Summary

In “The Landlady,” 17-year-old Billy traveled from London to Bath. At the station, the porter suggested he stay at The Bell and Dragon. Billy headed “briskly down the street” (1). Since working for the Head Office in London, he tried “to do everything briskly,” as this was how “all successful businessmen” behaved (1, 2).

Billy passed several “swanky residences” that had fallen into disrepair (2). Then he came upon a sign for a bed and breakfast. Peeking inside, he saw a warm fire, a sleeping dog, and “a large parrot in a cage” (2). Though he had planned to go to The Bell and Dragon, the bed and breakfast sign had caught his eye. As soon as he pressed the bell, a woman appeared, “like a jack-in-the-box” (4).

The woman invited Billy in, insisting she had been expecting him. After she took Billy...