Heidi by Johanna Spyri Page A

dragged everything after her.
    "I excuse you doing this as it is the first time, but do not let
me know you doing it a second time," said Fraulein Rottenmeier,
pointing to the floor. "During your lesson time you are to sit
still and attend. If you cannot do this I shall have to tie you
to your chair. Do you understand?"
    "Yes," replied Heidi, "but I will certainly not move again," for
now she understood that it was a rule to sit still while she was
being taught.
    Sebastian and Tinette were now sent for to clear up the broken
articles and put things in order again; the tutor said good-
morning and left, as it was impossible to do any more lessons
that day; there had been certainly no time for gaping this
morning.
    Clara had to rest for a certain time during the afternoon, and
during this interval, as Fraulein Rottenmeier informed Heidi,
the latter might amuse herself as she liked. When Clara had been
placed on her couch after dinner, and the lady-housekeeper had
retired to her room, Heidi knew that her time had come to choose
her own occupation. It was just what she was longing for, as
there was something she had made up her mind to do; but she
would require some help for its accomplishment, and in view of
this she took her stand in the hall in front of the dining-room
door in order to intercept the person she wanted. In a few
minutes up came Sebastian from the kitchen with a tray of silver
tea-things, which he had to put away in the dining-room cupboard.
As he reached the top stairs Heidi went up to him and addressed
him in the formal manner she had been ordered to use by Fraulein
Rottenmeier.
    Sebastian looked surprised and said somewhat curtly, "What is it
you want, miss?"
    "I only wished to ask you something, but it is nothing bad like
this morning," said Heidi, anxious to conciliate him, for she
saw that Sebastian was rather in a cross temper, and quite
thought that it was on account of the ink she had spilt on the
floor.
    "Indeed, and why, I should first like to know, do you address me
like that?" replied Sebastian, evidently still put out.
    "Fraulein Rottenmeier told me always to speak to you like that,"
said Heidi.
    Then Sebastian laughed, which very much astonished Heidi, who
had seen nothing amusing in the conversation, but Sebastian, now
he understood that the child was only obeying orders, added in a
friendly voice, "What is it then that miss wants?"
    It was now Heidi's turn to be a little put out, and she said,
"My name is not miss, it is Heidi."
    "Quite so, but the same lady has ordered me to call you miss,"
explained Sebastian.
    "Has she? oh, then I must be called so," said Heidi
submissively, for she had already noticed that whatever Fraulein
Rottenmeier said was law. "Then now I have three names," she
added with a sigh.
    "What was it little miss wished to ask?" said Sebastian as he
went on into the dining-room to put away his silver.
    "How can a window be opened?"
    "Why, like that!" and Sebastian flung up one of the large
windows.
    Heidi ran to it, but she was not tall enough to see out, for her
head only reached the sill.
    "There, now miss can look out and see what is going on below,"
said Sebastian as he brought her a high wooden stool to stand
on.
    Heidi climbed up, and at last, as she thought, was going to see
what she had been longing for. But she drew back her head with a
look of great disappointment on her face.
    "Why, there is nothing outside but the stony streets," she said
mournfully; "but if I went right round to the other side of the
house what should I see there, Sebastian?"
    "Nothing but what you see here," he told her.
    "Then where can I go to see right away over the whole valley?"
    "You would have to climb to the top of a high tower, a church
tower, like that one over there with the gold ball above it.
From there you can see right away ever so far."
    Heidi climbed down quickly from her stool, ran to the door, down
the steps and out into the street. Things were not, however,
quite so easy as she