Winter came to an end, and Heidi and Grandfather moved back up the mountain at the first sign of spring.
The snow had disappeared, and the mountain flowers were already showing their bright heads above the grass.
Heidi was happy to be at home again.
She danced with all the little beetles and winged insects that jumped and crawled in the sun.
She imagined that the tiny creatures were as happy as she and that their chirping voices were singing,
"On the mountain! On the mountain!"
Late one spring afternoon, Peter arrived from his day up the mountain.
He pushed his way through the goats to hand Heidi a letter, which he had forgotten to deliver that morning.
When she saw it, Heidi was thrilled.
"It's from Frankfurt, it's from Clara!" she said.
She opened it and read it aloud.
Clara was well enough to visit, and she and Grandmamma were on their way.
"I can hardly wait," said Heidi.
"Clara and Grandmamma! How much fun we will have!"
Peter was not very convinced.
Every time Heidi had a visitor, she spent less time with him.
Peter suddenly jumped up and chased the goats at full speed down the mountain, but Heidi was too happy to notice Peter's mood.
The days went by, and Heidi and Grandfather prepared their house for their guests.
The sound of sawing and chopping came from behind the hut as Grandfather made chairs for their new visitors with his skillful hands.
On a day that felt as if spring had finally turned to summer, Heidi looked down the mountain and cried,
"Grandfather, Grandfather, come look!"
A strange procession was making its way up the mountain.
In front, two men carried between them a chair on poles, and in it sat a girl, very carefully wrapped up.
A handsome woman followed, riding on a horse and looking with wonder at the surrounding mountainside.
Finally, another man pushed an empty wheelchair, piled with a bundle of blankets.
"Here they come, here they come!"
shouted Heidi, jumping with joy.
When the procession arrived, Heidi rushed forward, and the two girls embraced each other with delight.
Grandmamma got down from her horse and gave Heidi an affectionate greeting as well.
"What a magnificent residence you have, Grandfather," said Grandmamma.
"I don't know which way to look first, it is all so beautiful.
What do you say, Clara, what do you say?"
Clara gazed around her with amazement.
She had never imagined, much less seen, anything so splendid.
"I can hardly believe how beautiful it all is," she said.
They settled Clara into her wheelchair, and Heidi wheeled her around to show her the fir trees and the goats' shed.
It wasn't easy to push the chair, but Heidi used all her might and managed to give Clara a full tour.
"Oh, Heidi, if only I could walk, you could show me everything on the mountain," said Clara, a little sadly.
While the girls were looking around and talking, Grandmamma and Grandfather got to know one another and set out the supper.
Grandfather brought out the new chairs, and soon, they were all sitting down to a nice meal on the mountainside.
After the meal, Grandfather appeared from the shed, carrying two bowls of goat's milk, one for Heidi and one for Clara.
Clara had never tasted goat's milk before and found it delicious.
"Tomorrow, we will drink two bowls," said Grandfather with satisfaction.
The time passed happily, then Grandmamma said,
"We must get ready to go, Clara.
The sun is going down and the men will be here to carry you down to Dorfli soon."
Clara looked up at the cloudless sky over the hut.
"Oh, Grandmamma," she said, "I would like to stay here forever."