Ten o'clock
Notwithstanding the small value of their commodities , the fronts of nearly all these shops were protected by strong bars of iron , -- a proof that the shopkeepers knew and dreaded the gentry who infested the vicinity . The man of whom we have spoken , having entered the Rue aux Fêves , which is in the centre of the Cité , slackened his pace : he felt he was on his own soil . The night was dark , and strong gusts of wind , mingled with rain , dashed against the walls . Ten o'clock struck by the distant dial of the Palais de Justice . Women were huddled together under the vaulted arches , deep and dark , like caverns ; some hummed popular airs in a low key ; others conversed together in whispers ; whilst some , dumb and motionless , looked on mechanically at the wet , which fell and flowed in torrents . The man in the carter 's frock , stopping suddenly before one of these creatures , silent and sad as she gazed , seized her by the arm , and said , `` Ha ! good evening , La Goualeuse . ''