to him throwing down her basket and flung her arms round his neck saying “Grandfather! grandfather! grandfather!” over and over again.
The old man himself said nothing. For the first time for many years, his eyes were wet, and he had to pass his hand across them. Then, he unloosened Heidi’s arms and put her on his knee. After looking at her for a moment he said, “So you have come back to me, Heidi,” he said, “how is that? Did they send you away?”
“Oh no, grandfather,” said Heidi eagerly, “you must not think that. They all were so kind—Clara, and grandmamma, and Mr. Sesemann. But grandfather, I did not know how to bear myself till I got home again to you. I used to think I should die and I felt as if I could not breathe. I never said anything because it would have been ungrateful. Suddenly, one morning Mr. Sesemann said to me that they were sending me back to you.
“That belongs to you,” said Heidi, lying the roll down on the bench beside him. Then, he opened the letter, read it through and without a word put it in his pocket.
“Do you think you can still drink milk with me, Heidi?” he asked, taking the child by the hand to go into the hut. “But, bring your money with you; you can buy a bed and bedclothes and dresses for a couple of years with it.”
“I am sure I do not want it,” replied Heidi, “I have got a bed already, and Clara has put a lot of clothes in my box that I shall never want any more.”
“Take them and put them in the cupboard. You will want them some day I have no doubt,” replied the grandfather.
Heidi obeyed and skipped happily after her grandfather into the house. She ran into all the corners, delighted to see everything again. Then, she went up the ladder but there she came to a pause and called down in a tone of surprise and distress, “Oh grandfather, my bed’s gone.”
“We can soon make it up again,” he answered her from below, “I did not know that you were coming back; come along now and have your milk.”
Heidi came down and sat on her high stool in the old place. Then, taking up her bowl she drank her milk eagerly, as if she had never come across anything so delicious. As she put down her bowl, she exclaimed, “Our milk tastes nicer than anything else in the world, grandfather.”
A shrill whistle was heard outside. Heidi darted out like a flash of lightning. There were the goats leaping and springing among the rocks with Peter between them. When he caught sight of Heidi he stood still with astonishment and gazed speechlessly at her.
Heidi called out, “Good-evening, Peter,” and then ran in among the goats. The animals evidently recognized her voice at once and began rubbing their heads against her. Heidi was out of her mind with delight at being among all her old friends again; she flung her arms round the pretty little Snowflake, stroked the noisy Greenfinch and at last she got near to where Peter was still standing, not having yet got over his surprise.
“So you are back again?” he found words to say at last, and now ran down and took Heidi’s hand which she was holding out in greeting and immediately put the same question to her which he had been in the habit of doing in the old days when they returned home in the evening, “Will you come out with me again tomorrow?”
“No, not tomorrow, but the day after perhaps. As tomorrow I must go to meet the grandmother,” replied Heidi.
“I am glad you are back,” said Peter, his whole face beamed with pleasure. Then, he prepared to go on with his goats. Heidi had to go inside the stall and shut the door, or Peter would never have got home that night. When Heidi went indoors after this, she found her bed already made up for her. The hay had been piled high for it and smelt deliciously and the grandfather had carefully spread and tucked in the clean sheets. It was with a happy heart that Heidi lay down that night. Her sleep was sounder than it had been for the past whole year. The grandfather got up at least ten times during the night and mounted the ladder to see if Heidi was all right and showing signs of restlessness. He had stuffed the hay into the round window, so it was keeping the moon from shining too brightly upon her. But Heidi did not stir; she had no reason now to wander about as she was at home again on the mountain.

Next morning, Heidi was standing under the waving fir trees waiting for her grandfather, who was going down with her to the grandmother’s, and then on to Dorfli to fetch her trunk. The grandfather came out, gave a look round, and then called to her in a cheerful voice, “We should move now.”
It was Saturday and Uncle Alp used to make everything clean and tidy inside and outside the house. He devoted every Saturday morning to this work so as to be able to accompany Heidi in the afternoon. They parted at the grandmother’s cottage and Heidi ran in. The grandmother had heard her steps approaching and greeted her.
Then, she held Heidi’s hand as she still seemed to fear that the child might leave her again. She told Heidi how much she had enjoyed the white bread. Peter’s mother went on and said she was sure that if her mother could eat like that for a week she would get back some of her strength. But she was afraid as the rolls were limited. Heidi listened to what Brigitta said, and sat thinking for a while. Then, she suddenly thought of a way.
She said eagerly, “I will write to Clara and she will send me as many rolls again. She would do so; I am sure.”
“That is a good idea,” said Brigitta, “But then, they would get hard and stale. The baker in Dorfli makes the white rolls, but I can only just manage to pay for the black bread.”
A further bright thought came to Heidi. With a look of joy she said, “Oh, I have lots of money, grandmother. I know now what I will do with it. You must have a fresh white roll every day, and two on Sunday, and Peter can bring them up from Dorfli.”
The grandmother said at once, “I cannot let you do that. The money was not given to you for that purpose; you must give it to your grandfather, and he will tell you how you should spend it.”
But Heidi had decided to do this and there was no one stopping her. She continued to jump about, saying over and over, “Now, the grandmother can have a roll every day and will grow strong again.” she suddenly exclaimed with an increase of jubilation in her voice, “If you get strong, everything will grow light again for you; perhaps it’s only because you are weak that it is dark.”
The grandmother said nothing as she did not wish to spoil the child’s pleasure. As she went jumping about Heidi suddenly caught sight of the grandmother’s song book, and another happy idea struck her, “Grandmother, I can also read now; would you like me to read you one of your hymns from your old book?”
“Oh yes,” said the grandmother, surprised, “but can you really read?”
Heidi had climbed on to a chair and had already lifted down the book, bringing a cloud of dust with it as the book was kept untouched on the shelf for a long time. Heidi wiped it, sat herself down on a stool beside the old woman, and asked her which hymn she should read.
“Here is the one about the sun, grandmother; I will read you this.” And Heidi began, reading with more and more warmth of expression as she went on:
The morning breaks, And warm and bright The earth lies still
In the golden light—For Dawn has scattered the clouds of night.
God’s handiwork Is seen around, Things great and small To His
praise abound—Where are the signs of His love not found?
All things must pass, But God shall still With steadfast
power His will fulfil—Sure and unshaken is His will.
His saving grace Will never fail, Though grief and fear The
heart assail—O’er life’s wild seas He will prevail.
Joy shall be ours In that garden blest, Where after storm We
find our rest—I wait in peace—God’s time is best.
“Thanks Heidi; that brings light to the heart! What comfort you have brought me!” said the grandmother.
Suddenly, someone knocked at the window and Heidi looked up and saw her grandfather who had returned to take her back home. She promised the grandmother before leaving her that she would be with her the next day. Even if she went out with Peter she would only spend half the day with him. As she was going out, Brigitta ran to her with the frock and the hat she had left. Heidi put the dress over her arm.
Heidi began to tell her grandfather all about the things she wished to have for the grandmother: how the white bread could be fetched every day from Dorfli if there was money for it and how the grandmother had grown stronger and happier and light had come to her. Then she returned to the subject of the rolls, “If the grandmother won’t take the money, grandfather, will you give it all to me? I can then give Peter enough money every day to buy a roll and two on Sunday?”
Heidi gave her grandfather no peace till he consented to do what she wanted. At night on her bed, she told her grandfather that she slept a great deal better on her bed of hay than on her fine pillowed bed in Frankfurt.
And at last he said, “The money is yours; do what you like with it; you can buy bread for the grandmother for years to come with it.”
Heidi shouted out with the thought that the grandmother would never have to eat hard black bread. She kissed her grandfather on the cheek.
A few moments later, Heidi fell fast asleep in her bed. The grandfather went up the ladder and put his lamp down near her bed so that the light might fall on the sleeping child. Her hands were folded as if she had fallen asleep saying her prayers, an expression of peace and trust lay on the little face. Something in it seemed to appeal to the grandfather, for he stood a long time gazing down at her without speaking.

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