Grandfathers -- Fiction; Mountain life -- Switzerland -- Fiction; Orphans -- Fiction; Switzerland -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction
As the children lay that night in bed looking out at the stars Heidi
said, "I have been thinking all day what a happy thing it is that God
does not give us what we ask for, even when we pray and pray and pray,
if He knows there is something better for us; have you felt like that?"
"Why do you ask me that tonight all of a sudden?" asked Clara.
"Because I prayed so hard when I was in Frankfurt that I might go home
at once, and because I was not allowed to I thought God had forgotten
me. And now you see, if I had come away at first when I wanted to, you
would never have come here, and would never have got well."
Clara had in her turn become thoughtful. "But, Heidi," she began again,
"in that case we ought never to pray for anything, as God always
intends something better for us than we know or wish for."
"You must not think it is like that, Clara," replied Heidi eagerly.
"We must go on praying for everything, so that God may know we do not
forget that it all comes from Him. If we forget God, then He lets us go
our own way and we get into trouble."
"How did you learn all that?" asked Clara.
"Grandmamma explained it to me first of all, and then when it all
happened just as she said, I knew it myself, and I think, Clara," she
went on, as she sat up in bed, "we ought certainly to thank God tonight
that you can walk now, and that He has made us so happy."
"Yes, Heidi, I am sure you are right, and I am glad you reminded me; I
almost forgot my prayers for very joy."
Both children said their prayers, and each thanked God in her own way
for the blessing He had bestowed on Clara, who had for so long lain
weak and ill.
The next morning the grandfather suggested that they should now write
to the grandmamma and ask her if she would not come and pay them a
visit, as they had something new to show her. But the children had
another plan in their heads, for they wanted to prepare a great
surprise for grandmamma. Clara was first to have more practice in
walking so that she might be able to go a little way by herself; above
all things grandmamma was not to have a hint of it. They asked the
grandfather how long he thought this would take, and when he told them
about a week or less, they immediately sat down and wrote a pressing
invitation to grandmamma, asking her to come soon, but no word was said
about there being anything new to see.
The following days were some of the most joyous that Clara had spent
on the mountain. She awoke each morning with a happy voice within her
crying, "I am well now! I am well now! I shan't have to go about in a
chair, I can walk by myself like other people."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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