It was about a week after this that the tutor informed Mrs. Sesemann that Heidi had really learnt to read at last. [Illustration: GRANDMOTHER'S KIND ADVICE BRINGS COMFORT TO HEIDI] "It is indeed truly marvelous," he said, "because she never seemed able to even learn her A B C's before. I had made up my mind to make no further attempts at the impossible, but to put the letters as they were before her without any dissertation on their origin and meaning. Now she has learnt her letters and started at once to read correctly, quite unlike most beginners." That same evening Heidi found the large book with the pictures, lying on her plate when she took her place at table, and when she looked questioningly at the grandmother, the latter nodded kindly to her and said, "Yes, it's yours now." "Mine, to keep always? even when I go home?" said Heidi, blushing with pleasure. "Yes, of course, yours for ever," the grandmother assured her. "Tomorrow we will begin to read it." "But you are not going home yet, Heidi, not for years," put in Clara. "When grandmother goes away, I shall want you to stay on with me." When Heidi went to her room that night she had another look at her book before going to bed, and from that day forth her chief pleasure was to read over and over again, the tales which belonged to the beautiful pictures. CHAPTER XI HOME-SICKNESS Every afternoon when Clara was resting after dinner, the grandmother would take Heidi to her own room where she had a lot of pretty dolls, and she showed her how to make dresses and aprons for them, so that the child learned how to sew and to make all sorts of beautiful clothes for the little people. And then grandmother liked to hear her read aloud, and the oftener Heidi read her tales the fonder she grew of them. But still she never looked really happy, and her eyes were no longer bright. It was the last week of the grandmother's visit. She called Heidi into her room as usual one day after dinner, and the child came with her book under her arm. The old lady laid the book aside, and said, "Now, my dear, tell me why you are not happy? Have you still the same trouble at heart?" Heidi nodded in reply. "Have you told God about it?" "Yes." "And do you pray every day that He will make things right and that you may be happy again?" "No, I have left off praying." "Do not tell me that, Heidi! Why have you left off praying?" [Illustration: HEIDI LEARNS TO MAKE DOLL CLOTHES] "It is of no use, God does not listen," Heidi went on in an agitated voice, "and I can understand that when there are so many, many people in Frankfurt praying to Him every evening that He cannot attend to them all, and He certainly has not heard what I said to Him." "And why are you so sure of that, Heidi?" "Because I have prayed for the same thing every day for weeks, and yet God has not done what I asked."