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."

"Then we can move the hut off of your land," said Katrina.