What a night it was! A man beats his wife and leaves his child to freeze to death outside his door. Did a woman now mean to burn up her enemies; did the old major mean to let loose the bears on his own people?
She conquered her weariness, hurried past the major, and ran madly up to Ekeby.
She had a good start. When she reached the yard, she made her way through the crowd. When she stood in the middle of the ring, face to face with the major’s wife, she cried as loud as she could,—
“The major, the major is coming with the bears!”
There was consternation among the people; all eyes turned to the major’s wife.
“You have gone for him,” she said to Marianne.
“Run!” cried the latter, more earnestly. “Away, for God’s sake! I do not know what the major is thinking of, but he has the bears with him.”
All stood still and looked at the major’s wife.
“I thank you for your help, children,” she said quietly to the people. “Everything which has happened to-night has been so arranged that no one of you can be prosecuted by the law or get into trouble for it. Go home now! I do not want to see any of my people murder or be murdered. Go now!”
Still the people waited.