‘They’ve come all the way from Frankfurt, from Clara and Grandmamma,’ she explained, and both Grannie and Bridget were duly impressed. Indeed Peter’s mother had been too surprised to lend a hand and had simply stared while Heidi lugged the heavy things into the cottage.
‘Grannie, aren’t you pleased with the cakes? Feel how soft they are for you to eat.’
‘Yes, child. What kind people they are.’ The old woman stroked the warm, soft shawl. ‘This will be wonderful in the winter. I’ve never looked to have anything as fine as that.’
Heidi was surprised that she seemed to like the grey shawl even better than the cakes; but Bridget stood looking almost reverently at the sausage on the table. She had never seen such an enormous one before, and could hardly believe that it was all for her and Grannie and Peter. ‘I must ask Uncle what to do with it,’ she said, shaking her head doubtfully.
‘You’re to eat it, that’s all,’ declared Heidi.
And then Peter came tumbling in, calling out, ‘Uncle Alp’s just coming and Heidi’s to…’ He got no further for his eyes fell on the sausage, and the sight quite robbed him of speech. However Heidi guessed what he had been going to say and quickly kissed Grannie goodbye.
As a rule now, Uncle Alp never passed the hut without a cheery word for Grannie, and she always listened for his step. But this time it was late, more than time for Heidi to be in bed after getting up so early, for he was very particular about her having plenty of sleep. So he just called a greeting through the open door, took Heidi’s hand, and together they went on, up the path under the starry sky to their peaceful little home.
17
Happy Days
Early next morning the doctor climbed up from Dörfli with Peter and the goats. He tried several times to start a conversation, but without success. It was not easy to get Peter to talk, and he hardly got a word in answer to his questions. So they tramped along in silence most of the way, and when they reached the hut Heidi was waiting for them with Daisy and Dusky, all three in high spirits.
‘Coming up today?’ asked Peter as usual.
‘Yes, of course. The doctor is coming too,’ she replied.
Peter glanced sideways at the visitor. Then Uncle Alp came out, greeted the doctor warmly, and hung a bag of food over Peter’s shoulder. The bag was heavier than usual, for he had put in a good‐sized piece of dried meat, thinking the doctor might like to stay and eat his midday meal with the children. Peter grinned from ear to ear when he felt its weight, guessing that there was something special inside.
So they set off, Heidi surrounded by the goats who were pushing and shoving each other as usual in their efforts to get near her. She went a little way with them, then stood still. ‘Run along now,’ she said, ‘and don’t come back to bother me. I want to walk with the doctor today.’ Then she patted Snowflake and told her to be good.
The doctor had no difficulty in talking to Heidi. She chattered away all the time about the goats and their strange little ways, or the mountain peaks and the flowers and birds they would find up above. Several times on the way, Peter glanced sourly at the doctor, but no one noticed him. It seemed no time at all before they reached the pasture.
Heidi led the way to her favourite spot from which she could look down on the distant valley, so green below them, and up to the great mountains where the eternal snows sparkled in the sunlight. The grey rock of the two towering peaks rose majestic against the strong blue of the sky. The grass underfoot was dry and warm, and Heidi invited the doctor to sit down there and rest. They listened to the pleasant tinkling of the goat‐bells, as the herd moved about to graze. A few harebells remained of all the summer flowers and swung airily on their slender stalks in the morning breeze. The hawk was soaring overhead in ever‐widening circles, making no sound. Heidi’s eyes were happy as she gazed out at the beautiful things she loved so well, and she glanced at the doctor to see if he was enjoying them too. He caught her look and replied to it, though his eyes had not lost their sadness.
‘Yes, Heidi, it’s very beautiful here,’ he agreed, ‘but can a heart forget its sorrow and rejoice, even here?’
‘No one is sad here,’ she told him, ‘only in Frankfurt.’
A fleeting smile crossed his face. ‘But supposing the sorrow could not be left in Frankfurt, but dogged one up here too. What then?’
‘When you can do no more yourself,’ said Heidi confidently, ‘tell God.’
‘Those are good words, my dear,’ said the doctor, ‘but suppose it was God Himself who sent the sorrow.’
Heidi sat pondering for a while. She was sure God could always help, but was trying to find the answer out of her own experiences. ‘I think you have to wait,’ she said at last, ‘and keep on thinking that God has something good which He’s going to give you out of the sad thing, but you have to be patient. You see, when something’s awfully bad, you don’t know about the good bit coming, and you think it’s going on for ever.’
‘I hope you will always feel like that, Heidi,’ he said, and fell silent, drinking in the scene before him. Presently he went on, ‘Can you understand that even up here it is possible for sorrow to cast a shadow over the eyes so that one can’t really enjoy the beauty, and that adds to the sadness? Do you know what I mean?’
His words sobered her for a time, for they brought home to her afresh that Grannie’s eyes were always veiled so that she could never see the sunlight, nor any of the beauties of the mountains. ‘Yes, I understand,’ she replied then. ‘Perhaps it would help to hear one of Grannie’s hymns. She says they bring her back the light.’
‘What hymns do you know?’
‘I only remember the one about the sun, and part of another long one, which Grannie likes very much. I always have to read the verses three times over to her.’
‘Let me hear them now,’ said the doctor, settling himself against a boulder and preparing to listen.
Heidi clasped her hands and asked, ‘Shall I begin with the verse Grannie likes so much because it gives her fresh hope?’ He nodded, and she began,
Heidi stopped for she was not sure that the doctor was listening. He had covered his eyes with his hand and sat very still. She half thought he might have fallen asleep, and decided that if he wanted to hear any more, he would ask her to go on when he woke up. He was not asleep, however, only lost in thought. The hymn had taken him right back to when he was a little boy and stood beside his mother’s chair, listening to those same words, and he saw again how fondly her eyes rested on him, and he heard her voice, speaking so gently. These pleasant memories held him for a long time, and when at last he looked up, there were Heidi’s big eyes watching him thoughtfully. He patted her hand and said quite cheerfully:
‘That was very nice, Heidi. We’ll come up here again and you shall tell me some more.’
All this had not been at all to Peter’s liking. This was the first time for weeks that Heidi had come up with him, and now she went and sat all the time with the doctor, and never even looked his way. He kicked the turf and scowled, but neither of them saw him. He even went and shook his fists close behind the doctor’s back, but that went unseen also. As the sun came round to midday and the time for eating, he shouted loudly at them, ‘Dinner time!’
Heidi stood up then, meaning to bring the doctor’s share over to him, but he told her he was not hungry and would like only a little milk, and then he was going a little higher up the mountain. At that Heidi decided that she was not hungry either, and would also have only milk. She thought she would like to show the doctor the place where Finch had nearly fallen down the ravine and where there were so many tasty herbs for the goats. So she asked Peter just to get milk from Daisy for the doctor and herself.