his might. It really was frozen as hard as
stone. Peter could hardly believe it, and quickly running up and
swallowing his milk, and putting his bread in his pocket, he
announced: "I must go to school to-day!"

"Yes, go and learn nicely," answered his mother.

Then, sitting down on his sled, the boy coasted down the mountain like
a shot. Not being able to stop his course when he reached the village,
he coasted down further and further, till he arrived in the plain,
where the sled stopped of itself. It was already late for school, so
the boy took his time and only arrived in the village when Heidi came
home for dinner.

"We've got it!" announced the boy, on entering.

"What, general?" asked the uncle.

"The snow," Peter replied.

"Oh, now I can go up to grandmother!" Heidi rejoiced. "But Peter, why
didn't you come to school? You could coast down to-day," she continued
reproachfully.

"I went too far on my sled and then it was too late," Peter replied.

"I call that deserting!" said the uncle. "People who do that must
have their ears pulled; do you hear?"

The boy was frightened, for there was no one in the world whom he
respected more than the uncle.

"A general like you ought to be doubly ashamed to do so," the uncle
went on. "What would you do with the goats if they did not obey you
any more?"

"Beat them," was the reply.

"If you knew of a boy that was behaving like a disobedient goat and
had to get spanked, what would you say?"

"Serves him right."

"So now you know it, goat-general: if you miss school again, when you
ought to be there, you can come to me and get your due."

Now at last Peter understood what the uncle had meant. More kindly,
the old man then turned to Peter and said, "Come to the table now and
eat with us. Then you can go up with Heidi, and when you bring her
back at night, you can get your supper here."

This unexpected change delighted Peter. Not losing any time, he soon
disposed of his full plate. Heidi, who had given the boy most of her
dinner, was already putting on Clara's new coat. Then together they
climbed up, Heidi chatting all the time. But Peter did not say a
single word. He was preoccupied and had not even listened to Heidi's
tales. Before they entered the hut, the boy said stubbornly: "I think
I had rather go to school than get a beating from the uncle." Heidi
promptly confirmed him in his resolution.

When they went into the room, Peter's mother was alone at the