confused heap, books, exercise-books and inkstand, with the table-cloth on the top, while from beneath them a dark stream of ink was flowing all across the floor. Heidi had disappeared. "Here's a state of things!" exclaimed Miss Rottermeyer. "Table-cloth, books, work-basket, everything lying in the ink! It was that unfortunate child, I suppose!" "Yes, Heidi did it," explained Clara, "but quite by accident; she must on no account be punished; she jumped up in such violent haste to get away that she dragged the table-cloth along with her, and so everything went over. There were a number of vehicles passing, that is why she rushed off like that; perhaps she has never seen a carriage." "Is it not as I said? She has not the smallest notion about anything! But where is the child who has caused all this trouble? Surely she has not run away! What would Mr. Sesemann say to me?" She ran out of the room and down the stairs. There, at the bottom, standing in the open doorway, was Heidi, looking in amazement up and down the street. "What are you doing? What are you thinking of to run away like that?" called Miss Rottermeyer. "I heard the sound of the fir trees, but I cannot see where they are, and now I cannot hear them any more," answered Heidi, looking disappointedly in the direction whence the noise of the passing carriages had reached her, and which to Heidi had seemed like the blowing of the south wind in the trees, so that in great joy of heart she had rushed out to look at them. "Fir trees! do you suppose we are in the woods? What ridiculous ideas are these? Come upstairs and see the mischief you have done!" Heidi followed Miss Rottermeyer upstairs; she was quite astonished to see the disaster she had caused, for in her joy and haste to get to the fir trees she had been unaware of having dragged everything after her. "I excuse you doing this as it is the first time, but do not let me hear of you doing it a second time," said Miss Rottermeyer pointing to the floor. "During your lesson time you are to sit still and attend. If you cannot do this I shall have to tie you to your chair. Do you understand?" "Yes," replied Heidi, "but I will certainly not move again," for now she understood that it was a rule to sit still while she was being taught. When Clara had been placed on her couch after dinner, and the housekeeper had retired to her room, Heidi waited for Sebastian who was coming up from the kitchen with a tray of silver tea-things, which he had to put away in the dining-room cupboard. As he reached the top stair Heidi went up to him and addressed him in the formal manner she had been ordered to use by Miss Rottermeyer. Sebastian looked surprised and said somewhat curtly, "What is it you want, miss?" "How can a window be opened?" "Why, like that!" and Sebastian flung up one of the large windows. Heidi ran to it, but she was not tall enough to see out, for her head only reached the sill.