sneering at the pitiful pleadings of the women—­in fact caring about nothing beyond their own importance.  They disdained to reply to any question, and said nothing beyond the terse statement that no more trains were going East to Russia.  At this intelligence the travellers bound for the latter country collapsed, the majority, women, flopping upon their baggage and dropping their heads in their hands in grief and utter despair.

Yet, although the authorities were fully aware that no more trains were going East they made no attempt to cope with the influx of arriving and stranded passengers.  They were left to their own devices.  The majority of the women and children were famished, thirsty, and tired, but the officials resolutely refused to open the waiting rooms and buffets before the usual hour.  Accordingly the travel-tired, grief-stricken women either threw themselves prone upon the platforms, or crawled into corridors, sub-ways, and corners to seek a little repose, using their luggage as head-rests, or being content with the cold hard steps.  The few seats upon the platform were speedily occupied but the occupants were denied more than a brief repose.  At the end of 15 minutes officials came round and emptied the seats of those in possession to allow other parties to have a quarter of an hour’s rest.

While the worn-out passengers slept the light-fingered German gentry passed swiftly from bag to bag, the conditions offering favourable opportunities for the light-fingered gentry.  They appeared to suffer no molestation from the officials, who could plainly see what was going on, but possibly officialdom regarded the belongings of tired and exhausted foreigners as legitimate loot to those who were prepared to take it.  Outside the station the heavier baggage was stacked in barricades in a wildly haphazard manner with the heavier articles at the top.  These, crushing the lighter and more fragile packages beneath, spread the contents of the latter in the roadway to serve as sport for gamins and other loungers who prowled around.

The utter chaos was aggravated by the rain which pelted down with torrential fury.  Mothers with their little children drew closely into corners or sat upon doorsteps seeking the slightest shelter.  As I turned out of the station my attention was attracted by a woman—­she had come up on our train—­who was sitting on the kerb, her feet in the gutter, the rushing water coursing over her ankles, feeding her child at the breast, and vainly striving to shelter the little mite from the elements.  The woman was crying bitterly.  I went up to her.  She spoke English perfectly.  She was Russian and had set out from England to meet her husband at Kalish.  But she could not get through, she had very little money, could not speak German, and knew not what to do, or what would become of her.  I soothed her as well as I could.  There were hundreds of similar cases around.  Notwithstanding their terrible plight