Page 52 of The Cheapside Runners
“That will do if your assailant is a five-year-old girl,” Mrs Black said somewhat sneeringly.
Lydia, who should have been accustomed to being ridiculed but was not, let out a scream and hit it again… only to be disappointed a second time.
“Again!”
Twice more she tried, with ever increasing levels of frustration.
“It cannot be done!” she finally snapped.
“Anyone else?” Mrs Black asked casually.
Nobody was particularly enthusiastic, but both Kitty and each of the Weatherbys took shots and failed, while the rest abstained.
Once they had all given up in frustration, Mrs Black stood facing them.
“This exercise teaches two lessons. The first…” she said casually, then fast as lightning, she bashed the target with her elbow. The box exploded in a cloud of chalk dust that had them all coughing and sneezing for a confused moment. They were startled for a time, so she let them settle down.
“As I was saying, the first is that if you are in a dangerous situation, do not mess about. Rule Number Three:Strike fast, strike hard, no mercy.”
They all gasped. In their sheltered lives, no lady ever spoke so vulgarly, let alone standing on the wreckage of something she had just smashed to pieces without batting an eye.
Mrs Black continued as if she had not just shocked them tothe bone.
“Rule Four:All rules are off!They say all is fair in love and war—andthis is war.If the first three rules failed you, it is dog eat dog, and your entire objective is to win… win decisively… win definitively. I asked Miss Green to break the target, so she assumed that I meant her to do it with fists, the way gentlemen are taught. Let me ask this, Miss Green. Did it even occur to you to try anything else, or were you lulled into the convention implied by the gloves?”
“No,” she admitted, sullenly.
“Do not be cast down, young lady. It was an unfair test. One lady in a few dozen would succeed, though most servants would have no real difficulty. Your elbow is stronger and tougher than your hands. You shouldneveruse a closed fist if you can avoid it. Do it as a last resort if you must but be prepared to pay the price of broken fingers. That said—”
She had been slowly walking towards another target identical to the first when she spun around quickly and smashed that with a single blow of her ungloved hand.
The dust cleared moments later, but the women were still coughing.
“Most of the time, the palm of the hand is afarbetter weapon than the fist, but nobody teaches that. I admit that Miss Green was at a disadvantage with the glove, but I assure you I could put it on and smash a third one just like she was trying without difficulty. The secret is you have to commit to the attack and putyour whole bodyinto it. We think we can just stand rigidly and let our arms and fists take care of it. Either that, or we flinch at the last moment because we know it willhurt.You have to override both your squeamishness and your own natural self-protectiveness.”
Everyone just stared, still coughing from the chalk dust. Mary assumed the shock of the dust was probably the point,since it clearly had no real practical value.
Mrs Black looked at them intently, then abruptly said, “Miss Violet, what did both Miss Green and I overlook?”
The young lady looked flummoxed for a moment, looked around in confusion, then finally let out a laugh. “There is a good size stick laying on the ground.”
“Exactly! Elbows, palms, fists, fingers, knees, heels—all of these you will learn to use, and all arealwaysavailable; but none are a match for a club. There is a fine line betweenstrike fastandstrike hard. Sometimes a weapon will be handy, and you will have time to grab it. You should not count on such luck, but do not turn your nose up at any weapon you see, and when you strike, strike hard. Do not mess about.”
They all looked thoughtful, so she let them stew over that a bit.
She signalled Jane over, and she came reluctantly.
“You will not leave this room until you can do what I just did with either elbow, either palm, or either knee. Now… let us assume you just did that, and your assailant is on the ground. What do you do?”
“Run!”
“Are you certain?”
“What do you mean? That is rule number two. What else is there?”
“You have the advantage, and you will give it up willingly? For nothing? You will allow a man who outweighs you by a stone or two, possibly armed, definitely enraged, wearing trousers; to chase after you in a dress, just to satisfy your squeamishness?”
Jane looked green. “What would you have me do?”
