Heidi

by Johanna Spyri

  CHAPTER XIX

  HEIDI TEACHES OBSTINATE PETER

  Peter arrived punctually at school the following day. He had broughthis dinner with him, for all the children who lived at a distanceregularly seated themselves at mid-day on the tables, and resting theirfeet firmly on the benches, spread out their meal on their knees and soate their dinner, while those living in Doerfli went home for theirs.Till one o'clock they might all do as they liked, and then school beganagain. As soon as Peter finished his lessons he went over to Uncle's tosee Heidi.

  When he walked into the large room at Uncle's today, Heidi immediatelyrushed forward and took hold of him and said: "I've thought ofsomething, Peter."

  "What is it?" he asked.

  "You must learn to read," she informed him.

  "I have learnt," was the answer.

  "Yes, yes, but I mean so that you can really make use of it," continuedHeidi eagerly.

  "I never shall," was the prompt reply.

  "Nobody believes that you cannot learn, nor I either now," said Heidiin a very decided tone of voice. "Grandmamma in Frankfurt said long agothat it was not true, and she told me not to believe you."

  Peter looked rather taken aback at this piece of intelligence.

  "I will soon teach you to read, for I know how," continued Heidi. "Youmust learn at once, and then you can read one or two hymns every day tograndmother."

  "Oh, I don't care about that," he grumbled in reply.

  This hard-hearted way of refusing to agree to what was right andkind, and to what Heidi had so much at heart, aroused her anger. Withflashing eyes she stood facing the boy and said threateningly, "If youwon't learn as I want you to, I will tell you what will happen; youknow your mother has often spoken of sending you to Frankfurt, that youmay learn a lot of things, and I know where the boys there have to goto school; Clara pointed out the great house to me when we were drivingtogether. And they don't only go when they are boys, but have morelessons still when they are grown men. I have seen them myself, and youmustn't think they have only one kind teacher like we have. There areever so many of them, all in the school at the same time, and they areall dressed in black, as if they were going to church, and have blackhats on their heads as high as that--" and Heidi held out her hand toshow their height from the floor.

  Peter felt a cold shudder run down his back.

  "And you will have to go in among all those gentlemen," continued Heidiwith increasing animation, "and when it comes to your turn you won't beable to read and will make mistakes in your spelling. Then you'll seehow they'll make fun of you; even worse than Tinette, and you ought tohave seen what she was like when she was scornful."

  "Well, I'll learn then," said Peter, half sorrowfully and half angrily.

  Heidi was instantly mollified. "That's right, then we'll begin atonce," she said cheerfully.

  Among other presents Clara had sent Heidi a book which the latter haddecided would be just the thing for teaching Peter, as it was an A BC book with rhyming lines. So the two sat together at the table withtheir heads bent over the book, and began the lesson.

  Peter was made to spell out the first sentence two or three times over,for Heidi wished him to get it correct and fluent. At last she said,"You don't seem able to get it right, but I will read it aloud to youonce; when you know what it ought to be you will find it easier." Andshe read out:--

  A B C must be learnt today Or the judge will call you up to pay.

  "I shan't go," said Peter obstinately.

  "Go where?" asked Heidi.

  "Before the judge," he answered.

  "Well then make haste and learn these three letters, then you won'thave to go."

  Peter went at his task again and repeated the three letters so manytimes and with such determination that she said at last,--

  "You must know those three now."

  Seeing what an effect the first two lines of verse had had upon him,she thought she would prepare the ground a little for the followinglessons.

  "Wait, and I will read you some of the next sentences," she continued,"then you will see what else there is to expect."

  And she began in a clear slow voice:--

  D E F G must run with ease Or something will follow that does not please.

  Should H I J K be now forgot Disgrace is yours upon the spot.

  And then L M must follow at once Or punished you'll be for a sorry dunce.

  If you knew what next awaited you You'd haste to learn N O P Q.

  Now R S T be quick about Or worse will follow there's little doubt.

  Heidi paused, for Peter was so quiet that she looked to see what he wasdoing. These many secret threats and hints of dreadful punishments hadso affected him that he sat as if petrified and stared at Heidi withhorror-stricken eyes. Her kind heart was moved at once, and she said,wishing to reassure him, "You need not be afraid, Peter; come here tome every evening, and if you learn as you have today you will at leastknow all your letters, and the other things won't come. But you mustcome regularly, not only now and then as you do to school; even if itsnows it won't hurt you."

  He promised, and the lessons being finished for this day he now wenthome.

  Peter obeyed Heidi's instructions punctually, and every eveningwent diligently to work to learn the letters, taking the sentencesthoroughly to heart. The grandfather was frequently in the roomsmoking his pipe comfortably while the lesson was going on, and hisface twitched occasionally as if he was overtaken with a sudden fit ofmerriment. Peter was often invited to stay to supper after the greatexertion he had gone through, which richly compensated him for theanguish of mind he had suffered with the sentence for the day.

  So the winter went by, and Peter really made progress with his letters;but he went through a terrible fight each day with the sentences.

  He had got at last to U. Heidi read out:--

  And if you put the U for V, You'll go where you would not like to be.

  Peter growled, "Yes, but I shan't go!" But he was very diligent thatday, as if under the impression that some one would seize him suddenlyby the collar and drag him where he would rather not go.

  The next evening Heidi read:--

  If you falter at W, worst of all, Look at the stick against the wall.

  Peter looked at the wall and said scornfully, "There isn't one."

  "Yes, but do you know what grandfather has in his box?" asked Heidi. "Astick as thick almost as your arm, and if he took that out, you mightwell say, look at the stick on the wall."

  Peter knew that thick hazel stick, and immediately bent his head overthe W and struggled to master it.

  Another day the lines ran:--

  Then comes the X for you to say Or be sure you'll get no food today.

  Peter looked towards the cupboard where the bread and cheese were kept,and said crossly, "I never said that I should forget the X."

  "That's all right; if you don't forget it we can go on to learn thenext, and then you will only have one more," replied Heidi, anxious toencourage him.

  Peter did not quite understand, but when Heidi went on and read:--

  And should you make a stop at Y They'll point at you and cry, Fie, fie.

  All the gentlemen in Frankfurt with tall black hats on their heads, andscorn and mockery in their faces rose up before his mind's eye, and hethrew himself with energy on the Y, not letting it go till at last heknew it so thoroughly that he could see what it was like even when heshut his eyes.

  He arrived on the following day in a somewhat lofty frame of mind, forthere was now only one letter to struggle over, and when Heidi beganthe lesson with reading aloud:--

  Make haste with Z, if you're too slow Off to the Hottentots you'll go.

  Peter remarked scornfully, "I dare say, when no one knows even wheresuch people live."

  "I assure you, Peter," replied Heidi, "grandfather knows all aboutthem. Wait a second and I will run and ask him, for he is only over theway wit
h the pastor." And she rose and ran to the door to put her wordsinto action, but Peter cried out in a voice of agony,--

  "Stop!" for he already saw himself being carried off by Alm-Uncle andthe pastor and sent straight away to the Hottentots, since as yet hedid not know his last letter. His cry of fear brought Heidi back.

  "What is the matter?" she asked in astonishment.

  "Nothing! come back! I am going to learn my letter," he said,stammering with fear. Heidi, however, herself wished to know where theHottentots lived and persisted that she should ask her grandfather,but she gave in at last to Peter's despairing entreaties. She insistedon his doing something in return, and so not only had he to repeat hisZ until it was so fixed in his memory that he could never forget itagain, but she began teaching him to spell, and Peter really made agood start that evening. So it went on from day to day.

  The frost had gone and the snow was soft again, and moreover fresh snowcontinually fell, so that it was quite three weeks before Heidi couldgo to the grandmother again. So much the more eagerly did she pursueher teaching so that Peter might compensate for her absence by readinghymns to the old woman. One evening he walked in home after leavingHeidi, and as he entered he said, "I can do it now."

  "Do what, Peter?" asked his mother.

  "Read," he answered.

  "Do you really mean it? Did you hear that, Grandmother?" she calledout.

  The grandmother had heard, and was already wondering how such a thingcould have come to pass.

  "I must read one of the hymns now; Heidi told me to," he went on toinform them. His mother hastily brought the book, and the grandmotherlay in joyful expectation, for it was so long since she had heard thegood words. Peter sat down to the table and began to read. His mothersat beside him listening with surprise and exclaiming at the close ofeach verse, "Who would have thought it possible!"

  The grandmother did not speak though she followed the words he readwith strained attention.

  It happened on the day following this that there was a reading lessonin Peter's class. When it came to his turn, the teacher said,--

  "We must pass over Peter as usual, or will you try again once more--Iwill not say to read, but to stammer through a sentence."

  Peter took the book and read off three lines without the slightesthesitation.

  The teacher put down his book and stared at Peter as at someout-of-the-way and marvelous thing unseen before. At last he spoke,--

  "Peter, some miracle has been performed upon you! Here have I beenstriving with unheard-of patience to teach you and you have nothitherto been able to say your letters even. And now, just as I hadmade up my mind not to waste any more trouble upon you, you suddenlyare able to read a whole sentence properly and distinctly. How has sucha miracle come to pass in our days?"

  "It was Heidi," answered Peter.

  The teacher looked in astonishment towards Heidi, who was sittinginnocently on her bench with no appearance of anything supernaturalabout her. He continued, "I have noticed a change in you altogether,Peter. Whereas formerly you often missed coming to school for a week,or even weeks at a time, you have lately not stayed away a single day.Who has wrought this change for good in you?"

  "It was Uncle," answered Peter.

  With increasing surprise the teacher looked from Peter to Heidi andback again at Peter.

  "We will try once more," he said cautiously, and Peter had again toshow off his accomplishment by reading another three lines. There wasno mistake about it--Peter could read.

  As soon as school was over the teacher went over to the pastor totell him this piece of news, and to inform him of the happy result ofHeidi's and the grandfather's combined efforts.

  Every evening Peter read one hymn aloud; so far he obeyed Heidi.Nothing would induce him to read a second, and indeed the grandmothernever asked for it. His mother Brigitta could not get over her surpriseat her son's attainment, and when the reader was in bed would oftenexpress her pleasure at it. "Now he has learnt to read there is noknowing what may be made of him yet."

  On one of these occasions the grandmother answered, "Yes, it is goodfor him to have learnt something, but I shall indeed be thankful whenspring is here again and Heidi can come; they are not like the samehymns when Peter reads them. So many words seem missing, and I try tothink what they ought to be and then I lose the sense, and so the hymnsdo not come home to my heart as when Heidi reads them."

  The truth was that Peter arranged to make his reading as littletroublesome for himself as possible. When he came upon a word that hethought was too long or difficult in any other way, he left it out, forhe decided that a word or two less in a verse, where there were so manyof them, could make no difference to his grandmother. And so it cameabout that most of the principal words were missing in the hymns thatPeter read aloud.