"As for Axel, 'tis no business of mine. And what about yourself—I doubt there'll be some one waiting for you in town?"
And at that, Eleseus couldn't help showing off a little and closing his eyes and turning over the morsel on his tongue: perhaps true enough there was some one waiting for him in town. Oh, but he could have managed this ever so differently, snapped at the chance, if it hadn't been for Sivert sitting there! As it was, he could only say: "Don't talk such nonsense!"
"Ho," said she—and indeed she was shamefully ill-humoured today—"nonsense, indeed! Well, what can you expect of folk at Maaneland? we're not so great and fine as you—no."
Oh, she could go to the devil, what did Eleseus care; her face was visibly dirty, and her condition plain enough now even to his innocent eyes.
"Can't you play a bit on the guitar?" he asked.
"No," answered Barbro shortly. "What I was going to say: Sivert, couldn't you come and help Axel a bit with the new house a day or so? If you could begin tomorrow, say, when you come back from the village?"
Sivert thought for a moment. "Ay, maybe. But I've no clothes."
"I could run up and fetch your working clothes this evening, so they'll be here when you get back."
"Ay," said Sivert, "if you could."
And Barbro unnecessarily eager now: "Oh, if only you would come! Here's summer nearly gone already, and the house that should be up and roofed before the autumn rains. Axel, he's been going to ask you a many times before, but he couldn't, somehow. Oh, you'd be helping us no end!"