Excerpts from the diary of Miss Emily Bertilde


January:
must remember to thank otto again for the wonderful wrist knives she gave me at christ's mass. and then the sheathes for them that she gave me on my birthing day celebration. i shall have to come up with something truly magnificent for christ's mass this year.

February:
started working with 14 students at one time. had another run in with a street group--bunch of toughs was taunting a woman and her baby girl. no loss of life this time. need to keep practicing against large numbers.

March:
liza is gone. otto just came to tell me that her cold turned into pewmonia. there was nothing anyone could do. i shall miss her. we have not seen each other for 4 years, but she was a very funny correspondent. i only wish i had been better about writing.

April:
a new girl came to otto's. her name is either mary or tatvick. or maybe both. she seems nice enough. she seems to only be at the school during the day. i think she is a lady's maid. the people she is involved with must be very important to otto. otto has escorted mary to and fro on several occaisions. i wonder why?

something has been affoot, although i have been too busy to find out what. otto has spent much time out of the school. often with mary. i know this because vicky went with her and i had to teach her classes. maybe i can get extra pay. i shal ask.

otto says mary will be in beginning self defense.

mary does as as well as the others. but will never get on if she is always gone. must give her some exercises to do.

May:
earned extra pound for taking vicky's class last month.

otto takes great intrest in mary. mary less distracted. her lady is on some trip. good improvement. must be doing exercises at home.

finished paper on altered dress. have 2 examples to show. still thinking up new weapon hiding spots.

urchin classes going well. jenny says used skill to evade bad man. good. can't put all girls in good situations, but can teach them to get out of bad ones.

great fright at school. evil man came. otto and vicky got to him first. i helped fanny organize and find the girls. we holed up in one of more defensive rooms. i organized defense. fanny sent more capible girls to get supplies and round up rest of girls. must talk to otto about all girls having some form of weapon specialty. something commonso they don't have to run to weapons room in emergency. otto called off classes next day to let girls sleep, i did not neglect practice.

changed employer today. now on sir cosmo's payroll. otto says that he shall pay same amount (5 each month plus clothing expense). servant named graves also to supply me with any weapons that i need. any? well, maybe i will finally get the rapier parasol that i have been looking at. haven't yet found a better way to hide a rapier on my person. it is frightfully expensive, though. hope that it is not deducted from my pay...

don't know why otto doesn't want me at school anymore. said something about needing to grow. played on my need to help children. says child in sir cosmo's household in trouble. met edward. already good with weapons and getting away, but can teach him more. don't know why they need me, but miss witnell says willamina is in trouble too. maybe otto is just tired of paying my salary, board and clothing expenses. i wonder if it will effect my urchin fund. how will i get her the money to match? will she still match it if i am not there? willl the new house let me continue my urchin classes?

new household very trying to nerves. ladies seem very nice. and mary lives here. can continue her teaching, at least. wonder if that is included in my salary. must remember to ask for specific job discription. ladies want to know more about my clothing designs. don't know about the many men in the house. several tried to press intentions on me. made it VERY clear that i am NOT interested. sparred with mr samaline. he is very good. what do they need me for?

ms witnell asked me to join morning classes. just watched first day after my own routine. mary is involved. good. learning a forin language. one from india, i think. then self defense. mr samaline leads their classes. do not know what to think of him. he is a man, yet does not seem to wish any of the women ill. will watch him. will stay away from lt wooster. met willamina. is edward, yet not edward. doesn't seem to know all the things that edward does. how to train her....

June:
was tricked last night! was asked to go to theater. miss witnell and i argued over what dress to wear. finally picked plainest of miss namasty's dresses. argued over every piece of jewlery. how can i afford to replace if any is lost? the dress alone must cost more than my entire savings. my calling dress was not good enough. too many people at theater. not enough to keep my hands busy. forced to attend ball afterward. no one said anything about a ball! introduced to too many people. miss witnell and sinclare said to smile and nod. did lots of smiling and nodding. happy to finally leave and do something. drove to new house where i was finally allowed to change into more reasonable attire. chased bad men through tunnels then streets. mr. samaline tried to take on too many men by himself. helped save his life. maybe can work with him now.

must request higher clothing allowance. bodice and several corset stays ruined last night during fight. didn't realize until this morning. edward/willamina required to sleep in my room now. and to tell me and the other ladies when they are going about. going out? will i have to follow them all the time? they are not happy about it. last night seems to have been somehow about them.

all these new records taking up much more space. will run out of pocketbook much faster. maybe can claim another when this is used up as an expense...


Proceed to Glad I don't need one

Return to Diary Index

Return to Main Menu

This page copyright 2002 by Gene Breshears. All Rights Reserved.