nearly
three in the afternoon
That , he madly thought , would be a safe retreat , where he might burrow and hide himself without possibility of discovery . And so he still ran on . But once again the sight of some guards made him retrace his steps , and he was compelled to go back and back in the direction of Paris , chased , forced towards the very fortifications whence he had started that morning . It was now nearly three in the afternoon . For more than two hours and a half he had been running . At last he saw a soft , sandy ride for horsemen before him . He crossed it , splashing through the mire left by the rain , and reached a little pathway , a delightful lovers ' lane , as shady in summer as any arbour .