eter knew the last letter, and
had even begun to read syllables. From this day on he progressed more
quickly.

It was three weeks since Heidi had paid her last visit to the
grandmother, for much snow had fallen since. One evening, Peter,
coming home, said triumphantly:

"I can do it!"

"What is it you can do, Peter?" asked his mother, eagerly.

"Read."

"What, is it possible? Did you hear it, grandmother?" exclaimed
Brigida.

The grandmother also was curious to learn how this had happened.

"I must read a song now; Heidi told me to," Peter continued. To the
women's amazement, Peter began. After every verse his mother would
exclaim, "Who would have ever thought it!" while the grandmother
remained silent.

One day later, when it happened that it was Peter's turn to read in
school, the teacher said:

"Peter, must I pass you by again, as usual? Or do you want to try--I
shall not say to read, but to stammer through a line?"

Peter began and read three lines without stopping.

In dumb astonishment, the teacher, putting down his book, looked at
the boy.

"What miracle has happened to you?" he exclaimed. "For a long time I
tried to teach you with all my patience, and you were not even able to
grasp the letters, but now that I had given you up as hopeless, you
have not only learnt how to spell, but even to read. How did this
happen, Peter?"

"It was Heidi," the boy replied.

In great amazement, the teacher looked at the little girl. Then the
kind man continued:

"I have noticed a great change in you, Peter. You used to stay away
from school, sometimes more than a week, and lately you have not even
missed a day. Who has brought about this change?"

"The uncle."

Every evening now Peter on his return home read one song to his
grandmother, but never more. To the frequent praises of Brigida, the
old woman once replied: "I am glad he has learnt something, but
nevertheless I am longing for the spring to come. Then Heidi can visit
me, for when she reads, the verses sound so different. I cannot always
follow Peter, and the songs don't thrill me the way they do when Heidi
says them!"

And no wonder! For Peter would often leave out long and difficult
words,--what did three or four words matter! So it happened sometimes
that there were hardly any nouns left in the hymns that Peter read.

XX

NEWS FROM DISTANT FRIENDS

May had come. Warm sunshine was bathing the whole Alp in glorious
light, and having