And so they traversed the streets of the capital.

Night had set in, and the confusion and bustle seemed sadder still under her cloak.

Crowds of the lowest of the populace, patrols of military, bands of fugitive peasantry jostled each other, snatching, shrieking, cursing.
Many windows were illuminated, and their brilliance cast a shadowless, ghostly glare over the streets.

Thick red clouds rolled above the roofs of the houses, for one of the suburbs was on fire, and the wind blew swarms of golden sparks and burning splinters over the heads of the travelers.

Meanwhile the bells of the churches kept up a monotonous tolling.