four in the morning
I had to leave everything behind except the barest necessities and my money , and to trust the well-being of my goods to Fortune . The jade was unkind enough to forget me in this matter , which put me to heavy loss . It was , of course , impossible to leave Paris at this hour , as the gates would be shut ; but behind the Abbey of St. Germain de Pres was a little hostel called the Chapeau Rouge , where I knew I could find shelter until I could procure a couple of horses and be off . At four in the morning night-hawks are abed , and even the convicts had ceased working on the Gloriette . The moon had gone , and it was dark now -- the darkness that precedes the dawn . We met not a soul as we stumbled along , and coming out at length to the Vallée de Misère we passed the Gloriette , and kept to our right along the river face , until almost opposite the Church of St. Germain l'Auxerrois . Here moored to the bank were a number of boats , the boatmen sleeping within them .