"They're not as good as they look," Billy said. "They've got simply masses of fillings in them at the back."

"...Because late on, if I happen to forget what you were called, then I can always come down here and look it up. I still do that almost every day with Mr. Mulholland and Mr... Mr..."

"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."

"Please come in" she said pleasantly."

to urge to do something

to think deeply about something

to become slightly interested in something

to scare someone into doing something

"After dithering about like this in the cold for two or three minutes"

"when all at once his eye was caught and held in the most peculiar manner"

"each word was like a large black eye staring at him through the glass"

"forcing him to stay where he was and not to walk away from that house"

Because there is an ongoing war.

There is only one room available.

She is very particular and choosy about her guests.

She can't stand too much commotion.

She was a doctor or likely had some medical training, as evidenced by her ability to stuff her pets.

She is a lonely old woman who lost her son in the war and tries to replace him with her particular tenants.

She may have witnessed something terrible and suffers memory problems because she cannot recall Billy's name correctly.

She may be more threatening than she appears because her words suggest she was involved in the two men's disappearances.

"He guessed that she had probably lost a son in the war, or something like that, and had never got over it."

"'Left?' she said, arching her brows. 'But my dear boy, he never left. He's still here. Mr. Temple is also here."

"he caught a whiff of a peculiar smell... he wasn't quite sure what it reminded him of. Pickled walnuts? New leather? Or was it the corridors of a hospital?"

"if I happen to forget what you were called, then I can always come down here and look it up. I still do that almost every day with Mr. Mulholland and Mr... Mr..."

It is cheap and close

The pets make it look more inviting

The flowers in the window are pretty

All of the above

She appears kind and gentle.

She sounds like his mother.

She has a unique accent.

Her voice reminds him of someone he knew.

"The door swung open and a woman was standing there"

"She was about forty-five or fifty years old, and the moment she saw him, she gave a warm, welcoming smile."

"I'm inclined to be just a teeny weeny bit choosy and particular-- if you see what I mean"

"She looked exactly like the mother of one's best school friend welcoming one into the house to stay for the Christmas holidays"

The Landlady

Billy Weaver

Christopher Mulholland

Gregory Temple

The Landlady

Billy Weaver

Christopher Mulholland

Gregory Temple

She is a lot of fun.

She is quite suspicious.

She is dilapidated.

She is dotty and off her rocker.

The sign in the window of the Bed and Breakfast captures Billy's attention and compels him to stay.

The landlady shows Billy his room and asks him to sign the guestbook before he goes to sleep.

Billy notices the names in the guestbook and they seem to sound familiar in some way.

The landlady serves Billy tea as they sit on the sofa discussing taxidermy.

to make an educated guess

the climax of the story

a warning of indication of a future event

the resolution of a story

"But the air was deadly cold and the wind was like a flat blade of ice on his cheeks"

"It isn't very often I have the pleasure of taking a visitor into my little nest."

"Do you desire and egg for breakfast? Eggs are expensive at the moment. IT would be sixpences less without an egg."

"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?"

The houses in the neighborhood are run-down

There are two guest who have signed the guest book that seem familiar to Billy

The dog and the parrot were stuffed

The porter told him to try "The Bell and Dragon"

it tastes off, and smells of bitter almonds

the other men are stuffed on the third floor

he's late for work

the landlady makes good tea

She is caring and wants to make sure he has a good dinner.

She is trying to distract him so he stops putting evidence together.

He reminds her of Christopher Mulholland who loved her tea.

She was ready for bed and this was her ritual.

"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."

"By my dear boy, he never left. He's still here. Mr. Temple is also here. They're on the third floor, both of them together."

"His skin was just like a baby's."

"I stuff all my little pets myself when they pass away."