Peter came up the mountain at this moment. The goats did not gather round him so trustfully as usual, but seemed to avoid him timidly, for he had reached a high pitch of anger and bitterness, and was using his stick very unnecessarily, and where it fell the blow was no light one. For weeks now he had not had Heidi all to himself as formerly. When he came up in the morning the invalid child was always already in her chair and Heidi fully occupied with her. And it was the same thing over again when he came down in the evening. She had not come out with the goats once this summer, and today she was only coming in company with her friend and the chair, and would stick by the latter's side the whole time. It was the thought of this which was making him particularly cross this morning. There stood the chair on its high wheels. Peter glared at it as at an enemy that had done him harm and was likely to do him still more today. He glanced round--there was no sound anywhere, no one to see him. He sprang forward like a wild creature, caught hold of the chair, and gave it a violent and angry push in the direction of the slope. It rolled swiftly forward and in another minute had disappeared. [Illustration] Peter now sped up the mountain as if on wings, not pausing till he was well hidden behind a large blackberry bush, for he had no wish to be seen by Uncle. But he was anxious to see what had become of the chair, so he looked, and there he saw his enemy running faster and faster down hill, then it turned head over heels several times, and finally, after one great bound, rolled over and over to its complete destruction. The pieces flew in every direction--feet, arms, and torn fragments of the padded seat and bolster--and Peter experienced a feeling of such unbounded delight at the sight that he leapt in the air, laughing aloud and stamping for joy. He could see only good results for himself in the disaster to his enemy. Now Heidi's friend would be obliged to go away, for she would have no means of going about, and when Heidi was alone again she would come out with him as in the old days, and everything would go on in the proper way. But Peter did not consider, or did not know, that when we do a wrong thing trouble is sure to follow. Heidi now came running out of the hut and round the shed. Grandfather was behind with Clara in his arms. The shed stood wide open, the two loose planks having been taken down, and it was quite light inside. Heidi looked into every corner and ran from one end to the other, and then stood still wondering what could have happened to the chair. Grandfather now came up. "How is this, have you wheeled the chair away, Heidi?" "I have been looking everywhere for it, Grandfather; you said it was standing ready outside," and she again searched each corner of the shed with her eyes. At that moment the wind, which had risen suddenly, blew open the shed door and sent it banging back against the wall.