The book is by Thea von Harbou, and to call the prose “florid” is an understatement.
It is, however, available cheaply for Kindle:
https://smile.amazon.com/Metropolis-working-Contents-joystick-navigation-ebook/dp/B0056UM1BA/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493210541&sr=1-3&keywords=Metropolis
Merriam Webster says that Feg is a Scottish word for Fig:
Definition of feg
chiefly Scottish variant of fig
Thank you for the research. That was very kind.
The Kindle cost isn’t the issue. It’s the time in your life you don’t get back. I’m working my way through a 42’ long hallway of books on both sides, turning the books on their sides as I read them again and piling up the ones to give away when I can’t make it to the end.
Figs for fegs doesn’t make sense in Henry’s context. I’m constantly surprised at his use of what I would consider a “modern” word, but one that was actually in normal use in the 18th century. Though he WAS proud of his Scottish origins. I’ve been working with researchers at Vassar and Auckland for 17 years to prove he wrote Night Before Christmas.