. Oh
grandmama, I wish I could stay here!"

The uncle had busied himself in the meantime with getting Clara's
rolling-chair for her. Then, going up to the girl, he gently lifted
her into her seat. Putting some covers over her knees, he tucked her
feet in warmly. It seemed as if the grandfather had done nothing else
all his life than nurse lame people.

"My dear uncle," said the grandmama, surprised, "please tell me where
you learned that, for I shall send all the nurses I know here
immediately."

The uncle smiled faintly, while he replied: "It comes more from care
than study."

His face became sad. Before his eyes had risen bygone times. For that
was the way he used to care for his poor wounded captain, whom he had
found in Sicily after a violent battle. He alone had been allowed to
nurse him till his death, and now he would take just as good care of
poor, lame Clara.

When Clara had looked a long time at the cloudless sky above and all
the rocky crags, she said longingly: "I wish I could walk round the
hut to the fir-trees. If I only could see all the things you told me
so much about!"

Heidi pushed with all her might, and behold! the chair rolled easily
over the dry grass. When they had come into the little grove, Clara
could not see her fill of those splendid trees that must have stood
there so many, many years. Although the people had changed and
vanished, they had remained the same, ever looking down into the
valley.

When they passed the empty goat-shed, Clara said pitifully: "Oh
grandmama, if I could only wait up here for Schwaenli and Baerli! I am
afraid I shan't see Peter and his goats, if we have to go away so soon
again."

"Dear child, enjoy now what you can," said the grandmama, who had
followed.

"Oh, what wonderful flowers!" exclaimed Clara again; "whole bushes of
exquisite, red blossoms. Oh, if I could only pick some of those
bluebells!"

Heidi, immediately gathering a large bunch, put them in Clara's lap.

"Clara, this is really nothing in comparison with the many flowers in
the pasture. You must come up once and see them. There are so many
that the ground seems golden with them. If you ever sit down among
them, you will feel as if you could never get up any more, it is so
beautiful."

"Oh, grandmama, do you think I can ever go up there?" Clara asked with
a wild longing in her eyes. "If I could only walk with you, Heidi, and
climb round everywhere!"

"I'll push you!" Heidi said for c