Heidi Page 16

  CHAPTER XIV

  THE COAT WITH THE SILVER BUTTONS

  The next afternoon Heidi was standing under the waving trees waitingfor her grandfather, who was going down with her to grandmother's, andthen on to Doerfli to fetch her trunk. She was longing to know howgrandmother had enjoyed her white bread and impatient to see and hearher again. The grandfather came out, gave a look round, and then calledto her in a cheerful voice, "Well, now we can be off."

  It was Saturday, a day when Alm-Uncle made everything clean and tidyinside and outside the house; he had devoted the morning to this workso as to be able to accompany Heidi in the afternoon, and the wholeplace was now as spick and span as he liked to see it. They parted atthe grandmother's cottage and Heidi ran in. The grandmother had heardher steps approaching and greeted her as she crossed the threshold, "Isit you, child? have you come again?"

  Then she took hold of Heidi's hand and held it fast in her own, forshe still seemed to fear that the child might be torn from her again.She told Heidi how much she had enjoyed the white bread, and how muchstronger she felt already for having been able to eat it, and thenPeter's mother went on and said she was sure that if her mother couldeat like that for a week she would get back some of her strength.

  "I know, Grandmother, what I will do," said Heidi eagerly, "I willwrite to Clara, and she will send me as many rolls again, if not twiceas many as you have already, for I had ever such a large heap in thewardrobe, and when they were all taken away she promised to give me asmany back, and she would do so I am sure."

  "That is a good idea," said Brigitta; "but then, they would get hardand stale. The baker in Doerfli makes the white rolls, and if we couldget some of those--but I can only just manage to pay for the blackbread."

  A further bright thought came to Heidi, and with a look of joy, "Oh, Ihave lots of money, Grandmother," she cried gleefully, skipping aboutthe room in her delight, "and I know now what I will do with it. Youmust have a fresh white roll every day, and two on Sunday, and Petercan bring them up from Doerfli."

  "No, no, child!" answered the grandmother, "I cannot let you do that;the money was not given to you for that purpose; you must give it toyour grandfather, and he will tell you how you are to spend it."

  But Heidi was not to be hindered in her kind intentions, and shecontinued to jump about, saying over and over again in a tone ofexultation, "Now, grandmother can have a roll every day and will growquite strong again--and, Oh, Grandmother," she suddenly exclaimed,"if you get strong everything will grow light again for you; perhapsit's only because you are weak that it is dark." The grandmother saidnothing, she did not wish to spoil the child's pleasure. As she wentjumping about Heidi suddenly caught sight of the grandmother's songbook, and another happy idea struck her, "Grandmother, I can also readnow, would you like me to read you one of your hymns from your oldbook?"

  "Oh, yes," said the grandmother, surprised and delighted; "but can youreally read, child, really?"

  Heidi climbed on a chair and lifted down the book, bringing a cloud ofdust with it, for it had lain untouched on the shelf for a long time.She wiped it off and sat herself down on a stool beside the old woman,and asked her which hymn she should read.

  "What you like, child, what you like," and the grandmother pushed herspinning-wheel aside and sat in eager expectation waiting for Heidi tobegin. "Here is one about the sun, Grandmother, I will read you that."And Heidi began, reading with more and more warmth of expression as shewent 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?

  Joy shall be ours In that garden blest Where after storm We find our rest-- I wait in peace--God's time is best.

  The grandmother sat with folded hands and a look of indescribable joyon her face, such as Heidi had never seen there before, although at thesame time the tears were running down her cheeks.

  "Ah, Heidi, that brings light to the heart! What comfort you havebrought me!" And the old woman kept on repeating the glad words, whileHeidi beamed with happiness.

  Some one now knocked at the window and Heidi looked up and saw hergrandfather beckoning her to come home with him. She promised thegrandmother before leaving her that she would be with her the next day,and even if she went out with Peter she would only spend half the daywith him, for the thought that she might make it light and happy againfor the grandmother gave her the greatest pleasure, greater even thanbeing out on the sunny mountain with the flowers and goats. Heidi wasso full of her morning's doings that she began at once to tell hergrandfather all about them: how the white bread could be brought everyday from Doerfli if there was money for it, and how the grandmother hadall at once grown stronger and happier, and light had come to her. "Ifthe grandmother won't take the money, Grandfather, will you give it allto me, and I can then give Peter enough every day to buy a roll and twoon Sunday?"

  "But how about the bed?" said her grandfather. "It would be nice foryou to have a proper bed, and there would then be plenty for the bread."

  But Heidi gave her grandfather no peace till he consented to do whatshe wanted; she slept a great deal better, she said, on her bed ofhay than on her fine pillowed bed in Frankfurt. So at last he said,"The money is yours, do what you like with it; you can buy bread forgrandmother for years to come with it."

  Heidi shouted for joy at the thought that grandmother would never needto eat hard black bread any more, and "Oh, Grandfather!" she said,"everything is happier now than it has ever been in our lives before!"and she sang and skipped along, holding her grandfather's hand aslight-hearted as a bird. But all at once she grew quiet and said, "IfGod had let me come at once, as I prayed, then everything would havebeen different, I should only have had a little bread to bring tograndmother, and I should not have been able to read, which is such acomfort to her. So we will pray every day, won't we, Grandfather, andnever forgot Him again, or else He may forget us."

  "And supposing one does forget Him?" said the grandfather in a lowvoice.

  "Then everything goes wrong, for God lets us then go where we like, andwhen we get poor and miserable and begin to cry about it no one pitiesus, but they say, You ran away from God, and so God, who could havehelped you, left you to yourself."

  "That is true, Heidi; where did you learn that?"

  "From Grandmamma Sesemann; she explained it all to me."

  The grandfather walked on for a little while without speaking, then hesaid, as if following his own train of thought: "And if it once is so,it is so always; no one can go back, and he whom God has forgotten, isforgotten for ever."

  "Oh, no Grandfather, we can go back, for grandmamma told me so, and soit was in the beautiful tale in my book--but you have not heard thatyet; but we shall be home directly now and then I will read it you, andyou will see how beautiful it is." And in her eagerness Heidi struggledfaster and faster up the steep ascent, and they were no sooner at thetop than she let go her grandfather's hand and ran into the hut. Thegrandfather slung the basket off his shoulders in which he had broughtup a part of the contents of the trunk, which was too heavy to carry upas it was. Then he sat down on his seat and began thinking.

  Heidi soon came running out with her book under her arm and in asympathetic voice began to read the story of the Prodigal Son.

  "Isn't that a beautiful tale, Grandfather," said Heidi, as the lattercontinued to sit without speaking, for she had expected him to expresspleasure and astonishment.

  "You are right, Heidi; it is a beautiful tale," he replied, but helooked so grave as he said it that Heidi grew silent herself and satlooking quietly at her pictures.

  A few hours later, as she lay fast asleep in her bed, the grandfatherwent up the ladder and put his lamp down near her bed so that the
light fell on the sleeping child. Her hands were still folded as ifshe had fallen asleep saying her prayers, an expression of peace andtrust lay on the little face, and something in it seemed to appeal tothe grandfather, for he stood a long time gazing down at her withoutspeaking. At last he too folded his hands, and with bowed head said ina low voice, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before Thee andam not worthy to be called Thy son." And two large tears rolled downthe old man's cheeks.

  Next morning while the sound of a few early bells was ringing up fromthe valley the grandfather called to Heidi to put on her best frock forthey were going to church together.

  She was not long getting ready for it was an unusual summons from hergrandfather. She put on her smart Frankfurt dress and soon went down,but when she saw her grandfather she stood still, gazing at him inastonishment. "Why, Grandfather!" she exclaimed, "I never saw you looklike that before! and the coat, with the silver buttons! Oh, you dolook nice in your Sunday coat!"

  The old man smiled and replied, "And you too; now come along!" He tookHeidi's hand and together they walked down the mountain side. The bellswere ringing in every direction now, sounding louder and fuller as theyneared the valley, and Heidi listened to them with delight. "Hark,Grandfather! it's like a great festival!"

  The congregation had already assembled and the singing had begun whenHeidi and her grandfather entered the church at Doerfli and sat downat the back. But before the hymn was over every one was nudging hisneighbor and whispering, "Do you see? Alm-Uncle is in church!"

  Soon everybody in the church knew of Alm-Uncle's presence, and thewomen kept on turning round to look and quite lost their place inthe singing. At the close of the service Alm-Uncle took Heidi by thehand, and on leaving the church made his way towards the pastor'shouse; the rest of the congregation looked curiously after him, someeven following to see whether he went inside the pastor's house, whichhe did. Then they collected in groups and talked over this strangeevent, keeping their eyes on the pastor's door, watching to seewhether Alm-Uncle came out looking angry and quarrelsome, or as if theinterview had been a peaceful one, for they could not imagine what hadbrought the old man down, and what it all meant. Some, however, adopteda new tone and expressed their opinion that Alm-Uncle was not so badafter all as they thought, "for see how carefully he took the littleone by the hand." And others responded and said they had always thoughtpeople had exaggerated about him, that if he was so downright bad hewould be afraid to go inside the pastor's house.

  Meanwhile Alm-Uncle had gone into the pastor's house and knocked at thestudy door. The pastor came out and shook hands warmly with him, andAlm-Uncle was unable at first to speak, for he had not expected sucha friendly reception. At last he collected himself and said, "I havecome to ask you, pastor, to forget the words I spoke to you when youcalled on me, and to beg you not to owe me ill-will for having been soobstinately set against your well-meant advice. You were right, and Iwas wrong, but I have now made up my mind to follow your advice and tofind a place for myself at Doerfli for the winter, for the child is notstrong enough to stand the bitter cold up on the mountain. And if thepeople down here look askance at me, as at a person not to be trusted,I know it is my own fault."

  The pastor's kindly eyes shone with pleasure. He pressed the oldman's hand in his, and said with emotion, "Neighbor, I am greatlyrejoiced. You will not repent coming to live with us again; as formyself you will always be welcome as a dear friend and neighbor, and Ilook forward to our spending many a pleasant winter evening togetherand we will find some nice friends too for the little one." And thepastor laid his hand kindly on the child's curly head and took her bythe hand as he walked to the door with the old man. He did not saygood-bye to him till they were standing outside, so that all the peopleloitering about saw him shake hands as if parting reluctantly fromhis best friend. The door had hardly shut behind him before the wholecongregation now came forward to greet Alm-Uncle, every one striving tobe the first to shake hands with him. Most of his friends accompaniedhim and Heidi some way up the mountain, and each as they bid himgood-bye made him promise that when he next came down he would withoutfail come and call. As the old man at last stood alone with the child,watching their retreating figures, there was a light upon his face asif reflected from some inner sunshine of heart. Heidi looking up at himwith her clear, steady eyes, said, "Grandfather, you look nicer andnicer today, I never saw you quite like that before."

  "Do you think so," he answered with a smile. "Well, yes, Heidi, I amhappier today than I deserve, happier than I had thought possible; itis good to be at peace with God and man! God was good to me when hesent you to my hut."

  When they reached Peter's home the grandfather opened the door andwalked straight in. "Good-morning, Grandmother," he said, "I think weshall have to do some more patching up before the autumn winds come."

  "Well, if it is not Uncle!" cried the grandmother in pleased surprise."That I should live to see such a thing! and now I can thank you forall that you have done for me. May God reward you! may God reward you!"She stretched out a trembling hand to him, and the grandfather shookit warmly.

  At this moment Peter rushed in, evidently in a great hurry, knockinghis head violently against the door in his haste, so that everything inthe room rattled. Gasping and breathless he stood still after this andheld out a letter. This was another great event, for such a thing hadnever happened before; the letter was addressed to Heidi and had beendelivered at the post-office in Doerfli. They all sat down round thetable to hear what was in it, for Heidi opened it at once and read itwithout hesitation. The letter was from Clara, who wrote that the househad been so dull since Heidi left that she did not know what to do, andshe had at last persuaded her father to take her to the baths at Ragatzin the coming autumn; grandmamma had arranged to join them there, andthey both were looking forward to paying her and her grandfather avisit. And grandmamma sent a further message to Heidi which was thatthe latter had done quite right to take the rolls to the grandmother,and so that she might not have to eat them dry, she was sending somecoffee, which was already on its way, and grandmamma hoped when shecame to the Alm in the autumn that Heidi would take her to see her oldfriend.

  There were exclamations of pleasure and astonishment on hearing thisnews and the afternoon soon passed in discussing plans for the comingvisit.

  Then the old man and Heidi started back up the mountain, promisingthe grandmother that they would come again next day. As they hadbeen greeted with the bells when they made their journey down in themorning, so now they were accompanied by the peaceful evening chimes asthey climbed to the hut, which had quite a Sunday-like appearance as itstood bathed in the light of the low evening sun.