Opposite were woods and then a sloping lawn.

From a house hidden in the distance they heard the sound of a woman singing.

They even caught the murmurs of applause as she concluded.

Then there was silence, only the soft gurgling of the water cloven by the punt pole.

They glided past the front of the great unlit house, past another strip of woodland, and then up a narrow stream.
"To the left here," she directed, "and then stop." They bumped against the bank.