“He hurried onto dry land, pulled open the door to his little hovel in the ground, and went down the steps into a small, underground room.”
“The figure of a man crept stealthily forth from a dingy hovel situated in one of the most crowded quarters of the city.”
hovelling
A method of securing a good draught in chimneys by covering the top, leaving openings in the sides, or by carrying up two of the sides higher than the other two.