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SUNDAY WHEN THE CHURCH BELLS KIATG 197
with it. Every single day you must have a new roll, and two on Sunday, and Peter can bring them up from Dorfli."
" No, no, child!" said the grandmother in disapproval, " that cannot be ; the money was not given you for that; you must give it to your grandfather, and he will tell you what you are to do with it."
But Heidi would not be disturbed in her delight; she shouted and danced around the room and exclaimed again and again : —
" Now the grandmother can eat a roll every day and will grow quite strong again, and — oh, grandmother!" she cried with new delight, " if you should grow so well, it would really become light to you again ; it is perhaps only because you are so weak."
The grandmother was silent; she did not wish to disturb the child's pleasure. In her dancing around, Heidi suddenly spied the grandmother's old hymn book, and a new and delightful thought came to her.
" Grandmother, I can read quite well now ; shall I read a song out of your old book ?"
"Oh, yes!" said the grandmother, overcome with delight; " can you really do that, can you do that ? "
Heidi climbed up in a chair and took down the book, covered thick with dust, for it had long lain there undisturbed. She then wiped it clean, sat down with it on her stool beside the grandmother, and asked what she should read.
" Whatever you like, child, whatever you like " ; and the grandmother sat with eager expectancy, and pushed the spinning wheel a little way from her. |
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