"I understand there are no papers in existence," continued Lars, "but I can't believe it is so bad as all that. For in that event the house would fall to the owner of the land."
Still Jan said nothing, but Katrina was too indignant to keep silent any longer.
"Eric of Falla gave us the lot on which this house stands," she said, "and no one has the right to take it away from us!"
"And no one has any intention of doing so," said the new owner in a pacifying tone. He only wanted to have everything regular, that was all. If Jan could let him have a hundred rix-dollars by October fairtime—
"A hundred rix-dollars!" Katrina broke in, her voice rising almost to a shriek.
Lars drew his head back and tightened his lips.
"And you, Jan, you don't say a word!" said Katrina reproachfully. "Don't you hear that Lars wants to squeeze from us one hundred rix-dollars?"
"It won't be so easy, perhaps, for Jan to come up with one hundred rix-dollars," returned Lars Gunnarson, "but just the same I've got to know what's mine."
"And so you're going to steal our hut?"
"Nothing of the kind!" said Lars. "The hut is yours. It's the land
I'm after."