CHAPTER II

AT HOME WITH GRANDFATHER



As soon as Dete had disappeared the old man went back to his

bench, and there he remained seated, staring on the ground

without uttering a sound, while thick curls of smoke floated

upward from his pipe. Heidi, meanwhile, was enjoying herself in

her new surroundings; she looked about till she found a shed,

built against the hut, where the goats were kept; she peeped in,

and saw it was empty. She continued her search and presently came

to the fir trees behind the hut. A strong breeze was blowing

through them, and there was a rushing and roaring in their

topmost branches, Heidi stood still and listened. The sound

growing fainter, she went on again, to the farther corner of the

hut, and so round to where her grandfather was sitting. Seeing

that he was in exactly the same position as when she left him,

she went and placed herself in front of the old man, and putting

her hands behind her back, stood and gazed at him. Her

grandfather looked up, and as she continued standing there

without moving, "What is it you want?" he asked.



"I want to see what you have inside the house," said Heidi.



"Come then!" and the grandfather rose and went before her towards

the hut.



"Bring your bundle of clothes in with you," he bid her as she was

following.



"I shan't want them any more," was her prompt answer.



The old man turned and looked searchingly at the child, whose

dark eyes were sparkling in delighted anticipation of what she

was going to see inside. "She is certainly not wanting in

intelligence," he murmured to himself. "And why shall you not

want them any more?" he asked aloud.



"Because I want to go about like the goats with their thin light legs."



"Well, you can do so if you like," said her grandfather, "but

bring the things in, we must put them in the cupboard."



Heidi did as she was told. The old man now opened the door and

Heidi stepped inside after him; she found herself in a good-sized

room, which covered the whole ground floor of the hut. A table

and a chair were the only furniture; in one corner stood the

grandfather's bed, in another was the hearth with a large kettle

hanging above it; and on the further side was a large door in the

wall--this was the cupboard. The grandfather opened it; inside

were his clothes, some hanging up, others, a couple of shirts,

and some socks and handkerchiefs, lying on a shelf; on a second

shelf were some plates and cups and glasses, and on a higher one

still, a round loaf, smoked meat, and cheese, for everything that

Alm-Uncle needed for his food and clothing was kept in this

cupboard. Heidi, as soon as it was opened, ran quickly forward

and thrust in her bundle of clothes, as far back behind her

grandfather's things as possible, so that they might not easily

be found again. She then looked carefully round the room, and

asked, "Where am I to sleep, grandfather?"



"Wherever you like," he answered.



Heidi was delighted, and began at once to examine all the nooks

and corners to find out where it would be pleasantest to sleep.

In the corner near her grandfather's bed she saw a short ladder

against the wall; up she climbed and found herself in the

hayloft. There lay a large heap of fresh sweet-smelling hay,

while through a round window in the wall she could see right down

the valley.



"I shall sleep up here, grandfather," she called down to him,

"It's lovely, up here. Come up and see how lovely it is!"



"Oh, I know all about it," he called up in answer.



"I am getting the bed ready now," she called down again, as she

went busily to and fro at her work, "but I shall want you to

bring me up a sheet; you can't have a bed without a sheet, you

want it to lie upon."



"All right," said the grandfather, and presently he went to the

cupboard, and after rummaging about inside for a few minutes he

drew out a long, coarse piece of stuff, which was all he had to

do duty for a sheet. He carried it up to the loft, where he found

Heidi had already made quite a nice bed. She had put an extra

heap of hay at one end for a pillow, and had so arranged it that,

when in bed, she would be able to see comfortably out through the

round window.



"That is capital," said her grandfather; "now we must put on the

sheet, but wait a moment first," and he went and fetched another

large bundle of hay to make the bed thicker, so that the child

should not feel the hard floor under her--"there, now bring it

here." Heidi had got hold of the sheet, but it was almost too

heavy for her to carry; this was a good thing, however, as the

close thick stuff would prevent the sharp stalks of the hay

running through and pricking her. The two together now spread the

sheet over the bed, and where it was too long or too broad, Heidi

quickly tucked it in under the hay. It looked now as tidy and

comfortable a bed as you could wish for, and Heidi stood gazing

thoughtfully at her handiwork.



"We have forgotten something now, grandfather," she said after a

short silence.



"What's that?" he asked.



A coverlid; when you get into bed, you have to creep in between

the sheets and the coverlid."



"Oh, that's the way, is it? But suppose I have not got a

coverlid?" said the old man.



"Well, never mind, grandfather," said Heidi in a consoling tone

of voice, "I can take some more hay to put over me," and she was

turning quickly to fetch another armful from the heap, when her

grandfather stopped her. "Wait a moment," he said, and he climbed

down the ladder again and went towards his bed. He returned to

the loft with a large, thick sack, made of flax, which he threw

down, exclaiming, There, that is better than hay, is it not?"



Heidi began tugging away at the sack with all her little might,

in her efforts to get it smooth and straight, but her small hands

were not fitted for so heavy a job. Her grandfather came to her

assistance, and when they had got it tidily spread over the bed,

it all looked so nice and warm and comfortable that Heidi stood

gazing at it in delight. "That is a splendid coverlid," she said,

"and the bed looks lovely altogether! I wish it was night, so

that I might get inside it at once."



"I think we might have something to eat first," said the

grandfather, "what do you think?"



Heidi in the excitement of bed-making had forgotten everything

else; but now when she began to think about food she felt

terribly hungry, for she had had nothing to eat since the piece

of bread and little cup of thin coffee that had been her

breakfast early that morning before starting on her long, hot

journey. So she answered without hesitation, "Yes, I think so too."



"Let us go down then, as we both think alike," said the old man,

and he followed the child down the ladder. Then he went up to the

hearth, pushed the big kettle aside, and drew forward the little

one that was hanging on the chain, and seating himself on the

round-topped, three-legged stool before the fire, blew it up into

a clear bright flame. The kettle soon began to boil, and

meanwhile the old man held a large piece of cheese on a long iron

fork over the fire, turning it round and round till it was

toasted a nice golden yellow color on each side. Heidi watched

all that was going on with eager curiosity. Suddenly some new

idea seemed to come into her head, for she turned and ran to the

cupboard, and then began going busily backwards and forwards.

Presently the grandfather got up and came to the table with a jug

and the cheese, and there he saw it already tidily laid with the

round loaf and two plates and two knives each in its right place;

for Heidi had taken exact note that morning of all that there was

in the cupboard, and she knew which things would be wanted for

their meal.



"Ah, that's right," said the grandfather, "I am glad to see that

you have some ideas of your own," and as he spoke he laid the

toasted cheese on a layer of bread, "but there is still something

missing."



Heidi looked at the jug that was steaming away invitingly, and

ran quickly back to the cupboard. At first she could only see a

small bowl left on the shelf, but she was not long in perplexity,

for a moment later she caught sight of two glasses-further back,

and without an instant's loss of time she returned with these and

the bowl and put them down on the table.



"Good, I see you know how to set about things; but what will you

do for a seat?" The grandfather himself was sitting on the only

chair in the room. Heidi flew to the hearth, and dragging the

three-legged stool up to the table, sat herself down upon it.



Well, you have managed to find a seat for yourself, I see, only

rather a low one I am afraid," said the grandfather, "but you

would not be tall enough to reach the table even if you sat in my

chair; the first thing now, however, is to have something to eat,

so come along."



With that he stood up, filled the bowl with milk, and placing it

on the chair, pushed it in front of Heidi on her little

three-legged stool, so that she now had a table to herself. Then

he brought her a large slice of bread and a piece of the golden

cheese, and told her to eat. After which he went and sat down on

the corner of the table and began his own meal. Heidi lifted the

bowl with both hands and drank without pause till it was empty,

for the thirst of all her long hot journey had returned upon her.

Then she drew a deep breath--in the eagerness of her thirst she

had not stopped to breathe--and put down the bowl.



"Was the milk nice?" asked her grandfather.



"I never drank any so good before," answered Heidi.



"Then you must have some more," and the old man filled her bowl

again to the brim and set it before the child, who was now

hungrily beginning her bread having first spread it with the

cheese, which after being toasted was soft as butter; the two

together tasted deliciously, and the child looked the picture of

content as she sat eating, and at intervals taking further

draughts of milk. The meal being over, the grandfather went

outside to put the goat-shed in order, and Heidi watched with

interest while he first swept it out, and then put fresh straw

for the goats to sleep upon. Then he went to the little

well-shed, and there he cut some long round sticks, and a small

round board; in this he bored some holes and stuck the sticks

into them, and there, as if made by magic, was a three-legged

stool just like her grandfather's, only higher. Heidi stood and

looked at it, speechless with astonishment.



"What do you think that is?" asked her grandfather.



"It's my stool, I know, because it is such a high one; and it was

made all of a minute," said the child, still lost in wonder and admiration.



"She understands what she sees, her eyes are in the right place,"

remarked the grandfather to himself, as he continued his way

round the hut, knocking in a nail here and there, or making fast

some part of the door, and so with hammer and nails and pieces of

wood going from spot to spot, mending or clearing away wherever

work of the kind was needed. Heidi followed him step by step, her

eyes attentively taking in all that he did, and everything that

she saw was a fresh source of pleasure to her.



And so the time passed happily on till evening. Then the wind

began to roar louder than ever through the old fir trees; Heidi

listened with delight to the sound, and it filled her heart so

full of gladness that she skipped and danced round the old trees,

as if some unheard of joy had come to her. The grandfather stood

and watched her from the shed.



Suddenly a shrill whistle was heard. Heidi paused in her dancing,

and the grandfather came out. Down from the heights above the

goats came springing one after another, with Peter in their

midst. Heidi sprang forward with a cry of joy and rushed among

the flock, greeting first one and then another of her old friends

of the morning. As they neared the hut the goats stood still, and

then two of their number, two beautiful slender animals, one

white and one brown, ran forward to where the grandfather was

standing and began licking his hands, for he was holding a little

salt which he always had ready for his goats on their return

home. Peter disappeared with the remainder of his flock. Heidi

tenderly stroked the two goats in turn, running first to one side

of them and then the other, and jumping about in her glee at the

pretty little animals. "Are they ours, grandfather? Are they both

ours? Are you going to put them in the shed? Will they always

stay with us?"



Heidi's questions came tumbling out one after the other, so that

her grandfather had only time to answer each of them with "Yes,

yes." When the goats had finished licking up the salt her

grandfather told her to go and fetch her bowl and the bread.



Heidi obeyed and was soon back again. The grandfather milked the

white goat and filled her basin, and then breaking off a piece of

bread, "Now eat your supper," he said, "and then go up to bed.

Cousin Dete left another little bundle for you with a nightgown

and other small things in it, which you will find at the bottom

of the cupboard if you want them. I must go and shut up the

goats, so be off and sleep well."



"Good-night, grandfather! good-night. What are their names,

grandfather, what are their names?" she called out as she ran

after his retreating figure and the goats.



"The white one is named Little Swan, and the brown one Little

Bear," he answered.



"Good-night, Little Swan, good-night, Little Bear!" she called

again at the top of her voice, for they were already inside the

shed. Then she sat down on the seat and began to eat and drink,

but the wind was so strong that it almost blew her away; so she

made haste and finished her supper and then went indoors and

climbed up to her bed, where she was soon lying as sweetly and

soundly asleep as any young princess on her couch of silk.



Not long after, and while it was still twilight, the grandfather

also went to bed, for he was up every morning at sunrise, and the

sun came climbing up over the mountains at a very early hour

during these summer months. The wind grew so tempestuous during

the night, and blew in such gusts against the walls, that the hut

trembled and the old beams groaned and creaked. It came howling

and wailing down the chimney like voices of those in pain, and it

raged with such fury among the old fir trees that here and there

a branch was snapped and fell. In the middle of the night the old

man got up. "The child will be frightened," he murmured half

aloud. He mounted the ladder and went and stood by the child's bed.



Outside the moon was struggling with the dark, fast-driving

clouds, which at one moment left it clear and shining, and the

next swept over it, and all again was dark. Just now the

moonlight was falling through the round window straight on to

Heidi's bed. She lay under the heavy coverlid, her cheeks rosy

with sleep, her head peacefully resting on her little round arm,

and with a happy expression on her baby face as if dreaming of

something pleasant. The old man stood looking down on the

sleeping child until the moon again disappeared behind the clouds

and he could see no more, then he went back to bed.

****

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