"Our Clara must certainly come up here," he said, "it would make
her quite a different person, and if she ate for any length of
time as I have to-day, she would grow plumper than any one has
ever known her before."
As he spoke a man was seen coming up the path carrying a large
package on his back. When he reached the hut he threw it on the
ground and drew in two or three good breaths of the mountain
air.
"Ah, here's what travelled with me from Frankfurt," said the
doctor, rising, and he went up to the package and began undoing
it, Heidi looking on in great expectation. After he had released
it from its heavy outer covering, "There, child," he said, "now
you can go on unpacking your treasures yourself."
Heidi undid her presents one by one until they were all
displayed; she could not speak the while for wonder and delight.
Not till the doctor went up to her again and opened the large
box to show Heidi the cakes that were for the grandmother to eat
with her coffee, did she at last give a cry of joy, exclaiming,
"Now grandmother will have nice things to eat," and she wanted to
pack everything up again and start at once to give them to her.
But the grandfather said he should walk down with the doctor that
evening and she could go with them and take the things. Heidi
now found the packet of tobacco which she ran and gave to her
grandfather; he was so pleased with it that he immediately
filled his pipe with some, and the two men then sat down together
again, the smoke curling up from their pipes as they talked of
all kinds of things, while Heidi continued to examine first one
and then another of her presents. Suddenly she ran up to them,
and standing in front of the doctor waited till there was a pause
in the conversation, and then said, "No, the other thing has not
given me more pleasure than seeing you, doctor."
The two men could not help laughing, and the doctor answered
that he should never have thought it.
As the sun began to sink behind the mountains the doctor rose,
thinking it was time to return to Dorfli and seek for quarters.
163