NEWS FROM DISTANT FRIENDS
And so the meal went on. Grandmamma and Alm-Uncle got on very well together, and their conversation became more and more lively. They were so thoroughly agreed in their opinions of men and things and the world in general that they might have been taken for old cronies. The time passed merrily, and then grandmamma looked towards the west and said,—
“We must soon get ready to go, Clara, the sun is a good way down; the men will be here directly with the horse and sedan.” Clara’s face fell and she said beseechingly, “Oh, just another hour, grandmamma, or two hours. We haven’t seen inside the hut yet, or Heidi’s bed, or any of the other things. If only the day was ten hours long!”
“Well, that is not possible,” said grandmamma, but she herself was anxious to see inside the hut, so they all rose from the table and Uncle wheeled Clara’s chair to the door. But there they came to a standstill, for the chair was much too broad to pass through the door. Uncle, however, soon settled the difficulty by lifting Clara in his strong arms and carrying her inside.
Grandmamma went all round and examined the household arrangements, and was very much amused and pleased at their orderliness and the cozy appearance of everything. “And this is your bedroom up here, Heidi, is it not?” she asked, as without trepidation she mounted the ladder to the hay-loft. “Oh, it does smell sweet, what a healthy place to sleep in.” She went up to the round window and looked out, and grandfather followed up with Clara in his arms, Heidi springing up after them. Then they all stood and examined Heidi’s wonderful hay-bed, and grandmamma looked thoughtfully at it and drew in from
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