It was four feet deep, and between eight and nine feet broad.

Guerchard threw the light from the lantern on to the back wall of it.

Six feet from the floor the soot from the fire stopped abruptly, and there was a dappled patch of bricks, half of them clean and red, half of them blackened by soot, five feet broad, and four feet high.
"The opening is higher up than I thought," said Guerchard.

"I must get a pair of steps." He went to the door of the drawing-room and bade the young policeman fetch him a pair of steps.

They were brought quickly.