marked the doctor. "But what can we do when
God Himself has sent us the affliction?"

After meditating a moment, Heidi replied: "One must wait patiently,
for God knows how to turn the saddest things to something happy in the
end. God will show us what He has meant to do for us. But He will only
do so if we pray to Him patiently."

"I hope you will always keep this beautiful belief, Heidi," said the
doctor. Then looking up at the mighty cliffs above, he continued:
"Think how sad it would make us not to be able to see all these
beautiful things. Wouldn't that make us doubly sad? Can you understand
me, child?"

A great pain shot through Heidi's breast. She had to think of the poor
grandmother. Her blindness was always a great sorrow to the child, and
she had been struck with it anew. Seriously she replied:

"Oh yes, I can understand it. But then we can read grandmother's
songs; they make us happy and bright again."

"Which songs, Heidi?"

"Oh, those of the sun, and of the beautiful garden, and then the last
verses of the long one. Grandmother loves them so that I always have
to read them over three times," said Heidi.

"I wish you would say them to me, child, for I should like to hear
them," said the doctor.

Heidi, folding her hands, began the consoling verses. She stopped
suddenly, however, for the doctor did not seem to listen. He was
sitting motionless, holding his hand before his eyes. Thinking that he
had fallen asleep, she remained silent. But the verses had recalled
his childhood days; he seemed to hear his mother and see her loving
eyes, for when he was a little boy she had sung this song to him. A
long time he sat there, till he discovered that Heidi was watching
him.

"Heidi, your song was lovely," he said with a more joyful voice. "We
must come here another day and then you can recite it to me again."

During all this time Peter had been boiling with anger. Now that Heidi
had come again to the pasture with him, she did nothing but talk to
the old gentleman. It made him very cross that he was not even able to
get near her. Standing a little distance behind Heidi's friend, he
shook his fist at him, and soon afterwards both fists, finally raising
them up to the sky, as Heidi and the doctor remained together.

When the sun stood in its zenith and Peter knew that it was noon, he
called over to them with all his might: "Time to eat."

When Heidi was getting up to fetch their dinner, the doctor just ask