Gabrielle Petit was a young Belgian woman who worked for British Intelligence during World War I. The following, a letter Petit wrote to her fiance on July 30, 1915, telling how he narrowly escaped Germany arrest, is excerpted from Gabrielle Petit: The Death and Life of a Female Spy in the First World War.
"Not finding you, they came to my place, in hopes of making me confess; oh, what a hard time I gave them! I have shown them exemplary rudeness and astonishing arrogance...The officer took one of my photos; I asked him why. He went all cagey. 'When you'll return to Sauerkrautland,' I told him, 'do show that picture around: it shows a Belgian woman who has guts.' The effect was immediate. I wonder if he got over the insult...So you see, dear little fiance, that I have followed close upon your heels. Unfortunately, it might be two or three months before I see you again...
I am set to pass a little exam on Monday, 2 August and to leave London on the 3d. Some patience, and you will be able to congratulate me a lot. Be good, be brave, be loyal; be prudent, danger lurks everywhere; in whichever manner one serves one's country, one is always exposed to danger...
My good and dear little one, be brave; think of she who aspires to see you again and who kisses you with all her soul.
Your faithful and devoted fiancee,
Gaby"
From pages 51 of Gabrielle Petit: The Death and Life of a Female Spy in the First World War. Petit's story is also told in the YA collective biography, Women Heroes of World War I.
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