The World of Courtesans c8.213

c8.213

But all said and done she earned large amounts by courting men of the higher classes. This increased her social prestige. Here she had to be careful and make sure that the money she received from her lover was not obtained by fraudulent means, because that meant not only the loss of his position, but since the courtesan herself was forced to part with the fees received from him, her own property could also be forfeited. The choice of a lover from a low caste or of an unpopular person meant loss of dignity for her—a stain on her own good name. But the involvement with undesirable men had sometimes its own advantages. If she courted a brave man, a minister, or even a miser and received no recompense, this association with them sometimes helped her to avoid trouble.