Chapter 9 Money and Kittens The next day the boy returned.
He rang the doorbell over and over until Sebastian answered it.
"'What is the meaning of this?' he asked as he flung the door open.
"'I want to see Clara,' the boy answered.
"'What do you want with her?'
Sebastian asked roughly.
"'She owes me eight pennies,' explained the boy."
You're crazy, Sebastian laughed.
She owes me four pennies for showing her the way to the tower and four pennies for showing her the way back.
You're telling lies.
The young lady never goes out.
She can't even walk.
Leave us alone.
"'Sebastian tried to close the door, but the boy was not easily frightened.
"'He remained there and said in a firm voice, "'But I saw her in the street.
"'She has short curly black hair, black eyes, and wears a brown dress.
"'She doesn't talk quite like we do.'
"'Oh, oh,' Sebastian thought, laughing to himself, "'the little miss has been in more trouble.
"'Come inside,' he said to the boy.'
Sebastian led the way.
When they reached the den, he introduced the boy to the girls and the tutor.
The boy gave them half a smile, then placed a small turtle he had been holding onto the floor in front of them.
The sight of such a strange creature caused the girls to laugh.
It took only a few seconds for Miss Rottenmeier to appear at the door.
"'Stop it!' she cried, trying to drown out the girls' giggles."
The children softened their laughter, but Clara couldn't hide her squeals of delight.
Sebastian stayed outside, laughing so hard that he almost couldn't stand up.
The boy's pet turtle, which he seemed to carry everywhere, was crawling toward the woman's feet.
Miss Rottenmeier jumped onto a chair and began screaming, "'Take them out, boy and animal!
Get them away at once!' she ordered."
Sebastian pulled the boy away, grabbing his turtle for him on his way out the door.
When they reached the porch, he put something in the boy's hand.
There is the money from Miss Clara.
Spend it wisely.
And with that, Sebastian shut the front door.
A few minutes later, Sebastian interrupted the lesson again.
He stepped into the room and said that someone had brought a large basket.
It was to be given to Miss Clara at once.
For me, said Clara in surprise.
Bring it to me, please.
"'After your lesson,' Miss Rottenmeier said firmly.
"'Oh, but I won't be able to keep my mind on the lesson.
"'I shall just sit and stare at the basket like I'm doing right now.'
The cover of the basket was loose.
At this moment, several kittens came tumbling onto the floor and began racing about the room in every direction.
Oh, the dear little thing, look how pretty they are, Clara exclaimed.
Look at this one, Heidi, and look at that one.
In her delight, Heidi chased the kittens from one corner of the room to the other.
The tutor stood by the table, not knowing what to do.
Miss Rottenmeier was so upset that she stood speechless.
She watched as the kittens ran about the room and made the girls giggle nonstop.
Finally, she found her voice and began to yell for Sebastian and Tanette.
The two came quickly.
Within a few minutes, they had the kittens scooped up and back in the basket.
They carried them off and put them with the other kittens.
Miss Rottenmeier was left alone with the girls.
Instead of yelling, she gave the girls a mean look and left.
By the end of the afternoon, Miss Rottenmeier knew that the day's wild events had been caused by Heidi.
The girl had been trouble since the first moment she arrived.
Perhaps if Miss Rottenmeier could make her feel unwanted, she would beg to leave.
Adelheid, I know of one punishment only that will suit what you have done.
You are a terrible little girl and I want you to learn that you cannot act like such an animal around us.
Perhaps you will learn your lesson if I put you in a dark cellar with the rats and the black beetles.
This last sentence made Clara gasp.
Oh no, Miss Rottenmeier, you must wait until Papa comes.
He will be home soon.
I will tell him everything and he can decide what is to be done with Heidi.
Miss Rottenmeier could not go against the child's wishes.
Then we shall wait for your father, Miss Clara, but I will be speaking to him as well.
The next few days went by without any major events.
Clara had grown much more cheerful since Heidi had moved in.
The little visitor added a delightful spirit to the lessons and the routine of the day.
She was always trying to get out of her work.
She mixed up all of her letters and seemed quite unable to learn them.
The tutor tried to draw her attention to their different shapes.
He even tried to make her see that this one was like a little horn or that that one was like a bird's bill.
But this only excited Heidi, and she would suddenly call out something silly like, That's a pigeon!
That's a goat!
The tutor tried all different ways to help Heidi remember her letters, but nothing seemed to work.
Finally, he decided that she must simply be unable to learn the alphabet.
In the meantime, Heidi was going restless.
She had been in Frankfurt for a week and now spent most of her time picturing the mountain.
The leaves would soon be turning green and the yellow flowers would be shining in the sun.
At times Heidi was so homesick that she could hardly stand it.
Finally one day she felt she could take it no more.
She ran to her room and tied up all the rolls she had been saving for Grandmother.
She spent several minutes searching for her hat before finally going downstairs without it.
When she reached the front door, she met Miss Rottenmeier returning from a walk.
"'Where are you going dressed like that?' the lady asked.
She frowned at the tattered red shawl she had forgotten to throw out.
"'You know you are not permitted to leave the house.'
"'I am going home,' said Heidi in a soft voice.
Going home?
You want to go home?
You have the best of everything here.
Why would you want to leave?
You are an ungrateful child.
Why would you ever do such a thing?
Heidi couldn't help but answer the woman.
"'I want to go home because Grandmother is waiting for me.
If I stay any longer, Greenfinch will get beaten, because I won't be there to give Peter any cheese, and I will never get to see the nest where the great bird lives up on the rocks and—' 'Stop such talk'.
Miss Rottenmeier cried.
Then she turned and went up the steps.
Along the way she ran into Sebastian. unhappy little creature in at once, she ordered.
She is speaking nonsense, and get rid of that red shawl!
Got in trouble again?
Sebastian asked as he reached for Heidi.
The little girl put her head down.
Tears were beginning to sting her eyes.
There, there, the man said.
Don't let her make you unhappy.
You've not cried once in the week that you've been here.
Most girls your age would have cried a dozen times by now.
Let's put your things back and go see the kittens.
Heidi gave a little nod, but Sebastian knew something in the young girl's heart was breaking.
It was easy to see at dinner when she ate no food and in her broken spirit the next day when her lessons began.
Miss Rottenmeier paid no attention to the girl's change in mood.
She only worried that someone might see her in worn-out clothes or that she may begin acting crazy.
It was her job to take care of these problems.
The woman spoke to the tutor about Heidi, and he promised her that there was no need to worry.
The girl was a bit strange, but in time she would be fine.
She just needed to spend more time around Miss Clara and get a proper education.
As for her appearance, Miss Rottenmeier knew it was her duty to clean the girl up a bit.
With Mr. Sussamundu home in a day or two, he would expect to see the visitor well cared for.
The rags she was in simply wouldn't do.
Heidi was only a dress size or two smaller than Clara.
Miss Rottenmeier would have a few of the older girl's fine garments snipped and fitted to be right for Heidi.
Then the three dresses she came with could be thrown away.
When Heidi heard these plans, the feelings of hope that she would soon be leaving began to fade away.
She flung herself down on Clara's couch and broke into a fit of weeping.
She sobbed until the tears would come no more.
Perhaps things would look brighter when Mr. Sessaman arrived in the morning.
Perhaps he would understand why she wanted to go home.
