Answer in 30-40 words (short answer)
1 - how did edla convinced her father to let the peddler stay in the their home for Christmas?
2- why did edla want this peddler to stay in their home knowing that he was not an honest man?

Dear student,

1.) She wanted him to enjoy a peaceful day with them without worrying about the police catching him. She knew that it was their mistake that they had asked him to stay there, so they should chase him away now. He was a human being whom they had invited home and promised Christmas dinner, so they should keep the promise.  

2.) "The Rat Trap", by Selma Lagerlöf is a story of human relations. Edla Willmansson invited the peddler into her home, in spite of being fully aware of the fact that he was not an old friend of her father nor an ex-army Captain. It was out of compassion and pity that she felt for the dismal condition of the peddler that she asked him to spend Christmas with her family. Her compassion did not go unrewarded, because the peddler left the house a reformed man. Her aim was not to pity the peddler and provide him with a hearty meal, but to change his outlook towards life. Edla's sense of hope and altruism, brushed off on the peddler and subsequently helped him realize that the world is not as bad as he perceives it to be.

Regards