justified, for to my immense surprise, at a cross-road I saw numbers
of women in their curious Manchu head-dress standing at a big gateway,
all dressed in their best clothes. As we passed they caught sight of
me, and, nothing abashed, began immediately calling to me and waving
with their arms. This was extraordinary and unlocked for. At first I
thought that they were only courtesans, who had been deprived for so
long of all custom that they had been rendered desperate, and were
seeking to inveigle me _faute de mieux_; but remembering that such
women are confined to the outer city, I reined in my mount, halted
the whole caravan, and went slowly towards them, half fearing, I
confess, some ruse. Yet the women greeted me with fresh cries and
words. There were a full dozen of them of the best class, and they
explained to me that they had been left, absolutely abandoned, two
nights before by all the men of the household, who, fearing the worst
and hearing that the way out through the north of the city was still
open, had seized all the draft and riding animals and ridden rapidly
away, saying that the women would be spared by the foreign soldiery,
but that probably every man of rank would be killed. No one had
molested them so far, because this house lay so close to the foreign
troops, but with so many armed men on the streets, and with the
pillaging and the murder that was going on, they did not know how long
they would be spared. They told me this quickly in gasps. I paused in
doubt to know what to answer; it was everyone for himself, and the
devil not even looking after the hindmost, as I have just said. But
women.... I must propose something.

They saw my hesitation, and women-like, renewed their pleading in
chorus. I noticed, also, that two or three of the older ones grouped
themselves close together, and, putting down their heads, began
rapidly discussing in loud whispers, which showed their trepidation.