The 'Correspondence' Affair #10 - October 15, 1912 (Millicent to Alexander)

[avirra.livejournal.com]

From : Thun, Switzerland

October 15, 1912

Dearest Alexander,

How current the news in the portion of the world where you currently are is, I am not at all sure. At any rate, this news will likely be old by the time you receive this letter. Still, I will still make mention of the stir it has caused here at the school that Montenegro had declared war on the Ottoman Empire. It seems that has encouraged the school to include more of the student body in classes on current affairs (students under the age of ten will still be left out, but that is more understandable). There had been an outing planned for some of the older girls to Greece which has, naturally, been cancelled.

Our dramatics instructor has given us our next assignment which we shall be performing just before many of the girls leave to spend the Christmas holidays with their families. She seems quite taken with Shakespeare and has chosen 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. I have been assigned the role of Puck. I begin to wonder if I shall ever be assigned a female role here. Oh well, I suppose I should just be grateful that I was not assigned the role of Bottom.

I suppose I shall have to confess that I am currently under treatment for a badly sprained ankle. The circumstances are terribly embarrassing, but I suppose time won't make them any less so. One of the younger students, Rosemary, was running and not paying particular attention to where she was going and ran into Ermengarde, who was standing beside me. We were unfortunately at the top of the stairs and when I saw Ermengarde start to fall, I automatically moved to try and catch her. To make a lengthy tale a bit shorter, between us, we managed not to take a tumble down the stairs, but I twisted my ankle in the process. All things considered, it could have been far worse. The only injury to Ermengarde is a bruise from where I grabbed her arm.

Poor thing, she feels so guilty about my ankle even though she certainly did nothing to cause it – unless one counts standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. The doctor who examined me said I shall likely be fine in around six weeks. For now, I have to keep the silly thing wrapped and elevated as much as possible. I feel remarkably awkward moving about with the aid of a crutch. Since I will not be permitted to continue with the firearms lessons until I am healed, I sincerely doubt that I will be able to reach my goal of being included in the hunting party this season. Ah well. Another case of best laid schemes going awry, I suppose. There is always next year.

My Italian improving isn't just in my imagination. My instructor commented on it just yesterday that I seemed to be letting my sentences flow more rather that over-thinking them as I had been. So thank you again for that suggestion. Perhaps after the first of the year, I will be able to find a way to get similar aid with my German diction.

I miss receiving your letters and look forward to when I will see one again.

Fondest regards,

Millicent

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Comments

[(Anonymous)]

These are my favorites stories--and, oddly, they do not involve the boys at all.

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

I agree with the anoymous commentor, these are definitely among my favorite stories! Again you weave history into with just a few simple sentences. Visually I can clearly see Millicent and Ermengarde going about their daily routines. Learning foreign languages, firearms training, acting lessons....all perfect editions for the woman who will become the wife of one of the most powerful (yet invisible) men in the world someday.