FRÄULEIN ROTTENMEIER
“I don’t know,” was the answer.
Heidi began a description of the front door and the steps and the windows, but the boy only shook his head, and was not any the wiser.
“Well, look here,” continued Heidi, “from one window you can see a very, very large gray house, and the roof runs like this—” and Heidi drew a zig-zag line in the air with her forefinger.
With this the boy jumped up, he was evidently in the habit of guiding himself by similar landmarks. He ran straight off with Heidi after him, and in a very short time they had reached the door with the large dog’s head for the knocker. Heidi rang the bell. Sebastian opened it quickly, and when he saw it was Heidi, “Make haste! make haste,” he cried in a hurried voice.
Heidi sprang hastily in and Sebastian shut the door after her, leaving the boy, whom he had not noticed, standing in wonder on the steps.
“Make haste, little miss,” said Sebastian again; “go straight into the dining-room, they are already at table; Fräulein Rottenmeier looks like a loaded cannon. What could make the little miss run off like that?”
Heidi walked into the room. The lady housekeeper did not look up, Clara did not speak; there was an uncomfortable silence. Sebastian pushed her chair up for her, and when she was seated, Fräulein Rottenmeier, with a severe countenance sternly and solemnly addressed her: “I will speak with you afterwards, Adelaide, only this much will I now say, that you behaved in a most unmannerly and reprehensible way by running out of the house as you did, without asking permission,
[127]
