ou then must read,
Or of misfortune take good heed!

Who over L and M doth stumble,
Must pay a penance and feel humble.

There's trouble coming; if you knew,
You'd quickly learn N, O, P, Q.

If still you halt on R, S, T,
You'll suffer for it speedily.

Heidi, stopping, looked at Peter, who was so frightened by all these
threats and mysterious horrors that he sat as still as a mouse.
Heidi's tender heart was touched, and she said comfortingly: "Don't be
afraid, Peter; if you come to me every day, you'll soon learn all the
letters and then those things won't happen. But come every day, even
when it snows. Promise!"

Peter did so, and departed. Obeying Heidi's instructions, he came
daily to her for his lesson.

Sometimes the grandfather would sit in the room, smoking his pipe;
often the corners of his mouth would twitch as if he could hardly keep
from laughing.

He generally invited Peter to stay to supper afterwards, which
liberally rewarded the boy for all his great exertions.

Thus the days passed by. In all this time Peter had really made some
progress, though the rhymes still gave him difficulty.

When they had come to U, Heidi read:

Whoever mixes U and V,
Will go where he won't want to be!

and further,

If W you still ignore,
Look at the rod beside the door.

Often Peter would growl and object to those measures, but nevertheless
he kept on learning, and soon had but three letters left.

The next few days the following rhymes, with their threats, made Peter
more eager than ever.

If you the letter X forget
For you no supper will be set.

If you still hesitate with Y,
For shame you'll run away and cry.

When Heidi read the last,

And he who makes his Z with blots,
Must journey to the Hottentots,

Peter sneered: "Nobody even knows where they are!"

"I am sure grandfather does," Heidi retorted, jumping up. "Just wait
one minute and I shall ask him. He is over with the parson," and with
that she had opened the door.

"Wait!" shrieked Peter in great alarm, for he saw himself already
transported to those dreadful people. "What is the matter with you?"
said Heidi, standing still.

"Nothing, but stay here. I'll learn," he blubbered. But Heidi,
wanting to know something about the Hottentots herself, could only be
kept back by piteous screams from Peter. So at last they settled down
again, and before it was time to go, P