. 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