HEIDI, illustrated - complete online book

The Story Of A Young Orphan In Switzerland

Home Main Menu Order Support About Search



Share page  


Previous Contents Next

146                                              HEIDI
Whereupon she accompanied the teacher out of the room and went quickly to the library, to assure herself that the delightful news was true. It was! There sat Heidi, reading a story to Klara, and with growing eager­ness pushing into the new world opened to her; men and things suddenly became alive and stepped out of the black letters and took part in affecting stories.
That same evening, as they were sitting down to the table, Heidi found the large book with the beautiful pictures lying on her plate, and when she looked inquiringly at the grandmamma, Frau Sesemann said, nodding in a friendly way : —
" Yes, yes, now it belongs to you."
" For always ? Even when I go home ? " asked Heidi, blushing with delight.
"Certainly, for always!" said the grandmamma assuringly; "to-morrow we will begin to read it."
' But you are not going home, not for a good many years, Heidi," broke in Klara; " if grandmamma goes away, you must surely stay with me."
Before she went to sleep Heidi had to look at her beautiful book in her own room, and from that day forth she liked nothing better than to sit with it, read­ing over and over again the stories belonging to the lovely pictures. In the evening the grandmamma would say : " Now Heidi will read to us " ; and this de­lighted the child, for now she could read easily; and as she read the stories aloud they became much more beau­tiful, and she understood them better, and the grand­mamma explained so much to her, and always told her
Previous Contents Next