‘The Landlady’ Questions

1. Why does Billy Weaver walk “briskly” down the street (line 21)?

Billy Weaver walks ‘briskly’ down the street because he believes that that is a common characteristic of all successful businessmen/women

2. Which aspects of the house make Billy feel it would be a good place to stay?

The aspects of the house that makes Billy feel that it would be a good place to stay are the organisation, the colour palette, the pleasant furniture and the animals.

3. Why did Billy not go to the pub?

Billy did not go to the pub because he noticed the BED AND BREAKFAST signs which drew him to the door of the house without even thinking.

4. What was unusual about the way the landlady responded to the doorbell?

The unusual thing about the way that the landlady responded to the door was that she responded instantly, not even waiting a few seconds.

5. Which aspects of the landlady’s appearance and voice make her seem trustworthy (lines 87-118)?

The landlady instantly gave Billy and warm and welcoming smile and she had a very low price and she generally seemed like a kind person by the gentleness in her tone of voice.

6. What evidence is there that the landlady had been expecting a guest?

She says that she knew that Billy was going to stay at her house. The price is so unusually cheap so that there would be hundreds of applications. 

7. What are the first signs that the landlady is very odd?

The first sign that the landlady is a bit odd is that she says that ‘We have it all to ourselves’ and she smiled almost a little creepily which I thought was a bit weird.

8. Billy doesn’t finish his sentence about Christopher Mulholland. What was he about to say?

He was about to say either that he disappeared or that he died based on the assumption that nobody had seen him in three years because he was in the newspaper.

9. Why is it frightening when the landlady says Mr Temple had perfect skin “just like a baby’s”?

It almost seems that the lady had kidnapped Mr Temple when he was a baby.

10. What do you think the landlady means when she says “I stuff all my little pets myself when they pass away?”

I think that the lady means that she turns all of her pets into taxidermies when they die.

11. How do you think Billy will die? Explain why you think so.

I think the landlady will kill Mr Weaver and turn him into taxidermy as well because from the previous statement that she stuffs all of her ‘pets’ which could also mean that she stuffs all of her young tenants after she kills them.