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17 - Heidi by Johanna Spyri · Heidi

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  Speaker 1: Chapter seventeen of Heidi by Joanna Speedy, translated by Elizabeth Peastark.
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  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter seventeen Retaliation.
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  Speaker 1: Early the next morning, the doctor climbed up the mountain
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  Speaker 1: in company with Peter and his goats. The friendly gentleman
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  Speaker 1: made several attempts to start a conversation with the boy,
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  Speaker 1: but his answer to his questions he got nothing more
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  Speaker 1: than monosyllables. When they arrived on top, they found Heidi
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  Speaker 1: already waiting, fresh and rosy as the early dawn. Are
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  Speaker 1: you coming, asked Peter. As usual, of course I shall,
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  Speaker 1: if the doctor comes with us, replied the child. The grandfather,
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  Speaker 1: coming out of the hut, greeted the newcomer with great respect.
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  Speaker 1: Then he went up to Peter and hung on his
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  Speaker 1: shoulder the sack, which seemed to contain more than usual
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  Speaker 1: that day. When they started on their way, Heidi kept
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  Speaker 1: urging forward the goats, which were crowding about her. When
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  Speaker 1: at last she was walking peacefully by the doctor's side.
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  Speaker 1: She began to relate to him many things about the
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  Speaker 1: goats and all their strange pranks, and about the flowers, rocks,
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  Speaker 1: and birds they saw. When they arrived at their destination,
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  Speaker 1: time seemed to have flown. Peter all the time was
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  Speaker 1: sending many an angry glance at the unconscious doctor, who
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  Speaker 1: never even noticed it. Heidi now took the doctor to
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  Speaker 1: her favorite spot, from where they could hear the peaceful
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  Speaker 1: sounding bells of the grazing cattle. Below, the sky was
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  Speaker 1: deep blue, and above their head the eagle was circling
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  Speaker 1: with outstretched wings. Everything was luminous and bright about them,
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  Speaker 1: but the doctor had been silent. Suddenly, looking up, he
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  Speaker 1: beheld Heidi's radiant eyes. Heidi, it is beautiful up here,
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  Speaker 1: he said, But how can anybody with a heavy heart
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  Speaker 1: enjoy the beauty? Tell me, oh, exclaimed Heidi. One never
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  Speaker 1: has a sad heart here, One only gets unhappy in
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  Speaker 1: frankfort A faint smile passed over the doctor's face. Then
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  Speaker 1: he began, But if somebody has brought his sorrow away
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  Speaker 1: with him, how would you comfort him? God in Heaven
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  Speaker 1: alone can help him. That is true, child, remarked the doctor.
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  Speaker 1: But what can we do when God himself has sent
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  Speaker 1: us the affliction? After meditating a moment, Heidi replied, one
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  Speaker 1: must wait patiently, for God knows how to turn the
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  Speaker 1: saddest things to something happy. In the end, God will
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  Speaker 1: show us what he has meant to do for us,
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  Speaker 1: but he will only do so if we pray to
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  Speaker 1: him patiently. I hope you will always keep this beautiful
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  Speaker 1: believe Heidi, said the doctor, Then, looking up at the
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  Speaker 1: mighty cliffs above, he continued, think how sad it would
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  Speaker 1: make us not to be able to see all these
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  Speaker 1: beautiful things? Wouldn't that make us doubly sad? Can you
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  Speaker 1: understand me? Child? A great pain shot through Heide's breast.
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  Speaker 1: She had to think of the poor grandmother. Her blindness
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  Speaker 1: was always a great sorrow to the child, and she
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  Speaker 1: had been struck with it anew. Seriously, she replied, Oh, yes,
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  Speaker 1: I can understand it. But then we can read grandmother's songs.
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  Speaker 1: They make us happy. And write again which songs, Heidi, Oh,
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  Speaker 1: those of the Sun and of the beautiful Garden, and
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  Speaker 1: then the last verses of the Long One. Grandmother loves
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  Speaker 1: them so that I always have to read them over
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  Speaker 1: three times, said Heidi. I wish you would say them
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  Speaker 1: to me, child, for all I should like to hear them,
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  Speaker 1: said the doctor. Heidee, folding her hands, began the consoling verses.
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  Speaker 1: She stopped suddenly, however, for the doctor did not seem
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  Speaker 1: to listen. He was sitting motionless, holding his hand before
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  Speaker 1: his eyes, thinking that he had fallen asleep. She remained silent,
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  Speaker 1: but the verses had recalled his childhood days. He seemed
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  Speaker 1: to hear his mother and see her loving eyes, for
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  Speaker 1: when he was a little boy, she had sung this
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  Speaker 1: song to him. A long time he sat there till
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  Speaker 1: he discovered that Haidee was watching him. Heide your song
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  Speaker 1: was lovely, he said, with a more joyful voice. We
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  Speaker 1: must come here another day, and then you can recite
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  Speaker 1: it to me again. During all this time, Peter had
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  Speaker 1: been boiling with anger. Now that Heidie had come again
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  Speaker 1: to the pasture with him, she did nothing but talk
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  Speaker 1: to the old gentleman. It made him very cross that
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  Speaker 1: he was not able even to get near her. Standing
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  Speaker 1: a little distance behind Haidee's friend, he shook his fist
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  Speaker 1: at him, and soon afterwards both fists finally raising them
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  Speaker 1: to the sky. As Hiding and the doctor remained together.
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  Speaker 1: When the sun stood in its zenith and Peter knew
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  Speaker 1: that it was noon, he called over to them with
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  Speaker 1: all his might. Time to eat When Haidee was getting
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  Speaker 1: up to fetch their dinner, the doctor just asked for
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  Speaker 1: a glass of milk, which was all he wanted. The
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  Speaker 1: child also decided to make the milk her soul repast,
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  Speaker 1: running over to Peter and informing him of their resolution.
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  Speaker 1: When the boy found that the whole contents of the
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  Speaker 1: bag was his, he hurried with his task as never
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  Speaker 1: in his life before, but he felt guilty on account
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  Speaker 1: of his former anger at the kind gentleman. To show
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  Speaker 1: his repentance, he held his hands up flat to the sky,
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  Speaker 1: indicating by his action that his fists did not mean
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  Speaker 1: anything anymore. Only after that did he start with his feast.
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  Speaker 1: Heidi and the doctor had wondered about the pasture till
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  Speaker 1: the gentleman had found it time to go. He wanted
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  Speaker 1: Heidi to remain where she was, but she insisted on
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  Speaker 1: accompanying him all the way down. She showed him many
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  Speaker 1: places where the pretty mountain flowers grew, all of whose
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  Speaker 1: names she could tell him. When they parted at last,
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  Speaker 1: Heidie waved to him. From time to time. He turned about,
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  Speaker 1: and seeing the child still standing there, he had to
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  Speaker 1: think of his own little daughter, who used to wave
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  Speaker 1: to him, like that when he went away from home.
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  Speaker 1: The weather was warm and sunny that month. Every morning
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  Speaker 1: the doctor came up to the alp, spending his day
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  Speaker 1: very often with the old man. Many a climb they
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  Speaker 1: had together that took him far up to the bare
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  Speaker 1: cliffs near the eagle's haunt. The uncle would show his
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  Speaker 1: guests all the herbs that grew on hidden places and
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  Speaker 1: were strengthening and healing. He could tell many strange things
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  Speaker 1: of the beasts that lived in holes in rock or earth,
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  Speaker 1: or in the high tops of trees. In the evening,
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  Speaker 1: they would part, and the doctor would exclaim, my dear friend,
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  Speaker 1: I never leave you without having learned something. But most
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  Speaker 1: of his days he spent with Heidi. Then the two
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  Speaker 1: would sit together on the child's favorite spot, and Peter
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  Speaker 1: quite subdued behind them. Heidi had to recite the verses
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  Speaker 1: as she had done the first day, and entertain him
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  Speaker 1: with all the things she knew. At last, the beautiful
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  Speaker 1: month of September was over. One morning, the doctor came
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  Speaker 1: up with a sadder face than usual. The time had
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  Speaker 1: come for him to go back to Frankfort, and great
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  Speaker 1: was the uncle's sadness at that news. Heidie herself could
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  Speaker 1: hardly realize that her loving friend, whom she had been
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  Speaker 1: seeing every day, was really leaving. The doctor himself was
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  Speaker 1: loath to go, for the alf had become as a
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  Speaker 1: home to him, but it was necessary for him to go.
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  Speaker 1: And shaking hands with the grandfather, he said, goodbye, Heidie.
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  Speaker 1: Going along with him a little way. Hand in hand,
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  Speaker 1: they wandered down till the doctor stood still. Then, caressing
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  Speaker 1: Heidee's curly hair, he said, now I must go, Heidie.
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  Speaker 1: I wish I could take you along with me to Frankfort.
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  Speaker 1: Then I could keep you at these words. All the
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  Speaker 1: rows and rows of houses and streets. Miss Rottenmeyer and
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  Speaker 1: Tinnette rose before Heidee's eyes. Hesitating a little, she said,
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  Speaker 1: I should like it better if you could come to
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  Speaker 1: see us again. I believe that will be better. Now, farewell,
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  Speaker 1: said the friendly gentleman. When they shook hands, his eyes
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  Speaker 1: filled with tears. Turning quickly, he hurried off. Heidi, standing
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  Speaker 1: on the same spot, looked after him what kind eyes
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  Speaker 1: he had, but they had been full of tears. All
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  Speaker 1: of a sudden, she began to cry bitterly and ran
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  Speaker 1: after her friend, calling with all her might, but interrupted
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  Speaker 1: by her sobs. Oh, doctor, Doctor, Looking round, he stood
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  Speaker 1: still and waited till the child had reached him. Her
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  Speaker 1: tears came rolling down her cheeks while she sobbed.
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  Speaker 2: I'll come with you to Frankfurt, and I'll today as
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  Speaker 2: long as ever you want me to. But first I
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  Speaker 2: must see grandfather.
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  Speaker 1: No, no, dear child, he said affectionately, not at once.
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  Speaker 1: You must remain here. I don't want you to get
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  Speaker 1: ill again. But if I should get sick and lonely
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  Speaker 1: and ask you to come to me, would you come
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  Speaker 1: and stay with me? Can I go away and think
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  Speaker 1: that somebody in the world still cares for me and
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  Speaker 1: loves me.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, I shall come to you this same day, for
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  Speaker 2: I really love you as much.
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  Speaker 1: His grandfather, Heidi assured him, crying all the time. Shaking
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  Speaker 1: hands again, they parted. Heidi stayed on the same spot,
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  Speaker 1: waving her hand and looking after her departing friend till
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  Speaker 1: he seemed no bigger than a little dot. Then he
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  Speaker 1: looked back a last time at Heidi and the sunny elp,
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  Speaker 1: muttering to himself, it is beautiful up there, body and
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  Speaker 1: soul gets strengthened in that place, and life seems worth
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  Speaker 1: living again. End of Chapter seventeen