The fresh air played upon, and cooled my temples.

And this with the quiet scene so abruptly presented to me, gave check to my thoughts, and somewhat sobered me.
At some distance to my left I could distinguish in the middle of the river the pile of buildings which crowd the Ile de la Cite, and could follow the nearer arm of the stream as it swept landwards of these, closely hemmed in by houses, but unbroken as yet by the arches of the Pont Neuf which I have lived to see built.

Not far from me on my right--indeed within a stone's throw--the bulky mass of the Louvre rose dark and shapeless against the sky.

Only a narrow open space--the foreshore--separated me from the water; beyond which I could see an irregular line of buildings, that no doubt formed the Faubourg St.
Germain.
I had been told that I should find stairs leading down to the water, and boats moored at the foot of them, at this point.

Accordingly I walked quickly across the open space to a spot, where I made out a couple of posts set up on the brink--doubtless to mark the landing place.
I had not gone ten paces, however, out of the shadow, before I chanced to look round, and discerned with an unpleasant eerie feeling three figures detach themselves from it, and advance in a row behind me, so as the better to cut off my retreat.