Grandfathers -- Fiction; Mountain life -- Switzerland -- Fiction; Orphans -- Fiction; Switzerland -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction
The grandfather, coming out of the hut, greeted the newcomer with
great respect. Then he went up to Peter, and hung on his shoulder the
sack, which seemed to contain more than usual that day.
When they had started on their way, Heidi kept urging forward the
goats, which were crowding about her. When at last she was walking
peacefully by the doctor's side, she began to relate to him many
things about the goats and all their strange pranks, and about the
flowers, rocks and birds they saw. When they arrived at their
destination, time seemed to have flown. Peter all the time was sending
many an angry glance at the unconscious doctor, who never even noticed
it.
Heidi now took the doctor to her favorite spot. From there they could
hear the peaceful-sounding bells of the grazing cattle below. The sky
was deep blue, and above their heads the eagle was circling with
outstretched wings. Everything was luminous and bright about them, but
the doctor had been silent. Suddenly looking up, he beheld Heidi's
radiant eyes.
"Heidi, it is beautiful up here," he said. "But how can anybody with a
heavy heart enjoy the beauty? Tell me!"
"Oh," exclaimed Heidi, "one never has a sad heart here. One only gets
unhappy in Frankfurt."
A faint smile passed over the doctor's face. Then he began: "But if
somebody has brought his sorrow away with him, how would you comfort
him?"
"God in Heaven alone can help him."
"That is true, child," remarked the doctor. "But what can we do when
God Himself has sent us the affliction?"
After meditating a moment, Heidi replied: "One must wait patiently,
for God knows how to turn the saddest things to something happy in the
end. God will show us what He has meant to do for us. But He will only
do so if we pray to Him patiently."
"I hope you will always keep this beautiful belief, Heidi," said the
doctor. Then looking up at the mighty cliffs above, he continued:
"Think how sad it would make us not to be able to see all these
beautiful things. Wouldn't that make us doubly sad? Can you understand
me, child?"
A great pain shot through Heidi's breast. She had to think of the poor
grandmother. Her blindness was always a great sorrow to the child, and
she had been struck with it anew. Seriously she replied:
"Oh yes, I can understand it. But then we can read grandmother's
songs; they make us happy and bright again."
"Which songs, Heidi?"
"Oh, those of the sun, and of the beautiful garden, and then the last
verses of the long one. Grandmother loves them so that I always have
to read them over three times," said Heidi.
"I wish you would say them to me, child, for I should like to hear
them," said the doctor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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