Clara bids farewell to the Alm and sets off on her return journey

Clara Sesemann’s departure from the Alm turns her recovery into a bittersweet parting: she is now able to leave on horseback, but must say goodbye to the mountain home where she has been happier than ever. Heidi offers the prospect of a summer reunion, while her father, Herr Sesemann, prepares to take her away.

The Departure Is Arranged

Herr Sesemann has come as arranged to fetch Clara. As the time to leave approaches, he speaks with Alm-Uncle, while Frau Sesemann’s white horse is brought up for Clara. The horse marks a concrete change in her condition: unlike earlier in her stay, she no longer has to be carried in a chair.

Clara’s Farewell to the Mountain

The prospect of leaving brings Clara to tears. She grieves for the beautiful mountain home, where she has been happier than ever before, and Heidi tries to console her by imagining their life together when summer returns. Heidi hopes Clara will come back able to walk from the beginning of her visit, so that they can go out with the goats to the flower-growing heights each day. Clara takes comfort in this promise and wipes away her tears.

Clara also asks Heidi to say goodbye to Peter and the goats, especially Little Swan, whom Clara credits with helping her grow strong. Heidi suggests that Clara send salt, a treat Little Swan likes to lick from Alm-Uncle’s hand in the evening. Delighted by the idea, Clara proposes sending a hundred pounds from Frankfurt as a remembrance. Her farewell thus includes a gift prompted by the ordinary routine of the mountain and by the part the goat has played in her recovery.

The Road Back and Its Meaning

When Herr Sesemann signals that it is time to go, Clara sets off on Frau Sesemann’s white horse. Heidi runs to the far edge of the slope and keeps waving until horse and rider disappear from sight. The movement of the scene is outward—Clara leaves the mountain—but its emotional emphasis is on an anticipated return: Heidi imagines their next summer together, and Clara’s departure comes not as a reversal of her recovery but as evidence of it. She leaves the place that helped her become strong enough to travel without being carried.