Copyright ® by Hole Rinehart ané Winston. Al rights reserved The Landlady Roald Dahl Billy Weaver had traveled down from London on the slow afternoon train, with a change at Reading on the way, and by the time he got to Bath, it was about nine o'clock in the evening, and the moon was coming up out of a clear starry sky over the houses opposite the station entrance. But the air was deadly cold and the wind was like a flat blade of ice on his cheeks. “Excuse mey” he said, “but is there a fairly cheap hotel not too far away from here?” “Try The Bell and Dragon,” the porter! answered, pointing down the road. “They might take you in. It’s about a quarter of a mile along on the other side.” 1. porter n. person hired to carry luggage. Tag Pause at line 7. Circle the name of the character who is introduced in this passage Underline details that estab- lish the setting, The Landlady 21Notes. INFER Re-read lines 20-27. How would you describe Billy's mood? wr Underline details in lines 37-58 that make the board- inghouse seem inviting and comfortable. 20 30 40 Billy thanked him and picked up his suitcase and set, out to walk the quarter-mile to ‘The Bell and Dragon. He had never been to Bath before. He didn’t know anyone who lived there. But Mr. Greenslade at the head office in London had told him it was a splendid town, “Find your own lodg- ings,” he had said, “and then go along and report to the branch manager as soon as you've got yourself settled.” Billy was seventeen years old. He was wearing a new navy-blue overcoat, a new brown trilby hat,? and a new brown suit, and he was feeling fine. He walked briskly down the street. He was trying to do everything briskly these days. Briskness, he had decided, was the one common. characteristic of all successful businessmen. The big shots up at the head office were absolutely fantastically brisk all the time. They were amazing. There were no shops on this wide street that he was walking along, only a line of tall houses on each side, all of them identical. They had porches and pillars and four or five steps going up to their front doors, and it was obvious that once upon a time they had been very swanky residences. But now, even in the darkness, he could see that the paint was peeling from the woodwork on their doors and windows and that the handsome white facades* were cracked and blotchy from neglect Suddenly, in a downstairs window that was brilliantly illuminated by a street lamp not six yards away, Billy caught sight of a printed notice propped up against the glass in one of the upper panes, It said “Bed and Breakfast.” There was a vase of yellow chrysanthemum, tall and beautiful, standing just underneath the notice. He stopped walking. He moved a bit closer. Green curtains (some sort of velvety material) were hanging down 2. tilby hat: soft hat with the top deeply indented, 3. facades (fa:sidz") n. fronts of buildings. 2 Collection 1/Telng Stories Copyright © by Hole Rinehart ané Winston. All rights reserved,Copyright ® by Hole Rinehart ané Winston. Al rights reserved 50 60 on either side of the window. The chrysanthemums looked wonderful beside them. He went right up and peered Tar through the glass into the room, and the first thing he saw A dachshund (line 49) is a fs breed of dog that has ak was a bright fire burning in the hearth. On the carpet in bow shor age and droopy ears. The word dachshund. front of the fire, a pretty little dachsh s curl ont of the fire, a pretty little dachshund was curled up fears e oid cetera asleep with its nose tucked into its belly. The room itself, pronounced (daks'hoont’) so far as he could see in the half darkness, was filled with pleasant furniture. There was a baby grand piano and a big sofa and several plump armchairs, and in one corner he In lines 58-67, Billy thinks about whether to stay at the spotted a large parrot in a cage. Animals were usually a SESE eae good sign in a place like this, Billy told himself; and all in Underline details that . describe the benefits of stay- all, it looked to him as though it would be a pretty decent ing at the pub. house to stay in, Certainly it would be more comfortable than The Bell and Dragon. On the other hand, a pub would be more congenial! Pause at line 71, Where will than a boardinghouse. There would be beer and darts in the _illy decide to stay? evenings, and lots of people to talk to, and it would probably be a good bit cheaper, too. He had stayed a couple of nights in a pub once before and he had liked it. He had never stayed in any boardinghouses, and, to be perfectly honest, he was a tiny bit frightened of them, The name itself conjured up® images of watery cabbage, rapacious® landladies, and a powerful smell of kippers’ in the living room, After dithering about like this in the cold for two or three minutes, Billy decided that he would walk on and take a look at The Bell and Dragon before making up his mind. He turned to go. ‘And now a queer thing happened to him. He was in the act of stepping back and turning away from the window when all at once his eye was caught and held in the most . congenial (kon jén‘yal) adj: agreeable; pleasant, 5. conjured (kun'jord) up: called to mind. . rapacious (ro-pa'shas) adj: greedy. kippers n.: fish that have been salted and smoked. Kippers are commonly eaten for breakfast in Great Britain . dithering about: acting nervous and confused, The landlady 23Re-read the boxed passage, lines 72-88, aloud, Underline details in the passage that build suspense. Read the passage aloud, and empha- size those words and phrases as you read. ia What does the comparison of tthe landlady to a jack-in-the- box suggest about her (lines 90-91)? INFER Re-read lines 103-106. What is strange about the landlady's responses to Billy's comments? 80 90 100 peculiar manner by the small notice that was there. BED AND BREAKFAST, it said, BED AND BREAKFAST, BED AND BREAKEAST, BED AND BREAKEasT. Each word was like a large black eye staring at him through the glass, holding him, compelling him, forcing him to stay where he was and not to walk away from that house, and the next thing he knew, he was actually moving across from the window to the front door of the house, climbing the steps that led up to it, and reach- ing for the bell. He pressed the bell. Far away in a back room he heard it ringing, and then at once—it must have been at once because he hadn't even had time to take his finger from the bell button—the door swung open and a woman was standing there. Normally you ring the bell and you have at least a half-minute’s wait before the door opens. But this dame was like a jack-in-the-box. He pressed the bell—and out she popped! It made him jump. She was about forty-five or fifty years old, and the moment she saw him, she gave him a warm, welcoming smile, “Please come in,” she said pleasantly. She stepped aside, holding the door wide open, and Billy found himself automatically starting forward. The compulsion or, more accurately, the desire to follow after her into that house was extraordinarily strong. “I saw the notice in the window,” he said, holding him- self back. “Yes, I know.” “Lwas wondering about a room,” “It’s all ready for you, my dear,” she said. She had a round pink face and very gentle blue eyes. 24 Collection 1/Telng Stories Copyright © by Hole Rinehart ané Winston. All rights reserved,CCopyrghs © by Hoke Rinehart ane Winston Al rights reserved uo 120 “[ was on my way to The Bell and Dragon,” Billy told her. “But the notice in your window just happened to catch Notes my eye.” “My dear boy,” she said, “why don’t you come in out of the cold?” “How much do you charge?” “Five and sixpence a night, including breakfast.” It was fantastically cheap. It was less than half of what he had been willing to pay. “If that is too much,” she added, “then perhaps I can reduce it just a tiny bit, Do you desire an egg for breakfast? Eggs are expensive at the moment. It would be sixpence less without the egg.” “Five and sixpence is fine,” he answered. “I should like very much to stay here.” “[ knew you would. Do come in.” The landlady tells Billy that she knew he would stay at her bed and breakfast (line 122). Why do you think the landlady is so certain about Billy's intentions? The landlady 25Een There are no other guests in the boardinghouse (lines 129-130). What does this clue foreshadow? INFER Pause at line 141. Why do you think the landlady has chosen Billy to be her guest? es Re-read lines 143-152. Underline the things the landlady says and does that seem unusual or out of the ordinary. 130 140 150 She seemed terribly nice. She looked exactly like the mother of one's best school friend welcoming one into the house to stay for the Christmas holidays. Billy took off his hat and stepped over the threshold. “Just hang it there,” she said, “and let me help you with your coat.” ‘There were no other hats or coats in the hall. There were no umbrellas, no walking sticks—nothing “We have it all to ourselves,” she said, smiling at him. over her shoulder as she led the way upstairs. “You see, it isn't very often I have the pleasure of taking a visitor into my little nest.” The old girl is slightly dotty, Billy told himself. But at five and sixpence a night, who cares about that? “I should’ve thought you'd be simply swamped with applicants,” he said politely. “Oh, I am, my dear, I am, of course I am. But the trouble is that I'm inclined to be just a teeny-weeny bit choosy and particular—if you see what I mean.” “Ad, yes.” “But I'm always ready. Everything is always ready day and night in this house just on the off chance that an, acceptable young gentleman will come along. And it is such a pleasure, my dear, such a very great pleasure when now and again I open the door and I see someone standing there who is just exactly right” She was halfway up the stairs, and she paused with one hand on the stair rail, turning her head and smiling down at him with pale lips. “Like you,” she added, and her blue eyes traveled slowly all the way down the length of Billy's body, to his feet, and then up again. On the second-floor landing she said to him, “This floor is mine.” 9, dotty adj. crazy. 26 Collection 1/Telng Stories Copyright © by Hole Rinehart ané Winston. All rights reserved,CCopyrghs © by Hoke Rinehart ane Winston Al rights reserved 160 170 180 They climbed up another flight. “And this one is all yours,” she said. “Here's your room. I do hope you'll like it” She took him into a small but charming front bedroom, switching on the light as she went in. “The morning sun comes right in the window, Mr. Perkins. It is Mr. Perkins, isn’t it?” “No,” he said. “It’s Weaver.” “Mr. Weaver. How nice. I’ve put a water bottle between the sheets to air them out, Mr. Weaver. It's such a comfort to have a hot-water bottle in a strange bed with clean sheets, don’t you agree? And you may light the gas fire at any time if you feel chilly” “Thank you,” Billy said. “Thank you ever so much.” He noticed that the bedspread had been taken off the bed and that the bedclothes had been neatly turned back on one side, all ready for someone to get in “P'm so glad you appeared,” she said, looking earnestly into his face. “I was beginning to get worried.” “That's all right,” Billy answered brightly. “You mustn't worry about me.” He put his suitcase on the chair and started to open it, “And what about supper, my dear? Did you manage to get anything to eat before you came here?” “P'm not a bit hungry, thank you,” he said. “I think I'll just go to bed as soon as possible because tomorrow I've got to get up rather early and report to the office.” “Very well, then. I'll leave you now so that you can unpack. But before you go to bed, would you be kind enough to pop into the sitting room on the ground floor and sign the book? Everyone has to do that because it’s the law of the land, and we don't want to go breaking any laws at this stage in the proceedings, do we?” She gave him a little Notes Eanes Pause at line 170, If you were Billy, would you be worried? Tell why or why not. The landlady 27Das Pause at line 188, How would you describe the land- lady's personality? Explain. es Circle the words in lines 189-194 that show what Billy thinks of the landlady. aa Pause at line 201, Do you agree that Billy is lucky? Explain. 190 200 210 wave of the hand and went quickly out of the room and closed the door. Now, the fact that his landlady appeared to be slightly off her rocker didn't worry Billy in the least. After all, she not only was harmless—there was no question about that—but she was also quite obviously a kind and generous soul. He guessed that she had probably lost a son in the war, or something like that, and had never gotten over it. So a few minutes later, after unpacking his suitcase and washing his hands, he trotted downstairs to the ground floor and entered the living room. His landlady wasn't there, but the fire was glowing in the hearth, and the little dachshund was still sleeping soundly in front of it. The room was wonderfully warm and cozy. I'm a lucky fellow, he thought, rubbing his hands. This is a bit of all right. He found the guest book lying open on the piano, so he took out his pen and wrote down his name and address. ‘There were only two other entries above his on the page, and as one always does with guest books, he started to read them. One was a Christopher Mulholland from Cardiff. ‘The other was Gregory W. ‘Temple from Bristol. That's funny, he thought suddenly. Christopher Mulholland. It rings a bell. Now where on earth had he heard that rather unusual name before? ‘Was it a boy at school? No. Was it one of his sister's numerous young men, perhaps, or a friend of his father’s? No, no, it wasn't any of those. He glanced down again at the book. Christopher Mulholland 231 Cathedral Road, Cardiff Gregory W. Temple 27 Sycamore Drive, Bristol 2 Collection 1/Telng Stories Copyright © by Hole Rinehart ané Winston. All rights reserved,CCopyrghs © by Hoke Rinehart ane Winston Al rights reserved 20 230 240 250 As a matter of fact, now he came to think of it, he wasn't at all sure that the second name didn’t have almost as much of a familiar ring about it as the first. What odd thing has Billy dis- covered in the guest book “Gregory Temple?” he said aloud, searching his memory. {fines 208'224)5 “Christopher Mulholland? . . ” “Such charming boys,” a voice behind him answered, and he turned and saw his landlady sailing into the room with a large silver tea tray in her hands. She was holding it well out in front of her, and rather high up, as though the tray were a pair of reins on a frisky horse. “They sound somehow familiar,” he said. “They do? How interesting” “Lm almost positive I've heard those names before somewhere. Isn't that odd? Maybe it was in the newspapers. ‘They weren't famous in any way, were they? I mean famous cricketers" or footballers or something like that?” “Famous,” she said, setting the tea tray down on the low table in front of the sofa. “Oh no, I don’t think they were ES famous. But they were incredibly handsome, both of them, I can promise you that. They were tall and young and Pause at line 240. According ‘ to the landlady, how does handsome, my dear, just exactly like you.” Billy resemble the previous Once more, Billy glanced down at the book. “Look guests? here,” he said, noticing the dates. “This last entry is over two years old.” “Tt is?” “Yes, indeed. And Christopher Mulholland’s is nearly a year before that—more than three years ago.” “Dear me,” she said, shaking her head and heaving a dainty little sigh. “I would never have thought it. How time does fly away from us all, doesn't it, Mr. Wilkins?” “I's Weaver,” Billy said. “W-e-a-v-0-1” 10. cricketers n.: people who play cricket, a game that is popular in Great Britain, The Landlady 29“Oh, of course it is!” she cried, sitting down on the nt sofa, “How silly of me. I do apologize. In one ear and out Why does the landlady keep. the other, that’s me, Mr. Weaver.” fc Billy's le » « » ao ‘You know something?” Billy said, “Something that’s really quite extraordinary about all this?” “No, dear, I don't” “Well, you see, both of these names—Mulholland and ‘Temple—I not only seem to remember each one of them separately, so to speak, but somehow or other, in some 260 peculiar way, they both appear to be sort of connected together as well. As though they were both famous for the same sort of thing, if you see what I mean—like well. . like Dempsey and Tunney, for example, or Churchill and Roosevelt.” Re-read lines 257-264, What is Billy trying to figure out? What does he reveal about ‘the two guests’ names? 11, Dempsey and Tunney . .. Churchill and Roosevelt: Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney were American boxers who competed for the world heavyweight championship in 1926. Winston Churchill was prime minister of Great Britain, and Franklin D. Roosevelt was president of the United States, during World War Il 30 Collection 1/Telling Stories Copyright © by Hole Rinehart ané Winston. All rights reserved,CCopyrghs © by Hoke Rinehart ane Winston Al rights reserved 270 280 290 “How amusing,” she said. “But come over here now, dear, and sit down beside me on the sofa and I'll give you a nice cup of tea and a ginger biscuit! before you go to bed” “You really shouldn't bother,” Billy said. “I didn’t mean you to do anything like that” He stood by the piano, watch- ing her as she fussed about with the cups and saucers. He noticed that she had small, white, quickly moving hands and red fingernails. “L'm almost positive it was in the newspapers I saw them,” Billy said. “Tl think of it in a second. I'm sure I will.” ‘There is nothing more tantalizing” than a thing like this that lingers just outside the borders of one’s memory. He hated to give up. “Now wait a minute,” he said. “Wait just a minute. Mulholland. . . Christopher Mulholland . . . wasn't that the name of the Eton’ schoolboy who was on a walking tour through the West Country, and then all of a sudden. . ” “Milk?” she said, “And sugar?” “Yes, please. And then all of a sudden . “Bton schoolboy?” she said. “Oh no, my dear, that can’t possibly be right, because my Mr. Mulholland was certainly not an Eton schoolboy when he came to me. He was a Cambridge" undergraduate. Come over here now and sit next to me and warm yourself in front of this lovely fire. Come on. Your tea's all ready for you.” She patted the empty place beside her on the sofa, and she sat there smiling at Billy and waiting for him to come over. 12. biscuit (biskt)n Britsh term meaning “cookie.” 43. tantalizing (tan'taliz'in) adj: teasing by remaining unavailable or by withholding something desired by someone; tempting. (in Greek mythology, Tantalus was a king condemned after death to stand i water that moved away whenever he tried to drink it and to remain under branches of fruit that were just out of reach) 414. Eton: boys’ prep school near London 415, Cambridge: famous university in England, Notes Dra Billy seems about to remet ber why Christopher ‘Mulholland’s name was in the newspaper (line 283). What do you think he’s about to say before he’s interrupted by the landlady? as Pause at line 291. Why do you think the landlady keeps interrupting Billy? The Landlady 31iE Pause at line 306, What ‘might the strange smell indicate? wo Re-read lines 307-315. What aan es Circle the words in lines 321-331 that indicate the landlady's interest in her guests’ appearance. He crossed the room slowly and sat down on the edge of the sofa. She placed his teacup on the table in front of him. “There we are,” she said. “How nice and cozy this is, isn’t it?” Billy started sipping his tea. She did the same. For half a minute or so, neither of them spoke. But Billy knew that she was looking at him. Her body was half turned toward him, and he could feel her eyes resting on his face, watching him over the rim of her teacup. Now and again, he caught a whiff of a peculiar smell that seemed to emanate!® directly from her person. It was not in the least unpleasant, and it reminded him—well, he wasn’t quite sure what it reminded him of. Pickled walnuts? New leather? Or was it the corri- dors of @ hospital? At length, she said, “Mr. Mulholland was a great one for his tea, Never in my life have I seen anyone drink as much tea as dear, sweet Mr, Mulholland.” “suppose he left fairly recently,” Billy said. He was still puzzling his head about the two names. He was positive now that he had seen them in the newspapers—in the headlines. “Left?” she said, arching her brows. “But my dear boy, he never left. He's still here. Mr. Temple is also here. They're on the fourth floor, both of them together.” Billy set his cup down slowly on the table and stared at his landlady. She smiled back at him, and then she put out one of her white hands and patted him comfortingly on the knee. “How old are you, my dear?” she asked. “Seventeen.” “Seventeen!” she cried. “Oh, it's the perfect age! Mr. Mulholland was also seventeen, But I think he was a trifle shorter than you are; in fact I’m sure he was, and his teeth 16, emanate (em'a nat’) vs come forth, 32 Collection 1/Telng Stories Copyright © by Hole Rinehart ané Winston. All rights reserved,CCopyrghs © by Hoke Rinehart ane Winston Al rights reserved 330 340 350 ‘weren't quite so white. You have the most beautiful teeth, Mr. Weaver, did you know that?” “They're not as good as they look,” Billy said. “They've Pause at line 327. Why do you think Billy tells the land- got simply masses of fillings in them at the back” SpSDTR RATS “Mr, Temple, of course, was a little older,” she said, ignoring his remark. “He was actually twenty-eight. And yet I never would have guessed it if he hadn't told me, never in my whole life. There wasn't a blemish on his body” “A what?” Billy said. “His skin was just like a baby's.” ‘There was a pause. Billy picked up his teacup and took another sip of his tea; then he set it down again gently in its saucer. He waited for her to say something else, but she seemed to have lapsed into another of her silences. He sat there staring straight ahead of him into the far corner of Pause at line 339, Billy seems the room, biting his lower lip. to be thunderstruck by a sud- “That parrot,” he said at last. “You know something? It _den realization about the landlady. What do you think had me completely fooled when I first saw it through the Billys going to do? window. I could have sworn it was alive” “Alas, no longer.” “It’s most terribly clever the way it's been done,” he said. “It doesn't look in the least bit dead. Who did it?” “I did” “You did?” “Of course,” she said. “And have you met my little Basil as well?” She nodded toward the dachshund curled up so comfortably in front of the fire. Billy looked at it, And sud- denly, he realized that this animal had all the time been just as silent and motionless as the parrot. He put out a hand and touched it gently on the top of its back. The back was Re-read lines 340-356 Underline the horrifying with his fingers, he could see the skin underneath, grayish things the landlady reveals about her activities. hard and cold, and when he pushed the hair to one side black and dry and perfectly preserved. The landlady 33aa In lines 357-359, we learn. that Billy looks at the land lady with admiration, Do 360 you think his admiration is sincere or fake? Explain. 370 en Pause at line 365. What do you think will happen to Billy? “Good gracious me)” he said. “How absolutely fascinat- ing” He turned away from the dog and stared with deep admiration at the little woman beside him on the sofa. “It must be most awfully difficult to do a thing like that” “Not in the least,” she said. “I stuff all my little pets myself when they pass away. Will you have another cup of tea?” “No, thank you,” Billy said. The tea tasted faintly of bitter almonds, and he didn't much care for it. “You did sign the book, didn’t you?” “Oh, yes.” “That’s good. Because later on, if I happen to forget what you were called, then I could always come down here and look it up. I still do that almost every day with Mr. Mulholland and Mr... .Mr... ? “Temple,” Billy said, “Gregory Temple. Excuse my asking, but haven’t there been any other guests here except them in the last two or three years?” Holding her teacup high in one hand, inclining her head slightly to the left, she looked up at him out of the corners of her eyes and gave him another gentle little smile. “No, my dear,” she said. “Only you.” 3 Collection 1/Teling Stories Copyright © by Hole Rinehart ané Winston. All rights reserved,