The deuce! What's _that ?_" The woman seemed inclined to run, but stood hesitating.
"You heard it?
There! close under the wall--" Mr.Mortimer stepped forward and peered into the shadow.

He was standing close above the manhole, and to the confusion of all his senses he saw the cover of the manhole lift itself up; saw the rim of it rise two, three inches, saw and heard it joggle back into its socket.
"For God's sake go away!" breathed the woman.
"Norrabit of it, ma'am.

Something wrong here.

Citizen's duty, anything wrong--" Here the cover lifted itself again.

Mr.Mortimer deftly slipped three fingers under its rim, and reaching back with his other hand produced from his pocket the second of Sam's two matches.
"Below there!" he hailed sepulchrally, at the same moment striking the match on the tense seat of his trousers and holding it to the aperture.
"Nero is an angler in the lake of darkness.