After some trouble I got the thing prised open, and catching the edges of the hole with my fingers raised my body and got my knees on the edge.
It was the outbuilding of which our refuge was the cellar, and it was half filled with light.

Not a soul was there, and I hunted about till I found what I wanted.

This was a ladder leading to a sort of loft, which in turn gave access to the roof.

Here I had to be very careful, for I might be overlooked from the high buildings.

But by good luck there was a trellis for grape vines across the place, which gave a kind of shelter.