In December, the snow lay so deep on the mountain that Peter's hut was buried up to the windowsills.
Grandfather's hut was equally buried.
But he had kept his promise to the pastor, and in the fall, at the first sign of snow, he had taken Heidi and the goats down to the village.
For many years, a large house that belonged to a wealthy soldier had stood empty and uncared for.
There were great cracks in the walls, and in winter, icy winds blew right through.
Behind the house stood a tall ruined chapel with two collapsed walls and only half a roof.
When Grandfather had made up his mind to spend the winter in Dorfli, he had rented the old house.
Being handy with tools, he had known that he could make it livable again and had worked on it during the autumn.
In the middle of October, he and Heidi went to live there.
Grandfather had cleaned out the ruined chapel and, with a few planks of wood, made it into a pen for his goats.
In the house, he led Heidi into a small room with a solid oak door where he had set up his bed.
Through a second door, she could see a huge kitchen.
They walked through it, and on the other side was a fine room in good condition.
In the corner, an enormous stove with painted tiles reached almost to the ceiling.
Heidi ran straight over and, as she looked at its pretty tiles, she discovered her bed in the space behind it.
Grandfather had brought her bed from the loft and set it up, with its mattress of hay tucked under a sheet and her warm blanket on top.
"Oh, Grandfather," Heidi exclaimed. "Is this my room? It's lovely."
Grandfather had patched all the walls and there was still much to do, but Heidi liked their new home very much.
During the winter, Heidi went to school and enjoyed learning with the other children.
Peter went to school whenever the mountain path was clear and would always visit with Heidi and Grandfather on his way home.
Heidi had paid the baker for Grannie's daily rolls, and Peter dutifully picked them up whenever he came to town.
One day, Grandfather decided the weather was nice enough for Heidi to go with Peter up to visit Grannie.
When Peter led her into the hut, Grannie wasn't in her usual chair in the corner.
"Grannie's in bed," Peter explained.
"She isn't very well, and feels the cold badly."
Heidi stepped into the next room where the old woman lay on her narrow bed.
"Are you very ill, Grannie?"
asked Heidi, standing close beside her.
"No, no," she said, reaching out to touch Heidi.
"It's only the frost in my old bones.
I really meant to get up today─this bed is so hard─but I'll be all right again tomorrow."
"I wish I could have brought the big bed I had in Frankfurt," Heidi said.
"It had three fat pillows and was as soft as feathers."
"That would be very cozy, indeed," said Grannie with a sigh.
"But I have so much to be thankful for, the lovely rolls every day and the coffee to drink with them.
And now, you to visit me."
Heidi fetched the familiar prayer book and sat on the edge of the bed to read.
Grannie smiled happily, but Heidi decided to pray that night for a softer bed for Grannie to rest in.