Hiren woke in the middle of the night to sounds of heavy breathing and the occasional grunting snore.

“They’re asleep,”� she thought. She had meant to stay awake all night to keep on guard against any advances on their part. Just thinking about it made Hiren’s grip on the washer woman’s knife tighten. She had picked it up while the woman swept up the shorn hair and slipped it into her apron pocket.

Hiren felt around on the floor for the shoes that she had been giv...