Her impenitence and the struggle out on the heath seemed to her to be one and the same thing, and if she could not conquer the first by some means or other, the last would gain power over her.

She looked back towards the cottage, where the weavings glowed under the roof timbers, where the musicians spread merriment, and where everything she loved was, then she felt that she could not go into slavery.  Not even for Toenne’s sake could she do it.  She saw his pale face within in the house, and she asked herself with a contraction of the heart if he was worth the sacrifice of everything for his sake.

In the cottage the people had started a new dance.  They arranged themselves in a long line, took each other by the hand, and with a wild, strong young man at the head, they rushed forward at dizzy speed.  The leader drew them through the open door out cm to the moonlit heath.  They stormed by Jofrid, panting and wild, stumbling against stones, falling into the heather, making wide rings round the house, circling about the heaps of stones.  The last of the line called to Jofrid and stretched out his hand to her.  She seized it and ran too.

It was not a dance, only a mad rush; but there was pleasure in it, audacity and the joy of living.  The rings became bolder, the cries sounded louder, the laughter more boisterous.  From cairn to cairn, as they lay scattered over the heath, wound the line of dancers.  If any one fell in the wild swinging, he was dragged up, the slow ones were driven onward; the musicians stood in the doorway and played the faster.  There was no time to rest, to think, nor to look about.  The dance went on at always madder speed over the yielding moss and slippery rocks.

During all this Jofrid felt more and more clearly that she wished to keep her freedom, that she would rather die than lose it.  She saw that she could not follow Toenne.  She thought of running away, of hurrying into the wood and never coming back.

They had circled about all the cairns except that of King Atle.  Jofrid saw that they were now turning towards it and she kept her eyes fixed on the stone man.  Then she saw how his giant arms were stretched towards the rushing dancers.  She screamed aloud, but she was answered by loud laughter.  She wished to stop, but a strong grasp drew her on.  She saw him snatch at those hurrying by, but they were so quick that the heavy arms could not reach any of them.  It was incomprehensible to her that no one saw him.  The agony of death came over her.  She thought that he would reach her.  It was for her that he had lain in wait for many years.  With the others it was only play.  It was she whom he would seize at last.