Gritlis Children

Gritli's Children

The Project Gutenberg eBook, Gritli's Children, by Johanna Spyri,
Translated by Louise Brooks
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Title: Gritli's Children
Author: Johanna Spyri
Release Date: April 29, 2005 [eBook #15727]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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CHILDREN***
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GRITLI'S CHILDREN
by
JOHANNA SPYRI Author of "Heidi" & "Cornelli"
Translated by LOUISE BROOKS
Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers New York

[Illustration: Gritli's Children]

CONTENTS
VOLUME I
CHAPTER
I.
AT THE COUNTRY-HOUSE ON THE RHINE
II. IN THE DOCTOR'S HOUSE AT BUCHBERG
III. IN THE VILLAGE AND IN THE SCHOOL
IV. FARTHER PROCEEDINGS AT BUCHBERG
V. ON OAK-RIDGE
VI. AUNTY IS IN DEMAND AGAIN
VII. WHAT OSCAR FOUNDED AND WHAT EMMA PLANNED

VIII. AT SUNSET
IX. A LAST JOURNEY AND A FIRST
VOLUME II
I. THE NEW HOME
II. A JOURNEY
III. ON THE BEAUTIFUL RHINE
IV. IN THE FISHERMAN'S HUT
V. GREAT PREPARATIONS
VI. ANXIETY AT ROSEMOUNT
VII. AN UNEXPECTED TERMINATION
VIII. THE HAPPY END

VOLUME ONE
CHAPTER I.
AT THE COUNTRY-HOUSE ON THE RHINE.
The golden sunshine of a glorious June morning flooded the roses of
the beautiful garden that surrounded a handsome stone villa on the
banks of the Rhine. A thousand sweet perfumes borne upon the gentle
breeze mounted like incense to the open windows, and sought entrance
there. From a great basin in the middle of the garden, a slender shaft of
water rose straight up into the blue sky, and then fell plashing back,
sprinkling the flowers and the grass with sparkling moisture. Gay
butterflies fluttered hither and thither, sipping sweets from the
honey-laden flowers. Under the trees stood marble statues gleaming

white through the shadows; and seats in sheltered nooks invited the
loiterer to rest and listen to the concert of the myriad birds that made
their happy homes in this paradise of summer beauty.
At the closed window of one of the upper rooms of this delightful
house sat a little maiden, pressing her pale face against the wide, clear
glass, as she peered out with longing eyes over the roses, toward the
wavering fountain, and into the depths of the trees, whose graceful
branches stirred in the light breeze. Her gaze passed over the shining
flowers and the green terraces of the sunny garden, and rested far away
on the glistening waves of the fast-flowing Rhine, that ran past the foot
of the garden, bathing caressingly the long over-hanging branches of
the old linden trees as it passed along. The rich foliage of the trees by
the river-side was visible from the windows of the house; but not the
stone bench which stood in the cool shade, so close to the water that
one could look from it directly down into the eddying waves, and
watch the drooping branches dip and rise again and again, as if in pure
delight. What a spot for summer dreaming and castle-building! The
pale child at the window knew the place well; and as her eyes turned in
that direction, the expression of longing grew more and more painful as
she gazed.
"Oh, mamma!" she cried presently, with tears in her voice, "may I not
go out soon into the garden, and down to the seat under the lindens by
the river?"
An hour before, the mother had brought her suffering little girl into this
room, and placed her in her favorite resting-place in the window-seat,
and her anxious gaze had scarcely left the pale little face, with its big
eyes full of pain, that looked so longingly into the beautiful garden,
which the poor child could not enjoy in any other way.
"Dear child," she said now, in a voice which trembled with anxiety and
affection, "you know that you are too tired to go out in the morning; but
this afternoon, perhaps, we will go down to the river. Will not that be
better, my darling?"
"Oh, yes, I suppose so," sighed the child; but though she said no more,

she did not turn her eyes away from the blooming roses and the waving
leaves below her.
"Oh, it is so beautiful down there! Do let me go out, mamma!" she
exclaimed again a little while afterwards. "Do let me go!" and her
mother could not resist the beseeching tones. She arose,