Diet he had paid down in hard coin thirty thousand Hungarian ducats to
buy himself a Baron's title? Master Holzschuher could tell us well
enough. When that old man had once said to Ann that she could scarce
believe how great profit might be gained in a few years by well-directed
trading with Venice, he spoke not without book. After endowing many
churches and convents in Franconia while he was yet living, with truly
lordly generosity, and providing for masses for his soul and other pious
offices, he had still a sum of forty and four thousand Hungarian ducats
to dispose of. And these moneys, notwithstanding Master Holzschuher's
entreaties that he would devise at least half of these vast possessions
to his own town and near of kin, he had bequeathed to the alms-coffers of
his Holiness the Pope, to be dealt with at the pleasure of his Eminence
Cardinal Bernliardi, with this sole condition: that every year, on his
name-day, mass should be said by some high Prelate for his miserable
soul, which sorely needed such grace. Moreover he had provided that the
document, duly attested by the notary and witnesses, should be sent to
Rome on the morrow by a specially appointed messenger; thus it was long
since far away and out of reach when my grand-uncle had learnt that all
his remaining possessions were not enough to release Herdegen. And this,
as I have already said, had fallen heavy on his soul.

Verily there hath been no lack of fervent prayers for his soul on our
part; and at a later time, when I came to know to how many hapless
wretches his testament had brought a blessing, little by little I forgave
this strange bestowal of his wealth, and could pronounce over his grave a
clear "Requiescat in pace!" May he rest in peace!

When we had presently duly weighed and reckoned with Master Holzschuher
what we had indeed inherited from our rich kinsman, and how much we might
ere long hope to collect of our own and from Cousin Maud, we had it