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19 - Heidi by Johanna Spyri · Heidi

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  Speaker 1: Chapter nineteen of Heidi by Joanna Speedy, translated by Elizabeth P. Stork.
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  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter nineteen
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  Speaker 1: Winter still continues. Peter arrived punctually at school next day.
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  Speaker 1: He had brought his lunch with him in a bag
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  Speaker 1: for all the children that came from far away. Eight
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  Speaker 1: in school while the others went home. In the evening, Peter,
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  Speaker 1: as usual, paid his visit to Heidi. The minute he
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  Speaker 1: opened the door, she ran up to him, saying, Peter,
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  Speaker 1: I have to tell you something. Say it, he replied.
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  Speaker 1: You must learn to read, now, said the child. I
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  Speaker 1: have done it already, Yes, yes, Peter, but I don't
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  Speaker 1: mean it that way. Heidi eagerly proceeded. You must learn
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  Speaker 1: it so that you really know how. Afterwards, I can't,
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  Speaker 1: Peter remarked. Nobody believes you about that anymore, and I
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  Speaker 1: won't either, Heidi said resolutely. When I was in Frankfort,
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  Speaker 1: Grandmamma told me it wasn't true and that I shouldn't
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  Speaker 1: believe you. Peter's astonishment was great. I'll teach you, for
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  Speaker 1: I know how. When you have learned it, you must
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  Speaker 1: read one or two songs to grandmother every day, I shan't,
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  Speaker 1: grumbled the boy. This obstinate refusal made Heidi very angry.
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  Speaker 1: With flaming eyes. She planted herself before the boy and said,
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  Speaker 1: I'll tell you what will happen if you don't want
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  Speaker 1: to learn. Your mother has often said that she'll send
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  Speaker 1: you to Frankfort. Clary showed me the terrible large boys
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  Speaker 1: school there, and you will have to go. You must
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  Speaker 1: stay there till you are a man. Peter. You mustn't
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  Speaker 1: think that there is only one teacher there, and such
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  Speaker 1: a kind one as we have here. No, indeed, there
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  Speaker 1: are whole rows of them, and when they are out
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  Speaker 1: walking they have high black hats on their heads. I
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  Speaker 1: saw them myself when I was out driving. Cold shivers
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  Speaker 1: ran down Peter's back. Yes, you'll have to go there,
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  Speaker 1: and when they find out that you can't read or
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  Speaker 1: even spell, they'll laugh at you. I'll do it, said Peter,
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  Speaker 1: half angry and half frightened. Oh I am glad. Let
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  Speaker 1: us start right away, said Heide, joyfully, pulling Peter over
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  Speaker 1: to the table. Among the things that Clary had sent,
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  Speaker 1: Heidi had found a little book with the ABC and
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  Speaker 1: some rhymes. She had chosen this for the lessons. Peter,
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  Speaker 1: having to spell the first rhyme, found great difficulty, so
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  Speaker 1: Heidie said, I'll read it to you, and then you'll
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  Speaker 1: be able to do it better. Listen, If A B
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  Speaker 1: C you do not know, before the school board, you
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  Speaker 1: must go. I won't go, said Peter, stubbornly. Where before
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  Speaker 1: the court. Hurry up and learn the three letters, then
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  Speaker 1: you won't have to. Peter, beginning again, repeated the three
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  Speaker 1: letters till Heidi said, now you know them. Having observed
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  Speaker 1: the good result of the first rhyme, she began to
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  Speaker 1: read again D E fu then must read or of misfortune,
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  Speaker 1: take good heed If h I J K R foegot adverse,
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  Speaker 1: the t is on the spot who over l and
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  Speaker 1: m doth stumble must pay a penance and feel humble.
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  Speaker 1: There's trouble coming. If you knew, you'd quickly learn in
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  Speaker 1: O p H. If you shall halt on r st,
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  Speaker 1: you'll suffer for it speedily. Heidi, stopping, looked at Peter,
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  Speaker 1: who was so frightened by all these rats and mysterious
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  Speaker 1: horrors that he sat as still as a mouse. Heidie's
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  Speaker 1: tender heart was touched, and she said, comfortingly, don't be afraid, Peter,
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  Speaker 1: if you come to me every day, you'll soon learn
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  Speaker 1: all the letters, and then those things won't happen. But
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  Speaker 1: come every day even when it snows. Promise. Peter did
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  Speaker 1: so and departed. Obeying Heidie's instructions, he came daily to
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  Speaker 1: her for his lesson. Sometimes the grandfather would sit in
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  Speaker 1: the room smoking his pipe. Often the corners of his
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  Speaker 1: mouth would twitch, as if he could hardly keep from laughing.
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  Speaker 1: He generally invited Peter to stay to supper afterwards, which
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  Speaker 1: liberally rewarded the boy for all his great exertions. Thus
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  Speaker 1: the days passed by, and all this time Peter had
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  Speaker 1: really made some progress, though the rhyme still gave him difficulty.
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  Speaker 1: When they had come to you, Heidi ran, whoever mixes
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  Speaker 1: you and V will go where he won't want to be.
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  Speaker 1: And further, if w you still ignore, look at the
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  Speaker 1: rod beside the door. Often Peter would growl and object
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  Speaker 1: to these measures, but nevertheless he kept on learning, and
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  Speaker 1: soon had but three letters left. The next few days,
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  Speaker 1: the following rhymes, with their threats, made Peter more eager
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  Speaker 1: than ever. If you the letter X forget for you,
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  Speaker 1: no supper will be set. If you still hesitate with
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  Speaker 1: Why for shame you'll run away and cry? When Heidi
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  Speaker 1: read the last and he who makes his z with
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  Speaker 1: blots must journey to the Hottentots, Peter sneered. Nobody even
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  Speaker 1: knows where they are. I am sure grandfather does, Heidi retorted,
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  Speaker 1: jumping up. Just wait one minute and I shall ask him.
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  Speaker 1: He is over with the parson, And with that she
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  Speaker 1: had opened the door. Wait shrieked Peter in great alarm,
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  Speaker 1: for he saw himself already transported to those dreadful people.
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  Speaker 1: What is the matter with you, said Heide, standing still
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  Speaker 1: nothing but stay here, I'll learn, he blubbered. But Heidi,
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  Speaker 1: wanting to know something about the Huttentots herself, could only
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  Speaker 1: be kept back by piteous screams from Peter. So at
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  Speaker 1: last they settled down again, and before it was time
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  Speaker 1: to go, Peter knew the last letter and had even
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  Speaker 1: begun to read syllables. From this stay on, he progressed
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  Speaker 1: more quickly. It was three weeks since Heidi had paid
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  Speaker 1: her last visit to the grandmother, from which snow had
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  Speaker 1: fallen since one evening. Peter, coming home, said, triumphantly, I
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  Speaker 1: can do it. What is it? You can do, Peter
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  Speaker 1: asked his mother, eagerly read. What is it possible? Did
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  Speaker 1: you hear it? Grandmother exclaimed Bridgeta. The grandmother also was
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  Speaker 1: curious to learn how this had happened. I must read
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  Speaker 1: a song now, height he told me to, Peter continued,
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  Speaker 1: to the women's amazement. Peter began, and after every verse
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  Speaker 1: his mother would exclaim, who would have ever thought it?
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  Speaker 1: While the grandmother remained silent. One day later, when it
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  Speaker 1: happened that it was Peter's turn to read at school,
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  Speaker 1: the teacher said, Peter, must I pass you by again
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  Speaker 1: as usual? Or do you want to try? I shall
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  Speaker 1: not say to read, but to stammer through a line.
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  Speaker 1: Peter began and read three lines without stopping. In dumb astonishment.
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  Speaker 1: The teacher, putting down his book, looked at the boy.
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  Speaker 1: What miracle has happened to you? He exclaimed. For a
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  Speaker 1: long time I tried to teach you with all my patience,
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  Speaker 1: and you were not even able to grasp the letters.
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  Speaker 1: But now that I had given you up as hopeless,
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  Speaker 1: you have not only learned how to spell, but even
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  Speaker 1: to read. How did this happen? Peter? It was Heidi
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  Speaker 1: the boar replied, in great amazement. The teacher looked at
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  Speaker 1: the little girl. Then the kind man continued, I have
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  Speaker 1: noticed the great change in you, Peter. You used to
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  Speaker 1: stay away from school, sometimes more than a week, and
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  Speaker 1: lately you have not even missed a day. Who has
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  Speaker 1: brought about this change? The uncle? Every evening now Peter,
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  Speaker 1: on his return home, read one song to his grandmother,
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  Speaker 1: but never more to the frequent praises of bridget. The
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  Speaker 1: old woman once replied, I am glad he has learnt something,
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  Speaker 1: but nevertheless I am longing for this spring to come.
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  Speaker 1: Then Heidie can visit me, for when she reads the
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  Speaker 1: verses sounds so different. I cannot always follow Peter, and
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  Speaker 1: the songs don't thrill me the way they do when
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  Speaker 1: heide says them. And no wonder, for Peter would often
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  Speaker 1: leave out long and difficult words. What did three or
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  Speaker 1: four words matter? So it happened sometimes that there were
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  Speaker 1: hardly any nouns left in the hymns that Peter read.
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  Speaker 1: End of Chapter nineteen