ok sagði þá vera litla í skapi
"and said they (the brothers) were small in spirit"
Alan's interpretation that this refers to the brothers seems to me
to fit the grammar better than Gwyn Jones's "arguing that it would
show a mean spirit".
Just for comparison, here is how Jones tranmslates the beginning of
this passage:
þorgeirr hafði meir svör fyrir þeim broeðrum í þat sinni, kvazk
fjarri sitja
"Th. did more of the answering for the brothers this time. He would
be keeping out of it, he said."
Can anyone think of any similar quotes that would help decide
whether he's just saying that he lives a long way away, or that he's
going to stay well out of it?