It was a man, one of the upstairs lodgers.
"Liza of Lambeth"
W. Somerset Maugham
Very likely a few lodgers are taken in to add to the confusion.
"Hodge and His Masters"
Richard Jefferies
As he knew, they were the only lodgers on this top floor; and so one need not even trouble to avoid making a noise.
"The Devil's Garden"
W. B. Maxwell