"Yes, if the school-master touches me with a finger!" said Thorvald, with a significant nod, in the midst of the deep silence of the rest. "Will you hit him back?" asked they, eagerly. "Who knows?" said Thorvald, nodding, and went away. They thought it best to study while he was gone, but none of them were able to do so,--they had to keep talking about the bear. They began guessing how the affair would turn out. Hans bet with Ole that Lars's rifle had missed fire, and that the bear had sprung at him. Little Knud Pladsen thought they had all fared badly, and the girls took his side. But there came Thorvald. "Let us go," said he, as he pulled open the door, so excited that he could scarcely speak. "But the school-master?" asked some of the children. "The deuce take the school-master! The bear! The bear!" cried Thorvald, and could say no more. "Is it shot?" asked one, very softly, and the others dared not draw their breath. Thorvald sat panting for a while, finally he got up, mounted one of the benches, swung his cap, and shouted,-- "Let us go, I say. I will take all the responsibility." "But where shall we go?" asked Hans. "The largest bear has been borne down, the others still remain. Niels Boeen has been badly hurt, because Lars's rifle missed its mark, and the bears rushed straight at them. The boy who went with them saved himself only by throwing himself flat on the ground, and pretending to be dead, and the bear did not touch him. As soon as Lars and Niels had killed their bear, they shot his also. Hurrah!" "Hurrah!" shouted all, both girls and boys, and up from their seats, and out through the door, they sprang, and off they ran over field and wood to Boeen, as though there was no such thing as a school-master in the whole world. The girls soon complained that they were not able to keep up, but the boys took them by the hand and away they all rushed. "Take care not to touch it!" said Thorvald; "it sometimes happens that the bears become alive again." "Is that so?" asked Marit. "Yes, and they appear in a new form, so have a care!" And they kept running. "Lars shot the largest one ten times before it fell," he began again. "Just think! ten times!" And they kept running. "And Niels stabbed it eighteen times with his knife before it fell!" "Mercy! what a bear!" And the children ran so that the sweat poured down from their faces. Finally they reached the place. Ole Boeen pushed the door open and got in first. "Have a care!" cried Hans after him. Marit and a little girl that Thorvald and Hans had led between them, were the next ones, and then came Thorvald, who did not go far forward, but remained standing where he could observe the whole scene. "See the blood!" said he to Hans. The others hardly knew whether they should venture in just yet. "Do you see it?" asked a girl of a boy, who stood by her side in the door.