They came to a steep flight of steps which makes a short cut from the hotel to the road, and at the steps Hanaud stopped.
"Do you see ?" he said.

"On the opposite side there are no houses; there is only a wall.

Behind the wall there are climbing gardens and the ground falls steeply to the turn of the road below.

There's a flight of steps leading down which corresponds with the flight of steps from the garden.

Very often there's a serjent-de-ville stationed on the top of the steps.