GREAT COMMOTION IN THE LARGE HOUSE
afternoon the remembrance of Heidi’s appearance the day before, as she was starting out on her travels, suddenly returned to the lady, and she made up her mind that she would supplement the child’s clothing with various garments from Clara’s wardrobe, so as to give her a decent appearance when Herr Sesemann returned. She confided her intention to Clara, who was quite willing to have her make over any number of dresses and hats for Heidi; so the lady went upstairs to overhaul the child’s belongings and see what was to be kept and what thrown away. She returned, however, in the course of a few minutes with an expression of horror upon her face.
“What is this, Adelaide, that I find in your wardrobe!” she exclaimed. “I never heard of any one doing such a thing before! In a cupboard meant for clothes, Adelaide, what do I see at the bottom but a heap of rolls! Will you believe it, Clara, bread in a wardrobe! a whole pile of bread! Tinette,” she called to that young woman, who was in the dining-room, “go upstairs and take away all those rolls out of Adelaide’s cupboard and the old straw hat on the table.”
“No! no!” screamed Heidi. “I must keep the hat, and the rolls are for grandmother,” and she was rushing to stop Tinette when Fräulein Rottenmeier took hold of her. “You will stop here, and all that bread and rubbish shall be taken to the place they belong to,” she said in a determined tone as she kept her hand on the child to prevent her running forward.
Then Heidi in despair flung herself down on Clara’s couch and broke into a wild fit of weeping, her crying becoming louder and more full of distress every minute, while she kept on sobbing out at intervals, “Now grandmother’s bread is all
[143]
