Page:Heidi - Spyri - 1922.djvu/27

 “what could have put it into your head to do like that? What made you undress yourself? What do you mean by it?

“I don’t want any clothes,” said the child, not showing any sign of repentance for her past deed.

“You wretched, thoughtless child! have you no sense in you at all?” continued Dete, scolding and lamenting. “Who is going all that way down to fetch them; it’s a good half-hour’s walk! Peter, you go off and fetch them for me as quickly as you can, and don’t stand there gaping at me, as if you were rooted to the ground!”

“I am already past my time,” answered Peter slowly, without moving from the spot where he had been standing with his hands in his pockets, listening to Dete’s outburst of dismay and anger.

“Well, you won’t get far if you only keep on standing there with your eyes staring out of your head,” was Dete’s cross reply; “but see, you shall have something nice,” and she held out a bright new piece of money to him that sparkled in the sun. Peter was immediately up and off down the steep mountain-side, taking the shortest cut, and in an incredibly short space of time had reached the little heap of clothes, which he gathered up under his arm, and was back again so quickly that even Dete was obliged to give him a word of praise as she handed him the promised money. Peter promptly thrust it into his pocket and his face beamed with delight, for it was not often that he was the happy possessor of such riches.

“You can carry the things up for me as far as Uncle’s, as you are going the same way,” went on Dete, who was preparing to continue her climb up the mountain-side, which rose in