In the Fire of the Forge — Volume 03 by Georg Ebers
page 21 of 67 (31%)
page 21 of 67 (31%)
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increase the number of your men, and therefore:
"Well?" asked Heinz eagerly. "Therefore seek the Countess von Montfort, who favours you above every one else," was the reply; "for with her all you need will be yours without effort. Her dowry will suffice to settle twenty such bridge dues, and if it should come to a fray, the brave huntress will ride to the field at your side with helmet and spear. Which of the four Fs did Countess Cordula von Montfort ever lack?" "The four Fs?" asked Heinz, listening intently. "The Fs," explained the ex-pedagogue, "are the four letters which marriageable knights should consider. They are: Family, figure, favour, and fortune. But hold your cap on! What a hot blast this is, as if the storm were coming straight from the jaws of hell. And the dust! Where did all these withered leaves come from in the month of June? They are whirling about as if the foliage had already fallen. There are big raindrops driving into my face too B-r-r! You need all four Fs. No rain will wash a single one of them away, and I hope it won't efface the least word of my speech either. What, according to human foresight, could be lacking to secure the fairest happiness, if you and the countess--" "Love," replied Heinz Schorlin curtly. "That will come of itself," cried Biberli, as if sure of what he was saying, "if the bride is Countess Cordula." "Possibly," answered the knight, "but the heart must not be filled by another's image." |
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