diff --git a/src/calibre/ebooks/rtf2xml/inline.py b/src/calibre/ebooks/rtf2xml/inline.py
index 5ca1cd0783..55e6ed1dbb 100755
--- a/src/calibre/ebooks/rtf2xml/inline.py
+++ b/src/calibre/ebooks/rtf2xml/inline.py
@@ -51,7 +51,6 @@ class Inline:
             'tx<ut<__________'  :       self.__found_text_func,
             'mi<mk<inline-fld'  :       self.__found_text_func,
             'text'              :       self.__found_text_func,
-            'cw<nu<hard-lineb'  :       self.__found_text_func, #calibre
             'cb<nu<clos-brack'  :       self.__close_bracket_func,
             'mi<mk<par-end___'  :       self.__end_para_func,
             'mi<mk<footnt-ope'  :       self.__end_para_func,
@@ -63,7 +62,6 @@ class Inline:
             'tx<hx<__________'  :       self.__found_text_func,
             'tx<ut<__________'  :       self.__found_text_func,
             'text'              :       self.__found_text_func,
-            'cw<nu<hard-lineb'  :       self.__found_text_func, #calibre
             'mi<mk<inline-fld'  :       self.__found_text_func,
             'ob<nu<open-brack':         self.__found_open_bracket_func,
             'mi<mk<par-end___'  :       self.__end_para_func,
@@ -257,7 +255,6 @@ class Inline:
                 Text can mark the start of a paragraph.
                 If already in a paragraph, check to see if any groups are waiting
                 to be added. If so, use another method to write these groups.
-            3. If not check if hardline break, then write
         """
         if self.__place == 'in_list':
             self.__write_inline()
@@ -265,10 +262,7 @@ class Inline:
             if not self.__in_para:
                 self.__in_para = 1
                 self.__start_para_func(line)
-            else:
-                if self.__token_info == 'cw<nu<hard-lineb': #calibre
-                    self.__write_obj.write('mi<tg<empty_____<hardline-break\n')
-                if self.__groups_in_waiting[0] != 0:
+            elif self.__groups_in_waiting[0] != 0:
                     self.__write_inline()
                 
     def __write_inline(self):
diff --git a/src/calibre/ebooks/rtf2xml/process_tokens.py b/src/calibre/ebooks/rtf2xml/process_tokens.py
index b3f76d06d7..9f26bb295b 100755
--- a/src/calibre/ebooks/rtf2xml/process_tokens.py
+++ b/src/calibre/ebooks/rtf2xml/process_tokens.py
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ class ProcessTokens:
         ';'                  :	('mc', ';', self.ms_sub_func),
         # this must be wrong
         '-'                  :	('mc', '-', self.ms_sub_func),
+        'line'               :  ('mi', 'hardline-break', self.hardline_func), #calibre
         # misc => ml
         '*'                  :	('ml', 'asterisk__', self.default_func),
         ':'                  :	('ml', 'colon_____', self.default_func),
@@ -77,7 +78,6 @@ class ProcessTokens:
         'backslash'          :	('nu', '\\', self.text_func),
         'ob'                 :	('nu', '{', self.text_func),
         'cb'                 :	('nu', '}', self.text_func),
-        'line'               :  ('nu', 'hard-lineb', self.default_func), #calibre
         #'line'               :  ('nu', ' ', self.text_func), calibre
         # paragraph formatting => pf
         'page'               :  ('pf', 'page-break', self.default_func),
@@ -605,6 +605,9 @@ class ProcessTokens:
     def ms_sub_func(self, pre, token, num):
         return 'tx<mc<__________<%s\n' % token
 
+    def hardline_func(self, pre, token, num):
+        return 'mi<tg<empty_____<%s\n' % token
+
     def default_func(self, pre, token, num):
         if num is None:
             num = 'true'