It is one of a group of wooden buildings standing
parallel with the western side of the church, with which they form an
alley-way, the farther end of which opens on a steep street skirting
the church and leading to the gate of Saint-Leonard, along which
Mademoiselle de Verneuil now made her way.
Marie naturally avoided entering the square of the church which was
then above her, and turned towards the Promenade. The magnificence of
the scene which met her eyes silenced for a moment the tumult of her
passions. She admired the vast trend of the valley, which her eyes
took in, from the summit of La Pelerine to the plateau where the main
road to Vitry passes; then her eyes rested on the Nid-aux-Crocs and
the winding gorges of the Val de Gibarry, the crests of which were
bathed in the misty glow of the setting sun. She was almost frightened
by the depth of the valley of the Nancon, the tallest poplars of which
scarcely reached to the level of the gardens below the Queen's
Staircase. At this time of day the smoke from the houses in the
suburbs and in the valleys made a vapor in the air, through which the
various objects had a bluish tinge; the brilliant colors of the day
were beginning to fade; the firmament took a pearly tone; the moon was
casting its veil of light into the ravine; all things tended to plunge
the soul into reverie and bring back the memory of those beloved.
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