He laughed scornfully.

To this had he come from those dreams which guided him when he was a youth.

A commonplace man, why should he not have commonplace experiences?
He had walked in this direction with the thought of passing beneath Emily's window before he returned home, yet, now that he was not more than half an hour's walk from her, he felt weary and looked aside for a street which should lead him to the region of vehicles.

As he did so, he noticed a woman's form leaning over the riverside parapet at a short distance.

A thought drew him nearer to her.