Heidi

6 A New Life Begins

The house in Frankfurt to which Heidi was being taken belonged to a wealthy man called Mr Sesemann. His only daughter, Clara, was an invalid and spent all her days in a wheel‐chair, in which she was pushed wherever she wanted to go. She was a very patient child, with a thin, pale face and mild, blue eyes. Her mother had been dead for a long time, and since then her father had employed as housekeeper a worthy but very disagreeable person called Miss Rottenmeier. She looked after Clara and was in charge of all the servants. As Mr Sesemann was often away from home on business, he left all the household affairs in her hands, on the sole condition that Clara was never to be crossed in any way.

On the evening when Heidi was expected, Clara was sitting, as she usually did, in a pleasant, comfortable room, next to the big dining‐room. It was called the study because of the big, glass‐fronted bookcase which stood against one wall, and it was here that Clara did her lessons. Now she kept looking at the big clock on the wall, which she felt must be going more slowly than usual, and finally, in a tone of impatience which was rare with her, she asked, ‘Isn’t it nearly time, Miss Rottenmeier?’

That lady was sitting very stiff and straight at a small work‐table, sewing. She wore a jacket with a high collar and had a sort of turban on her head, which made her look very imposing.

‘Shouldn’t they be here by now?’ repeated Clara, still more impatiently.

At that very moment Detie was standing with Heidi at the front door. The coachman, whose name was John, had just brought round the carriage so she asked him whether it would be convenient for her to see Miss Rottenmeier.

‘That’s not my business,’ he replied. ‘You’d better ring for Sebastian.’

Detie did so and presently a manservant came hurrying downstairs. He wore a smart coat with big round buttons, and his eyes were as round and big as the buttons.

‘Is it convenient, please, for me to see Miss Rottenmeier?’ asked Detie.

‘That’s not my job,’ said Sebastian, ‘ring that other bell for Tinette,’ and he went away.

Detie rang again and this time a smart maid appeared, with a snowy white cap on her head and a very pert look on her face.

‘What do you want?’ she called saucily from the top of the stairs.

Detie repeated her question, and the maid went away but soon came back to say, ‘You are expected.’ So Heidi and Detie went up and followed Tinette to the study, where they stood respectfully just inside the door. Detie kept tight hold of Heidi, not being quite certain how she might behave in these strange surroundings. Miss Rottenmeier got up slowly and came over to inspect the companion who had been proposed for the daughter of the house. She did not appear to like what she saw, for Heidi was wearing a shabby cotton frock and a shapeless old hat, and was staring up with undisguised astonishment at the extraordinary head‐dress the lady wore.

‘What’s your name?’ asked Miss Rottenmeier, after staring hard at her for some moments. Heidi told her in a nice clear voice.

‘That can’t be your proper name, surely? What were you christened?’

‘I don’t remember,’ said Heidi.

‘That’s no way to answer. Is the child halfwitted or impertinent?’ Miss Rottenmeier said to Detie.

‘If you please, Ma’am, I’ll speak for her. She’s not used to strangers,’ Detie replied, giving Heidi a little push as punishment for her unsuitable reply. ‘She’s not halfwitted I can assure you, nor impertinent either, but she doesn’t know any better. She says the first thing that comes into her head. She’s never been in a house like this before and no one’s taught her how to behave. But she’s bright and quick to learn if anyone would take a little trouble with her. So please excuse her, Ma’am. She was christened Adelheid after her mother, my dead sister.’

‘Well, at least that is a reasonable name, but the child seems to me very young. I told you we wanted someone of Miss Clara’s own age, so that they could do lessons together and be real companions. Miss Clara is twelve. How old is this child?’

Detie had expected this question and was prepared with an answer. ‘To tell you the truth, Ma’am,’ she said glibly, ‘I can’t remember just how old she is, but about ten I think.’

‘I’ll soon be eight,’ said Heidi. ‘Grandfather told me so.’ Detie gave her another cross little push, but Heidi was quite unaware of having said anything wrong.

‘Not yet eight!’ exclaimed Miss Rottenmeier. ‘That’s at least four years too young. What’s the good of bringing her here?’ She turned to Heidi and went on, ‘What books have you been using in your lessons?’

‘None,’ said Heidi.

‘What’s that you say? How did you learn to read then?’

‘I haven’t learnt to read,’ Heidi replied. ‘Nor has Peter.’

‘Good gracious me, can’t read at your age!’ cried Miss Rottenmeier in dismay. ‘Impossible! What have you learnt then?’

‘Nothing,’ said Heidi frankly.

There was a strained silence, while Miss Rottenmeier grasped the situation. ‘Really, Detie,’ she said at last, ‘I don’t know what you were thinking about to bring that child here. She won’t do at all.’

But Detie was not going to give in easily, and replied with spirit, ‘If you please, I thought she would be just what you were looking for, Ma’am. You told me you wanted an unusual sort of child, and there’s nothing unusual about the older ones. They are all alike. But Heidi is different. I must go now, if you’ll allow me, because my mistress will be expecting me, but I’ll leave her here and come back in a few days to see how she’s getting on.’ With that, Detie dropped a little curtsey, and ran out of the room and downstairs as fast as she could. A moment later Miss Rottenmeier went after her, for there were many things to be discussed if the child was to stay, and apparently Detie was determined to leave her there.

All this time Heidi had not moved, not even when Detie left her. Clara, who had watched everything in silence from her wheel‐chair, now called her over.

‘Do you want to be called Heidi or Adelheid?’ she asked.

‘Everyone calls me Heidi, that’s my name,’ the little girl replied.

‘Well, I’ll call you that too. It’s a queer name, but it suits you. I’ve never seen anyone quite like you before. Have you always had short, curly hair?’

‘Yes, I think so,’ replied Heidi cheerfully.

‘Are you glad you’ve come here?’ continued Clara.

‘No, but I shall be going home again tomorrow, with some nice rolls for Grannie.’

‘You are a funny child. As a matter of fact, you’ve been brought to Frankfurt expressly to keep me company and have lessons with me. We might have some fun too, as you can’t even read. Lessons are often very dull. Mr Usher, that’s my tutor, comes every day from ten to two, and it’s such a long time. Sometimes he puts the book right up to his face, as though he were dreadfully short‐sighted, but I know he’s only yawning behind it. Then Miss Rottenmeier takes out a handkerchief and holds it up to her face, as though she were crying, but really she’s yawning too. That makes me want to yawn, and I have to stifle it because if I yawned she’d be sure to say I must be feeling poorly, and I’d have to take a dose of cod‐liver oil, which is the most horrible stuff imaginable. But now I shall be able to listen while you learn to read, and that’ll be much more amusing.’

Heidi shook her head doubtfully. ‘But of course you will learn to read — everyone has to,’ Clara went on quickly. ‘And Mr Usher is very kind. He never gets cross and he’ll explain everything to you. You probably won’t understand what he’s talking about at first, but don’t ever say so, or he’ll go on and on for ever, and you still won’t understand any better. Later on, when you’ve learnt a little, I expect you’ll see what he means all right.’

Miss Rottenmeier came back at this point. She had not been quick enough to catch Detie, and was very much put out, for she did not see how to get out of this awkward situation, for which she was really responsible as she had certainly agreed to Heidi’s being fetched. She walked about restlessly between the study and the dining‐room, and presently came upon Sebastian who had just finished setting the table and was looking it over to make sure he had not forgotten anything.

‘Finish your thinking some other time and see about serving the meal,’ she snapped, and then called, in a peremptory tone, for Tinette, who minced into the room with a very high and mighty expression on her face which made even Miss Rottenmeier swallow her anger, and she said as coolly as she could, ‘See that the room is prepared for the girl who has just come. Everything has been put ready, but it wants dusting.’

‘Oh certainly,’ retorted Tinette impudently, as she flounced out of the room.

Sebastian too was furious, but had not dared to answer back. He showed it by banging open the double doors leading from the dining‐room to the study. Then he slouched over to wheel Clara in to supper, and as he paused to manipulate the handle of the chair, he saw Heidi staring at him. This annoyed him still more, and he growled, ‘Well, what are you staring at?’

‘You look like Peter the goat boy,’ she replied. Miss Rottenmeier came back into the study just then, and held up her hands in disgust.

‘What a way to talk to the servants!’ she exclaimed. ‘She simply hasn’t an idea how to behave.’

Clara was wheeled up to the table, and Sebastian lifted her on to an armchair. Miss Rottenmeier sat beside her and motioned to Heidi to take the seat opposite. It was a big table just for the three of them and left plenty of room for Sebastian to stand beside each, as he handed the dishes. Beside Heidi’s plate lay a nice white roll, and her eyes lit up at sight of it. She did not take it, however, until Sebastian was offering her the dish of baked fish, then feeling she must be able to trust anyone who looked so like Peter, she said to him, ‘May I have this?’ and pointed to the roll.

Sebastian nodded and looked out of the corner of his eye to see how Miss Rottenmeier was taking it. When Heidi took up the roll and put it in her pocket, he hardly knew how to keep his face straight, but it would have been more than his place was worth to show amusement. He was not supposed to speak or to move until she had helped herself from the dish, so he continued to stand silently beside her, waiting. At length she looked up at him and said in a tone of surprise, ‘Am I to have some of that too?’

He nodded again, making a very odd face in his efforts to stifle his laughter.

‘Give me some then,’ said Heidi, looking down at her plate.

‘You can put the dish on the table and come back later,’ said the stern voice of Miss Rottenmeier, and Sebastian made for the door immediately.

‘I see I shall have to begin right at the beginning with you, Adelheid,’ that lady continued with a pained blink of the eyes. ‘Now, this is how you should help yourself at table,’ and she proceeded to show how it should be done. ‘And understand, you must never speak to Sebastian during a meal, except to give him an order or to ask for something. And you must never speak to any of the servants in that familiar way. You’ll address me as Ma’am, as you’ll hear everyone else do. As for Clara, it’s for her to say what you are to call her.’

‘Clara, of course,’ put in the invalid.

Miss Rottenmeier then held forth on how Heidi was to behave at every moment of the day, issuing instructions about getting up in the morning, and going to bed at night, about going out and coming in, about shutting doors, and keeping things tidy, and so on and on. In the middle of it all Heidi suddenly dropped off to sleep, for she had been up since five o’clock and travelling all day.

At last Miss Rottenmeier came to the end of her lecture, and said, ‘Now, Adelheid, do you understand what I’ve been saying?’

‘Heidi’s asleep,’ Clara remarked with a smile. It was a long time since she had known a meal pass so agreeably.

‘That child’s behaviour is really incredible,’ exclaimed

Miss Rottenmeier, much annoyed, and she rang the bell so violently that Sebastian and Tinette both came hurrying in, nearly knocking each other over. But the commotion did not wake Heidi, and it was quite difficult to rouse her sufficiently to take her to bed. The room which had been prepared for her was at the other end of the house and, to get to it, she had to go past the study, and past Clara’s bedroom and Miss Rottenmeier’s sitting‐room.