178. On the subject of engagements and marriages in their world, they related that when a daughter reaches an age to be married, she is kept at home and not allowed to go out until her wedding day. Then she is taken to a marriage parlour, where many other nubile young women have been taken, and there they are stationed behind a barrier which comes up to waist level, leaving their faces and chests exposed to view. Young men then come there to choose themselves wives. When a young man sees a girl who suits him and to whom he is mentally attracted, he takes her by the hand. If she then follows him, he takes her to a house which has previously been prepared and makes her his wife. They can tell from their faces whether their characters are suited, since each person's face is an indication of his character, with no pretence or lying. To ensure that the whole proceeding is decorous and free from impropriety an old man is seated behind the girls, with an old woman at his side, to keep watch. There are many such places where young women are taken, and fixed times for the young men to make their choice. If they do not find a suitable girl at one place, they go off to another; and if not on that occasion, they come back at the next. They went on to say that a husband has only one wife, never more, because this would be contrary to God's order.