Things had got worse on the whole.

Whereas Waymark had here and there been successful in suppressing the grosser forms of uncleanliness by threats of expulsion, and at times by the actual enforcement of his threat, no such supervision had of late been exercised.

There were very few houses in which the air was at all tolerable; in many instances the vilest odours hung about the open door-ways.

To pass out of Elm Court into the wider streets around was like a change to the freshness of woods and fields.
And the sources of this miasma were only too obvious.
The larger houses which made up Litany Lane had underground cellars; in the court there were fortunately no such retreats.

On entering one of these former houses, the two were aware of an especially offensive odour rising from below the stairs.