Heidi (1899)/Part 1/Chapter 6

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In the house of Herr Sesemann, in Frankfurt, reclined the little sick daughter, Klara, in her comfortable wheel chair. She spent the whole day in it and was pushed from one room to another. She was now in the so-called library, next the large dining-room, and here all sorts of articles were scattered about for comfort, showing that it was used as the living-room. From the beautiful, large bookcase one could see how it had been named, and that it was the place where the little lame girl received her daily instruction.

Klara had a pale, thin face, out of which looked two gentle blue eyes, at this moment directed toward the large wall clock, which seemed to go unusually slow; for Klara, who was hardly ever impatient, now said with some uneasiness:—

"Isn't it time yet, Fräulein Rottenmeier?"

Fräulein Rottenmeier sat very upright in a little sewing-chair and was embroidering. She wore a mysterious wrap, a large cape, or sort of cloak, which gave her a solemn appearance, and was accentuated by a kind of high dome, which she had on her head. Fräulein Rottenmeier, since the death of Klara's mother many years before, had been in charge of everything in the ​Sesemann household. Herr Sesemann was away most of the time and left the whole house in Fräulein Rottenmeier's care, but with the condition that his little daughter should have a voice in everything, and that nothing should be done contrary to her wishes.

While Klara, with signs of impatience, was for the second time asking Fräulein Rottenmeier whether it was not time for the expected guests to arrive, Dete, holding Heidi by the hand, was standing at the entrance door below, asking the coachman Johann, who had just jumped down from the carriage, whether she might venture to disturb Fräulein Rottenmeier at so late an hour.

"That is not my business," growled the coachman; "ring for Sebastian, inside there in the corridor."

Dete did as he told her; and the butler, with big buttons on his coat and round eyes almost as big in his head, came down the stairs.

"I would like to ask whether I may venture to disturb Fräulein Rottenmeier at this hour."

"That is not my business," answered the butler; "ring the other bell for the maid Tinette"; and without further information Sebastian disappeared.

Dete rang again. This time the maid Tinette appeared on the stairs, with a little cap, dazzlingly white, on the middle of her head and a scornful expression on her face.

"What is it?" she asked from the stairs, without coming down. Dete repeated her request. Tinette disappeared, but soon came back again and called down the stairs:—

​"You are expected."

Dete, with Heidi, then went up the stairs and, following Tinette, entered the library. Here Dete remained politely standing by the door; she still held Heidi fast by the hand, for she was not quite sure what the child might take it into her head to do in this strange place.

Fräulein Rottenmeier slowly rose from her seat and came nearer, in order to scrutinize the newly arrived companion for the daughter of the house. Her appearance did not seem to please her. Heidi had on her plain cotton dress and her old crushed straw hat. Her eyes peered forth very innocently from under it and looked with unconcealed amazement at the construction on the lady's head.

"What is your name?" asked Fräulein Rottenmeier, after having looked searchingly for some minutes at the child, who never took her eyes away from her.

"Heidi," she replied distinctly, in a ringing voice.

"What? what? That can surely be no Christian name. Then you can't have been baptized, What name was given you in baptism?" asked Fräulein Rottenmeier further.

"That I do not know," replied Heidi.

What an answer!" exclaimed the lady, shaking her head. "Dete, is the child foolish or pert?"

"If the lady will allow me, I will speak for the child, for she is very inexperienced," said Dete, after she had given Heidi a little nudge on the sly for her unbecoming answer. "She is neither foolish nor pert, for she knows nothing about it; she means just what she says. But ​this is the first time she has ever been in a gentleman' house, and she knows nothing about good manners; she is willing and quick to learn if the lady will have forbearance. She was baptized Adelheid, like her mother, my late sister."

"Well! that is a name that can be pronounced," observed Fräulein Rottenmeier. "But, Dete, I must tell you that she is a remarkable-looking child for her age. I informed you that Fräulein Klara's companion must be of her age, in order to pursue the same studies with her and, especially, to share her occupations. Fräulein Klara is more than twelve years old; how old is this child?"

"With the lady's permission," Dete began again, "I can't quite recollect just how old she is; to be sure, she must be somewhat younger, but not very much. I can't say exactly; but she may be about the tenth year, or nearly that, I should think."

"I am eight now; grandfather said so," explained Heidi. The aunt nudged her again; but Heidi had not the least suspicion why and was not at all embarrassed. "What? Only eight years old!" exclaimed Fräulein Rottenmeier with some indignation. "Four years too little! What does it mean? What have you learned? And what books have you studied?"

"None," said Heidi.

"What? what? How did you learn to read then?" asked the lady again.

"I have never learned to read; neither has Peter," stated Heidi.

​"Good gracious! you cannot read! You really cannot read!" exclaimed Fräulein Rottenmeier with the greatest horror. "Is it possible that you are unable to read? What have you learned, then?"

"Nothing," said Heidi in strict accordance with the truth.

"Dete," said Fräulein Rottenmeier, after some minutes, in which she tried to compose herself; "this is not according to the agreement. How could you bring me this creature?"

But Dete was not so easily abashed; she answered eagerly:—

"If the lady will allow me, the child is exactly what I thought the lady wanted; the lady explained to me that she must be quite different and not at all like other children, and so I brought this little one; for the larger ones among us are not so different, and I thought this one answered the description perfectly. But I must be going. My mistress is expecting me; if she will allow me, I will come again soon and see how she gets along."

With a courtesy Dete went out of the door and down the stairs as fast as she could go. Fräulein Rottenmeier stood still for a moment, then ran after Dete. It suddenly occurred to her that she wished to talk with the aunt about a number of things if the child was really going to remain; and here she was, and, as she saw, the aunt was determined to leave her.

Heidi remained on the spot by the door where she had stood from the first. Until then Klara had ​watched everything in silence from her chair. Now she beckoned to Heidi:—

"Come here!"

Heidi went to the wheel chair.

"Would you rather be called Heidi or Adelheid?" asked Klara.

"My name is Heidi and nothing else," was Heidi's reply.

"Then I will always call you so," said Klara. "I like the name for you; I have never heard it before, but I have never seen a child before that looks like you. Have you always had such short, curly hair?"

"Yes, I think so," answered Heidi.

"Did you want to come to Frankfurt?" asked Klara again.

"No; but to-morrow I am going back home again to carry the grandmother some white rolls," explained Heidi.

"You are a strange child!" said Klara. "They have brought you to Frankfurt expressly to stay with me and study with me, and you see now it will be very funny, because you don't know how to read at all, and there will be something entirely new in the study hours. It has often been so frightfully tedious, and it seems as if the morning would never end. You see, the Herr Kandidat comes every morning at ten o'clock, and then the lessons begin and last until two, and it is so long! The Herr Kandidat often puts his book close to his face, as if he had suddenly grown nearsighted, but he is only yawning frightfully behind it, and Fräulein ​Rottenmeier, too, takes out her big handkerchief every now and then and buries her whole face in it as if she were very much affected by what we are reading; but I know perfectly well that she is only yawning terribly. Then I want to yawn so badly, but I have to swallow it down, for if I yawn only one single time Fräulein Rottenmeier brings the cod-liver oil and says I am getting faint. Cod-liver oil is the very worst thing to take, so I prefer to smother the yawns. But now it will be less wearisome, for I can listen while you learn to read."

Heidi shook her head quite thoughtfully when she heard about learning to read.

"But, Heidi, you must learn to read, of course; every one has to, and the Herr Kandidat is very good—he is never cross, and he will explain everything to you. But you see, when he explains anything, if you don't understand at all about it you must just wait and say nothing, or else he will explain a great deal more and you will understand still less. But afterwards, when you have learned something and know it, then you will understand what he meant."

Just then Fräulein Rottenmeier came into the room; she had not succeeded in calling Dete back and was evidently disturbed by it, for she had not been able to tell her exactly in what respect the child was not according to the agreement, and since she did not know what to do to retrace her steps she was all the more agitated, as she herself had proposed the whole thing.

​She went from the library to the dining-room, and from there back again, and then immediately turned round and went to Sebastian, who passed his round eyes thoughtfully over the table, which was already laid, to see if there was any fault to be found with his work.

"Think your great thoughts to-morrow, and to-day get ready for us to come to the table."

With these words Fräulein Rottenmeier passed by Sebastian and called Tinette in such an ungracious tone that she came mincing along with even shorter steps than usual, and stood before her with such a mocking face that Fräulein Rottenmeier herself did not dare to speak angrily to her; so her irritation increased within her.

"The little visitor's room is to be put in order, Tinette," said the lady with forced calmness; "everything is ready, but the furniture needs to be dusted."

"It is well worth while," said Tinette, sneeringly, and went out.

Meanwhile Sebastian had opened the double doors of the library with considerable noise, for he was very angry, but did not dare to give vent to his feelings in words before Fräulein Rottenmeier; he then went quite calmly into the library to push out the wheel chair. While he was arranging the handle at the back of the chair Heidi placed herself in front of him and fixed her eyes upon him. He noticed it and suddenly burst forth:—

"Now what is there so extraordinary to look at?" he growled at Heidi, in a way he would not have spoken ​if he had seen Fräulein Rottenmeier. She was just coming into the room when Heidi replied:—

"You look just like Peter, the goatherd."

The lady clasped her hands in horror. "Is it possi-

ble!" she groaned half aloud. "She is saying thou to the servants! The creature lacks the most primitive ideas!"

The chair came rolling along, and Klara was placed by Sebastian at the table.

Fräulein Rottenmeier sat next her and beckoned to ​Heidi to take the place opposite. No one else came to the table, and as the three sat far apart, there was plenty of room for Sebastian to serve his dishes. Next Heidi's plate lay a lovely white roll; the child cast longing looks at it. The resemblance which Heidi had discovered must have aroused her entire confidence in Sebastian, for she sat as still as a mouse and did not move until he held out the large tray and offered her the fried fish; then she pointed to the roll and said:—

"Can I have that?"

Sebastian nodded and glanced at Fräulein Rottenmeier, for he wondered what impression the question would make on her. In a twinkling Heidi seized her roll and put it into her pocket. Sebastian made up a face to keep from laughing, for he knew very well that it was not allowable. He remained standing silently by Heidi, for he did not dare to speak, and neither did he dare to move away until he was bidden. Heidi looked at him for some time in amazement, and then asked:—

"Shall I eat some of that?"

Sebastian nodded again.

"Then give me some," she said, looking calmly at her plate.

Sebastian's face grew very thoughtful, and the tray in his hand began to tremble dangerously.

"You can put the tray on the table and come back again later," said Fräulein Rottenmeier, looking severely at him.

Sebastian at once disappeared.

​"As for you, Adelheid, I must positively give you some ideas; I see that," continued Fräulein Rottenmeier with a deep sigh. "In the first place, I will tell you how to behave at the table"; and the lady explained clearly and minutely everything that Heidi had to do. "Then," she went on, "I must impress it upon you particularly that you are not to speak to Sebastian at the table, unless you have some order to give, or some necessary question to ask."

She then told her how she was to address the different members of the household, ending with: "Klara will tell you how she wishes you to call her."

"Klara, of course," said the little invalid.

Then followed a multitude of instructions about rising in the morning and going to bed, about coming in and going out, about shutting doors, and about orderliness in general. Meantime Heidi's eyes closed, for she had been up since five o'clock and had taken a long journey. She leaned back in her chair and fell asleep. When Fräulein Rottenmeier finally came to the end of her instructions, she said:—

"Now think this all over! Have you understood everything?"

"Heidi has been asleep for a long time," said Klara, looking much amused; the supper hour had not passed so quickly in a long time.

"I never in all my life saw the like of this child!" exclaimed Fräulein Rottenmeier in great vexation; and she rang the bell so violently that Tinette and Sebastian both came rushing in together. In spite of all the con​fusion Heidi did not wake, and they had the greatest difficulty in arousing her sufficiently to get her to her sleeping-room, first through the library, then through Klara's bedroom and Fräulein Rottenmeier's, to the corner chamber, which was now ready for the little girl.