Vittoria was about to offer her own help, but just then, the lid began to slide.

Slowly, the lid of the sealed coffin had begun to rise!

He felt the lid begin to loosen, bit by bit.

But suddenly, quite near my shoulder, I saw the lid suddenly begin to raise itself from one of the terrible eyes.

Then, right above his face, the lid of the coffin began to open.

Slowly, dreadfully, the lid began to open, as if forced up from within.

As he stared at the coveted articles, the small lids began to rise.

They could see the lid begin to loosen, until it seemed to rise a fraction of an inch above the sides.

Under the efforts of both men the lid began to yield.

The lid, jarred by the fall, began to swing open.