Sentence:  One morning I had been driven to the precarious <WSD>refuge</WSD> afforded by the steps of the inn, after rejecting offers from the Celebrity to join him in a variety of amusements. But even here I was not free from interruption, for he was seated on a horse-block below me, playing with a fox terrier. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A place providing safety, protection or shelter.