“Meow!” was the reply.
“I didn’t,” Heidi began—“Meow!”
Sebastian nearly flung the dish on the table, and disappeared.
“This is enough,” Miss Rottenmeier tried to say, but her voice was hoarse with fury. “Get up and leave the room.”
Heidi got up. She began again. “I made—” “Meow! meow! meow!—”
“Heidi,” said Clara now, “why do you always say ‘meow’ again, if you see that Miss Rottenmeier is angry?”
“I am not doing it, it’s the kittens,” she explained.
“What? Cats? Kittens?” screamed the housekeeper. “Sebastian, Tinette, take the horrible things away!” With that she ran into the study, locking herself in, for she feared kittens beyond anything on earth. When Sebastian had finished his laugh, he came into the room. He had foreseen the excitement, having caught sight of the kittens when Heidi came in. The scene was a very peaceful one now; Clara held the little kittens in her lap, and Heidi was kneeling beside her. They both played happily with the two graceful creatures. The butler promised to look after the newcomers and prepared a bed for them in a basket.
A long time afterwards, when it was time to go to bed, Miss Rottenmeier cautiously opened the door. “Are they away?” she asked. “Yes,” replied the butler, quickly seizing the kittens and taking them away.
The lecture that Miss Rottenmeier was going to give Heidi was postponed to the following day, for the lady was too much exhausted after her fright. They all went quietly to bed, and the children were happy in the thought that their kittens had a comfortable bed.
VIII
Great Disturbances in the Sesemann House
A short time after the tutor had arrived next morning, the doorbell rang so violently that Sebastian thought it must be Mr. Sesemann himself. What was his surprise when a dirty street-boy, with a barrel-organ on his back, stood before him!
“What do you mean by pulling the bell like that?” the butler said.
“I want to see Clara.”
“Can’t you at least say ‘Miss Clara,’ you ragged urchin?” said Sebastian harshly.
“She owes me forty pennies,” said the boy.
“You are crazy! How do you know Miss Clara lives here?”
“I showed her the way yesterday and she promised to give me forty pennies.”
“What nonsense! Miss Clara never goes out. You had better take yourself off, before I send you!”
The boy, however, did not even budge, and said: “I saw her. She has curly hair, black eyes and talks in a funny way.”
“Oh,” Sebastian chuckled to himself, “that was the little Miss.”
Pulling the boy into the house, he said: “All right, you can follow me. Wait at the door till I call you, and then you can play something for Miss Clara.”
Knocking at the study-door, Sebastian said, when he had entered: “A boy is here who wants to see Miss Clara.”
Clara, delighted at his interruption, said: “Can’t he come right up, Mr. Candidate?”
But the boy was already inside, and started to play. Miss Rottenmeier was in the adjoining room when she heard the sounds. Where did they come from? Hurrying into the study, she saw the street-boy playing to the eager children.
“Stop! stop!” she called, but in vain, for the music drowned her voice. Suddenly she made a big jump, for there, between her feet, crawled a black turtle. Only when she shrieked for Sebastian could her voice be heard. The butler came straight in, for he had seen everything behind the door, and a great scene it had been! Glued to a chair in her fright, Miss Rottenmeier called: “Send the boy away! Take them away!”
Sebastian obediently pulled the boy after him; then he said: “Here are forty pennies from Miss Clara and forty more for playing. It was well done, my boy.”
With that he closed the door behind him. Miss Rottenmeier found it wiser now to stay in the study to prevent further disturbances. Suddenly there was another knock at the door. Sebastian appeared with a large basket, which had been brought for Clara.
“We had better have our lesson before we inspect it,” said Miss Rottenmeier. But Clara, turning to the tutor, asked: “Oh, please, Mr. Candidate, can’t we just peep in, to see what it is?”
“I am afraid that you will think of nothing else,” the teacher began. Just then something in the basket, which had been only lightly fastened, moved, and one, two, three and still more little kittens jumped out, scampering around the room with the utmost speed. They bounded over the tutor’s boots and bit his trousers; they climbed up on Miss Rottenmeier’s dress and crawled around her feet. Mewing and running, they caused a frightful confusion. Clara called out in delight: “Oh, look at the cunning creatures; look how they jump! Heidi, look at that one, and oh, see the one over there?”
Heidi followed them about, while the teacher shook them off. When the housekeeper had collected her wits after the great fright, she called for the servants. They soon arrived and stored the little kittens safely in the new bed.
No time had been found for yawning that day, either!
When Miss Rottenmeier, who had found out the culprit, was alone with the children in the evening, she began severely:
“Adelheid, there is only one punishment for you. I am going to send you to the cellar, to think over your dreadful misdeeds, in company with the rats.”
A cellar held no terrors for Heidi, for in her grandfather’s cellar fresh milk and the good cheese had been kept, and no rats had lodged there.
But Clara shrieked: “Oh, Miss Rottenmeier, you must wait till Papa comes home, and then he can punish Heidi.”
The lady unwillingly replied: “All right, Clara, but I shall also speak a few words to Mr. Sesemann.” With those words she left the room. Since the child’s arrival everything had been upset, and the lady often felt discouraged, though nothing
