li Khan, whom she
severely reprimanded, and insisted upon knowing the cause of this
infamous behavior. They pleaded in their defence the impossibility
of helping it, as the treatment the women had met with had only
been conformable to his Excellency the Vizier's orders. The Begum
alleged, that, even admitting that the Nabob had given these
orders, they were by no means authorized in this manner to disgrace
the family of Sujah Dowlah, and should they not receive their
allowances for a day or two, it could be of no great moment; what
had passed was now at an end, but that the Vizier should certainly
be acquainted with the whole of the affair, and that whatever he
directed she should implicitly comply with. The Begum then sent for
two of the children who were wounded in the affray of last night,
and after endeavoring to soothe them, she again sent to Letafit and
Hossmund Ali Khan, and in the presence of the children again
expressed her disapprobation of their conduct, and the
improbability of Asoph ul Dowlah's suffering the ladies and
children of Sujah Dowlah to be disgraced by being exposed to the
view of the sepoys. Upon which Letafit produced the letter from the
Nabob, representing that he was amenable only to the order of his
Excellency, and that whatever he ordered it was his duty to obey;
and that, had the ladies thought proper to have retired quietly to
their apartments, he would not have used the means he had taken to
compel them. The Begum again observed, that what had passed was now
over. She then gave the children four hundred rupees and dismissed
them, and sent word by Sumrud and the other eunuchs, that, if the
ladies would peaceably retire to their apartments, Letafit would
supply them with three or four thousand rupees for their present
expenses, and recommended them not to incur any further disgrace,
and that, if they did not think proper to act agreeably to her
directions, they would do wrong. The ladies followed her advice,
and about ten at night went back to the zenanah. The next morning
the Begum waited upon the mother of Sujah Dowlah, and related to
her all the circumstances of the disturbance. The mother of Sujah
Dowlah returned for answer, that, after there being no accounts
kept by crores of revenue, she was not surprised that the