End of August. The Hamburg sun has ceased burning, though it still affords warmth and comfort. And the tanned ladies and gentleman sitting at the Alsterpavillon or promenading over to it via the Jungfernstieg take pleasure in this last gift of summer rendering more tolerable the transition from seashore or mountain stronghold to big city life.

Carlo Zeller is lounging casually in a wicker chair observing with interest the lively prospect surrounding him. How completely different from Vienna, where East and West first blend, is this blond German world, he muses: Large, broad-shouldered men, hair bleached almost white from the sun, deeply tanned faces from which friendly blue eyes good-naturedly shine. The women, too, almost without exception, are blond, big, and solid, at thirty already strongly displaying their matronly bearing, for Viennese tastes a little too down to earth, solid and plain. But the girls! Slim and slender with flashing blue eyes that display with every flirtatious glance a hot-temperedness held in check. And do they know how to flirt, these Hamburg girls! “Sonofagun!” escaped Carlo's lips, when he became aware that a considerable number of girlish glances were aimed his way, while here and there, and with increasing frequency, some slim, young thing came slowly strolling by turning her blond head in his direction. How nice to be among blond people and, when all is said and done, that fool in Vienna who published a magazine pitting the blondes against the ravenhaired beauties might not be so wrong after all. Carlo's thoughts zigzag first to Vienna and then across the ocean. A warm feeling rose up in him. Lisl, you dear blond girl, soon I will join you where you live and breathe! How devotedly and tenderly she had kissed him good-bye, while the longing of her youthful feelings urged her toward him. If he had wanted, he would have taken her and savored her like a mature, ripe fruit. But no, that would have been forbidden, that would have been a crime! Lisl had to be won honorably, kept safe and happy. Now it was a matter of fighting and struggling over there until he could make something of himself and make Lisl his bride.