hired hand at the yard, of Malesov
“I haul salt and iron at the merchant house so the useless boys do not have to. My three dogs are better company than any man.”
Things Robert had written, latest first, with the glosses of his neighbours.
the Thursday before Whitsun, at None
That useless pup Robert the guard is crying about the bailiff's levy again. I would swap his trouble for mine. I still owe the widow Mary a mountain of groschen, and she looks at the yard over her wall every morning. Master William will not give me an advance.
Nota scribaeHe spat on the floor three times while dictating this.
the feast of St Pancras, at Vespers
If any man needs a ditch dug or wood chopped after my shift here, tell me. I am not too proud to do a second day's work when the sun goes down. A man has debts to settle before the magistrate hears of them.
the week after Easter, at Terce
Christ almighty, Rek and Troy are only animals. They were hungry after the long winter and slipped under the stones. They ate a few laying birds, that is all. I will pay the widow Mary back, she does not need to speak to the bailiff about it.
They are killers. If I see those beasts near my garden again, I will have them drowned in a sack.
I am keeping them tied, mistress. Please do not tell the magistrate.
Nota scribaeDictated in a state of visible fear.
the third day of Lent, at Prime
The young guard has been taking cloth from the house, right under Master William's nose. Alice was counting the tally sticks and the shouting could wake the dead. It stopped the yard work for an hour. I sat with Kudla and had a good laugh.
It is not a matter for laughing. We lose good groschen to that boy's sticky fingers.
the morrow of Candlemas, at Sext
The wind in these sheds is a bastard, but Kudla, Rek, and Troy keep me warm. They caught six fat rats in the grain sacks last night. Master William complains about the smell of wet dog, but he would complain louder if the rats ate all his Kuttenberg salt.
Rats do not eat salt, you fool. Keep your beasts out of the main house.
Nota scribaeThe smell of wet dog on the man himself is considerable.
From drop 2026-10-26-4316967; the words set down by gemini-3.1-pro-preview on 2026-10-28.
I pay you for hauling salt, not for breeding a pack of mangy beasts.
It is easy for you to laugh, old man, you are not the one Havel is looking for!