Edla was very kind to the Peddler. She talked to him compassionately, assuring him that no harm would come to him, and that he would be at liberty to leave whenever he wanted. She spoke so kindly that the Peddler felt that he could trust her, and he accepted her invitation.

Question - 52 : -
What doubts did Edla have about the Peddler?

Answer - 52 : -

When Edla met the Peddler, he became afraid. Edla thought that either he had stolen something or he had escaped from jail. She doubted that he was her father’s old regimental comrade. She even told her father that there was nothing about him to show that he was an educated man.

Question - 53 : -
When did the ironmaster realise his mistake?

Answer - 53 : -

The ironmaster had first seen at the Peddler in the dim light coming from the furnace and mistook him for an old colleague. But, when he saw him v well groomed, with a fine hair cut and a well-shaven face in broad daylight, he realised that this man was somebody else.

Question - 54 : -
What did the Peddler say in his defence when it was clear that he was not the person the ironmaster had thought he was?

Answer - 54 : -

The Peddler made no further efforts to deceive the ironmaster. He said that it was not his fault, as he had never pretended that he was the ironmaster’s friend. He had only begged to be allowed to stay on at the mill for the night. He had even declined the ironmaster’s repeated invitation. He further said that he was ready to put on his rags again and go away.

Question - 55 : -
Why did the Peddler sign; himself as Captain von Stahle?

Answer - 55 : -

The ironmaster initially mistook the Peddler for a captain. Even after knowing the truth about him, he was treated like a captain. He wanted to repay Edla for her kindness just as a real captain would have done. Moreover, he didn’t want to embarrass Edla and so he returned the stolen money. His signing himself as Captain von Stahle was an indication that he wanted to retain the dignity and respect accorded to him.

Question - 56 : -
The Peddler declined the invitation of the ironmaster but accepted the one from Edla. Why?

Answer - 56 : -

As the Peddler had recently stolen the Crofter’s money, he felt that the police would be on the lookout for him. If he accepted the ironmaster’s invitation to stay for a night at his home, he would probably have been found out as an imposter by the ironmaster, who had mistaken him to be his former colleague in the dim light of the furnace. Then he would have been arrested. So he declined the ironmaster’s invitation.

But when Edla later on came again to invite him, she was very kind to him and, even though to her he did not look like her father’s former colleague, spoke to him with compassion. This gave confidence to the Peddler that he would be safe and so he accepted her invitation.

Question - 57 : -
Edla proved to be much more persuasive than her father while dealing with the Peddler. Comment.

Answer - 57 : -

Edla was more persuasive than the ironmaster because of her gentle compassionate behavior towards the Peddler and the kind manner in which she spoke. This convinced the Peddler to change his mind and accept her invitation to spend one evening with them. Although she had her misgivings about the Peddler, she was happy to help a poor homeless man who had earlier been chased away by all.

She wanted him to spend a day in peace and partake of the festivities of Christmas. She had been kind and friendly to him, sympathizing with his condition and making him part of their family fqr a day. This act of kindness made the Peddler .change his ways and he left them with a Christmas present for Edla and also returned the money he had stolen from the Crofter.

Question - 58 : -
Why did the Crofter repose confidence in the Peddler? How did the Peddler betray that and with what consequences?

Answer - 58 : -

The Crofter reposed confidence in the Peddler because he was lonely, living alone and earning a living with his cow. He wanted someone with whom he could share his feelings, even trusting him to the “extent of showing the Peddler where he had kept his money. The Peddler betrayed this trust by robbing the money and running away.

However, when the Peddler went through the forest instead of the road to avoid detection, he got lost and returned to the same place again and again. Ultimately the Peddler realized that he was like a rat caught in a rattrap and that the whole world was a rattrap. The bait he had fallen for was the Crofter’s money and he could not escape with it. Thus the consequence of falling for the bait was that he was trapped with no way out.

Question - 59 : -
Why did the ironmaster invite the Peddler to his home? Why did the latter decline it?

Answer - 59 : -

In the dim light of the forge, the ironmaster mistook the Peddler, due to his unkempt appearance and shabby clothes, to be his old colleague in the regiment who had fallen on bad days. He wanted to help his ‘old colleague’ and so invited him to his residence, so that he may be helped.

But the Peddler declined the invitation because he understood that his real identity would be exposed at the ironmaster’s home, when the ironmaster saw him properly. Then he may be turned over to the police. As he was carrying the Crofter’s stolen money with him, he did not want to get caught with the money, as the Crofter would definitely have reported the matter to the police. Consequently, he declined the ironmaster’s invitation.

Question - 60 : -
How did the Peddler feel after robbing the Crofter? What course did he adopt and how did he react to the new situation? What does his reaction reveal?

Answer - 60 : -

Despite the Crofter treating the Peddler with hospitality, the Peddler robbed him and was quite pleased with his smartness. However, the fear of getting caught haunted him. So, he avoided the public highway and turned into the woods. It was a big and confusing forest, and due to the approaching darkness, the Peddler lost his way. He got exhausted moving around the same place, and was filled with despair.

He began to feel that the forest was like a big rattrap and the thirty kronor he had stolen were like a bait set to tempt him. He felt helpless like a rat who had no way out of the trap in which the had fallen. His reaction reveals that he was feeling guilty for having stolen the Crofter’s money. His heart was filled with remorse and self-loathing for his act of weakness.

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