Heidi

by Johanna Spyri

  CHAPTER XVII

  EXCURSIONS OVER THE MOUNTAINS

  The next morning the doctor climbed up from Doerfli with Peter and thegoats. At the hut, they found Heidi awaiting them with her two goats,all three as fresh and lively as the morning sun among the mountains.

  "Are you coming today?" said Peter, repeating the words with which hedaily greeted her.

  "Of course I am, if the doctor is coming too," replied Heidi.

  Peter cast a sidelong glance at the doctor. The grandfather now cameout with the dinner bag, and after bidding good-day to the doctor hewent up to Peter and slung it over his neck. It was heavier than usual,for Alm-Uncle had added some meat today, as he thought the doctor mightlike to have his lunch out of doors with the children. Peter gave agrin, for he felt sure there was something extra good in it.

  And so the ascent began. The goats as usual came thronging round Heidi,each trying to be nearest her, until at last she stood still andsaid, "Now you must go on in front and behave properly, and not keepon turning back and pushing and poking me, for I want to talk to thedoctor." By degrees she managed to make her way out from among them andjoined the doctor, who took her by the hand. Heidi had a great dealto say about the goats and their peculiarities, and about the flowersand the rocks and the birds, and so they clambered on and reachedtheir resting-place before they were aware. Peter had sent a good manyunfriendly glances towards the doctor on the way up, which might havequite alarmed the latter if he had happened to notice them, which,fortunately, he did not.

  Heidi led her friend to her favorite spot where she was accustomed tosit and enjoy the beauty around her; the doctor followed her exampleand took his seat beside her on the warm grass. The great snowfieldsparkled in the bright sunlight, on the rocky peaks. A soft, lightmorning breeze blew deliciously across the mountain, gently stirringthe bluebells that still remained of the summer's wealth of flowers,their slender heads nodding cheerfully in the sunshine. Overhead thegreat bird was flying round and round in wide circles. Heidi lookedabout her first at one thing and then at another. Her eyes were alightwith joy. She turned to her friend to see if he too were enjoying thebeauty. The doctor had been sitting thoughtfully gazing around him. Ashe met her glad bright eyes, "Yes, Heidi," he responded, "I see howlovely it all is, but tell me--if one brings a sad heart up here, howmay it be healed so that it can rejoice in all this beauty?"

  "But no one is sad up here, only in Frankfurt," exclaimed Heidi.

  The doctor smiled, and then growing serious again he continued, "Butsupposing one is not able to leave all the sadness behind at Frankfurt;can you tell me anything that will help then?"

  "When you do not know what more to do you must go and tell everythingto God," answered Heidi with decision.

  "Ah, that is a good thought of yours, Heidi," said the doctor. "Butif it is God Himself who has sent the trouble, what can we say to Himthen?"

  Heidi sat pondering for a while; she was sure in her heart that Godcould help out of every trouble. She thought over her own experiencesand then found her answer.

  "Then you must wait," she said, "and keep on saying to yourself: Godcertainly knows of some happiness for us which He is going to bring outof the trouble, only we must have patience and not run away."

  "That is a beautiful faith, child, and be sure you hold it fast,"replied the doctor. "But can you understand, Heidi, that a man may sithere with such a shadow over his eyes that he cannot feel and enjoythe beauty around him, while the heart grows doubly sad knowing howbeautiful it could be. Can you understand that?"

  A pain shot through the child's young, happy heart. The shadow over theeyes brought to her remembrance the grandmother, who would never againbe able to see the sunlight and the beauty up here. This was Heidi'sgreat sorrow, which reawoke each time she thought about the darkness.

  "Yes, I can understand it. And I know this, that then one must say oneof grandmother's hymns, which bring the light back a little, and oftenmake it so bright for her that she is quite happy again. Grandmotherherself told me this."

  "Which hymns are they, Heidi?" asked the doctor.

  "I only know the one about the sun and the beautiful garden, and someof the verses of the long one, which are favorites with her, and shealways likes me to read them to her two or three times over," repliedHeidi.

  "Well, say the verses to me then, I should like to hear them too," saidthe doctor.

  Heidi collected her thoughts for a second or two and began,--

  Let not your heart be troubled Nor fear your soul dismay, There is a wise Defender And He will be your stay. Where you have failed, He conquers, See, how the foeman flies! And all your tribulation Is turned to glad surprise.

  If for a while it seemeth His mercy is withdrawn, That He no longer careth For His wandering child forlorn, Doubt not His great compassion, His love can never tire, To those who wait in patience He gives their heart's desire.

  Suddenly she paused; she was not sure if the doctor was stilllistening. He was sitting motionless with his hand before his eyes. Histhoughts had carried him back to a long past time: he saw himself as alittle boy standing by his dear mother's chair; she had her arm roundhis neck and was saying the very verses to him that Heidi had justrecited--words which he had not heard now for years. He could hear hismother's voice and see her loving eyes resting upon him, and as Heidiceased the old dear voice seemed to be saying other things to him; andthe words he heard again must have carried him far, far away, for itwas a long time before he stirred or took his hand from his eyes. Whenat last he roused himself he met Heidi's eyes looking wonderingly athim.

  "Heidi," he said, taking the child's hand in his, "that was a beautifulhymn of yours," and there was a happier ring in his voice as he spoke."We will come out here together another day, and you will let me hearit again."

  Peter meanwhile had been giving vent to his anger. It was now somedays since Heidi had been out with him, and when at last she did comethere she sat the whole time beside the old gentleman, and Peter couldnot get a word with her. He got into a terrible temper, and at lastwent and stood some way back behind the doctor, where the latter couldnot see him, and doubling his fist made imaginary hits at the enemy.Presently he doubled both fists, and the longer Heidi stayed beside thegentleman, the more fiercely did he threaten with them.

  Meanwhile the sun had risen to the height which Peter knew pointed tothe dinner hour. All of a sudden he called at the top of his voice,"It's dinner time."

  Heidi started for the dinner bag so that the doctor might eat his wherehe sat. But he stopped her, telling her he was not hungry at all, andonly cared for a glass of milk, as he wanted to climb up a littlehigher. Then Heidi found that she also was not hungry and only wantedmilk, and she should like, she said, to take the doctor up to the largemoss-covered rock where Greenfinch had nearly jumped down and killedherself. So she ran and explained matters to Peter, telling him to goand get milk for the two. Peter seemed hardly to understand. "Who isgoing to eat what is in the bag, then?" he asked.

  "You can have it," she answered, "only first make haste and get themilk."

  Peter had seldom performed any task more promptly, for he thought ofthe bag and its contents, which now belonged to him. As soon as theother two were sitting quietly drinking their milk, he opened it,and quite trembled for joy at the sight of the meat, and he was justputting his hand in to draw it out when something seemed to hold himback. His conscience smote him at the remembrance of how he had stoodwith his doubled fists behind the doctor, who was giving up to him hiswhole good dinner. He felt as if he could not now enjoy it. But all atonce he jumped up and ran back to the spot where he had stood before,and there held up his open hands as a sign that he had no longer anywish to use them as fists, and kept them up until he felt he had madeamends for his past conduct. Then he rushed back and sat down to thedouble enjoyment of a clear conscience and unusually satisfying meal.

  Heidi and the doctor climbed and talked for a
long while, untilthe latter said it was time for him to be going back, and no doubtHeidi would like to go and be with her goats. But Heidi would nothear of this, as then the doctor would have to go the whole way downthe mountain alone. She insisted on accompanying him as far as thegrandfather's hut, or even a little further. She kept hold of herfriend's hand all the time, and the whole way she entertained him withaccounts of this thing and that. But at last the doctor insisted on hergoing back; so they bid each other good-night and the doctor continuedhis descent, turning now and again to look back, and each time he sawHeidi standing on the same spot and waving her hand to him. Even so inthe old days had his own dear little daughter watched him when he wentfrom home.

  It was a bright, sunny autumn month. The doctor came up to the hutevery morning, and thence made excursions over the mountain. Alm-Uncleaccompanied him on some of his higher ascents. The doctor found greatpleasure in his companion's conversation, and was astonished at hisknowledge of the plants that grew on the mountain. He was well versedalso in the ways of the animals, great and small, and had many amusinganecdotes to tell of these dwellers in caves and holes and in the topsof the fir trees. And so the time passed pleasantly and quickly forthe doctor, who seldom said good-bye to the old man at the end of theday without adding, "I never leave you, friend, without having learntsomething new from you."

  On some of the very finest days, however, the doctor would wander outagain with Heidi, and then the two would sit together as on the firstday, and the child would repeat her hymns and tell the doctor thingswhich she alone knew. Peter sat at a little distance from them, but hewas now quite reconciled in spirit and gave vent to no angry pantomime.

  September had drawn to its close, and one morning the doctor appearedlooking less cheerful than usual. It was his last day, he said, ashe must return to Frankfurt, but he was grieved at having to saygood-bye to the mountain, which had begun to feel quite like home tohim. Alm-Uncle, on his side, greatly regretted the departure of hisguest, and Heidi had been accustomed for so long to see her good friendevery day that she could hardly believe the time had suddenly come toseparate. She walked part way down the mountain with him, still unableto grasp the idea that he was going for good. After some distance thedoctor stood still, and passing his hand over the child's curly headsaid, "Now, Heidi, you must go back, and I must say good-bye! If only Icould take you with me to Frankfurt and keep you there!"

  The picture of Frankfurt rose before the child's eyes, its endless rowsof houses, its hard streets, and even the vision of Miss Rottermeyerand Tinette, and she answered hesitatingly, "I would rather that youcame back to us."

  "Yes, you are right, that would be better. But now good-bye, Heidi."The child put her hand in his and looked up at him; the kind eyeslooking down on her had tears in them. Then the doctor tore himselfaway and quickly continued his descent.

  Heidi remained standing without moving. The friendly eyes with thetears in them had gone to her heart. All at once she burst into tearsand started running as fast as she could after the departing figure,calling out in broken tones: "Doctor! doctor!"

  He turned round and waited till the child reached him. The tears werestreaming down her face and she sobbed out: "I will come to Frankfurtwith you, now at once, and I will stay with you as long as you like,only I must just run back and tell grandfather."

  The doctor laid his hand on her and tried to calm her excitement."No, no, dear child," he said kindly, "not now; you must stay for thepresent under the fir trees, you might get sick again. But if I am everill and alone, will you come then and stay with me? May I know thatthere would then be some one to look after me and care for me?"

  "Yes, yes, I will come the very day you send for me, and I love younearly as much as grandfather," replied Heidi, who had not yet got overher distress.

  And so the doctor again bid her good-bye and started on his way, whileHeidi remained looking after him and waving her hand as long as a speckof him could be seen. As the doctor turned for the last time and lookedback at the waving Heidi and the sunny mountain, he said to himself,"It is good to be up there, good for body and soul, and a man mightlearn how to be happy once more."