The Landlady - S01E04 | A Chilling Tale by Roald Dahl

[Music] the land lady by R doll a classic story produced by Nocturnal Tales [Music] Billy Weaver had traveled down from London on the slow afternoon train changing trains on the way and by the time he got to Bath it was about 9:00 in the evening the air was very cold and the wind was like a flat blade of ice on his cheeks excuse me he said but is there a fairly cheap hotel not too far away from here try the pub down the road a man at the station said pointing they might take you in

it's about a kilometer along on the other side Billy thanked him and picked up his suitcase and set out to walk to the Inn he had never been to bath before he didn't know anyone who lived there but his boss at the head office in London had told him it was a splendid City find your own accommodation he had said and then go along and report to the local manager as soon as you've got yourself settled Billy was 17 years old he was wearing a new dark blue overcoat a new Brown hat a new brown

suit and he was feeling fine he walked briskly down the street he was trying to do everything briskly these days all successful businessmen he had decided were brisk the top men at head office were brisk all the time they were amazing there were no shops on this wide Street only a line of tall houses on each side all of them looking the same they had Grand entrances and four or five steps going up to their front doors and it was obvious that they had been very grand houses indeed but now even in the darkness he

could see that the paint was coming off the doors and windows and that the handsome white exteriors had cracks and Patches from lack of repair suddenly in a downstairs window that was illuminated by a nearby Street Lamp Billy saw a printed notice leaning against the glass in one of the windows it said bed and breakfast there was a vase of yellow chrysanthemums tall and beautiful standing just underneath the notice he stopped walking he moved a bit closer green curtains were hanging down on each side of the window he went right up to it and looked

through the glass into the room and the first thing he saw was a bright fire burning in the fireplace on the carpet in front of the fire a pretty little dog was curled up asleep the room itself which he could only see in half Darkness was filled with Pleasant furniture There was a piano and a big sofa and several comfortable armchairs and in one corner he saw a large parrot in a cage animals were usually a good sign in a place like this Billy told himself and it looked to him as if it would be

a pretty decent house to stay in certainly it would be more comfortable than a pub on the other hand a pub would be more friendly than a guest house there would be beer and cards in the evenings and lots of people to talk to and it would probably be a lot cheaper too he stayed a couple of nights in a pub once before and had liked it he had never stayed in any guest houses and to be perfectly honest he was a tiny bit frightened of them the word Guest House suggested watery vegetables and greedy

landladies after hesitating like this in the cold for two or 3 minutes Billy decided that he would walk on and look at the pub before making up his mind he turned to go and now a strange thing happened to him he was just going to step back and turn away from the window when his eye was caught and held in the most peculiar manner by the small notice that was there bed and breakfast it said bed and breakfast bed and breakfast each word was like a large black eye staring at him through the glass holding

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 to the front door climbing the steps that led to it and reaching for the Bell he pressed it 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 she was about 45 or 50

years old and the moment she saw him she gave him a warm welcoming smile please come in she said pleasantly she stepped to one side holding the door wide open and Billy found himself automatically starting forward into the house the force or more accurately the desire to follow her was extraordinarily strong I saw the notice in the window he said holding himself back yes I know I was 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 I was on my way

to a pub Billy told her but I noticed the sign in your window my dear boy she said why don't you come in out of the cold how much do you charge £9 a night including breakfast it was amazingly 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 cost less without the egg £ is fine he answered I would like

very much to stay here I knew you would do come in 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 inside 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

I don't very often have the pleasure of taking a visitor into my little Nest the old girl is slightly mad Billy told himself but at £9 a night who cares about that I should have thought you'd be simply full of visitors wanting to stay he said politely oh I am my dear I am of course I am but the trouble is that I am just a tiny bit careful about whom I choose if you see what I mean ah yes but I'm always ready everything is always ready day and night in this house just in

case an acceptable young gentleman comes along and it is such a pleasure my dear 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 turned her head and smiled down at him 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 first floor She said to him this floor is mine they climbed up more stairs 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 hot water bottle Between the Sheets to warm them Mr Weaver and you may light the gas fire at any time if you feel cold thank you Billy said thank you very much he noticed that the bed clothes had been neatly turned

back on one side all ready for someone to get in I'm so glad you appeared she said looking seriously 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 I'm not 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 come into the sitting room on the ground floor and sign the book everyone has to do that because it's the law and we don't want to break any laws at this stage in the proceedings do we she gave him a little wave of the hand and went quickly out of the room and closed the door now the fact that his land lady appeared to be slightly crazy didn't worry Billy at

all she was not only harmless there was no question about that but she was also quite obviously a Kind and Generous person he guessed that she had probably lost a son of her own or something like that and had never recovered from it so a few minutes later after unpacking and washing his hands he walked downstairs to the ground floor and entered the sitting room his land lady wasn't there but the fire was still burning and the little dog was still sleeping in front of it the room was wonderfully warm and comfortable I'm a lucky

fellow he thought rubbing his hands this is great 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 names above his on the page and as one always does 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 that name sounds familiar now where had he heard that rather unusual name before was he a boy at school number 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 in fact thinking about it again he wasn't at all sure that the second name wasn't as familiar to him as the first Gregory Temple he said aloud searching his memory Christopher Mulholland such Charming boys a voice behind him answered and he turned and saw his land lady walking into the room carrying the tea tray in front of her they sound somehow familiar he said they do how interesting I'm almost positive

I've heard those names before somewhere isn't that strange maybe it was in the newspapers they weren't famous in any way were they I mean famous footballers or something like that fam famous she said setting the tray down on the low table in front of the sofa oh no I don't think they were famous but they were extraordinarily handsome both of them I can promise you that they were tall and young and handsome my dear just exactly like you once more Billy glanced down at the book look here he said noticing the dates this last entry

is over 2 years old is it yes indeed and Christopher Hollands is nearly a year before that more than three years ago oh dear she said shaking her head I never would have thought it how time flies away from us all doesn't it Mr Wilkins it's Weaver Billy said we a v r oh of course it is she cried sitting down on the sofa how silly of me I do apologize do you know something that's extraordinary about all this both those names molland and Temple I not only seem to remember each one separately but they

appear to be connected as well as if they were both famous for the same sort of thing if you see what I mean well 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 biscuit before you go to bed Billy watched her as she busied herself with the cups and sauces he noticed that she had small white quickly moving hands and red fingernails I'm almost positive I saw them in the newspapers Billy said I'll think of them in a second I'm sure

I will there is nothing more annoying than a thing like this which remains just outside 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 school boy who was on a walking tour through the West country and then suddenly milk she said and sugar yes please and then suddenly school boy she said oh no my dear that can't possibly be right because my Mr M Holland was certainly not a school boy when he came to me he was a university

student 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 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 comfortable this is isn't it Billy started drinking his tea she did the same for half a minute neither of them spoke but Billy knew that she was looking at him her body was half turned towards him and he

could feel her eyes resting on his face watching him from over her teacup now and again he caught a peculiar smell that seemed to come from her Direction it wasn't unpleasant and it reminded him well he wasn't quite sure what it was new leather or was it the corridors of a hospital Mr M Holland loved his tea she finally said I've never seen anyone in my life drink as much tea as dear sweet Mr Mulholland I suppose he left fairly recently Billy said left she said but my dear boy he never left he's still here

Mr Temple is also here they're on the third floor both both of them together Billy put down his cup slowly on the table and stared at his land lady she smiled back at him and then put out one of her white hands and patted him comfortingly on the knee how old are you my dear she asked 17 17 she cried oh it's the perfect age Mr Mulholland was also 17 but I think he was a little shorter than you are in fact I'm sure he was and his teeth weren't quite so white you have the

most teeth Mr Weaver Mr Temple was a little older he was actually 28 I wouldn't have guessed it though if he hadn't told me there wasn't a mark on his body a what Billy said his skin was just like a baby's there was a pause Billy picked up his teacup drank some more and then put it down again in its saucer he waited for her to say something else but she seemed to have fallen into another of her silences he sat there looking ahead biting his lower lip that parrot he said at last you know

something it completely fooled me when I looked through the window from the street I thought it was alive sadly no longer it's very clever the way it's been stuffed he said it doesn't look at all dead who did it I did you did of course she said and have You Met My Little basil as well she nodded towards the dog curled up so comfortably in front of the fire Billy looked at it suddenly he realized that this animal had all the time been as silent and motionless as the parrot he touched it gently on the

top of its back it was hard and cold but perfectly preserved good Heavens he said how very interesting it must be awfully difficult to do a thing like that not at all she said I stuff all my little pets myself when they die will you have another cup of tea no thank you Billy said the tea tasted faintly bitter and he didn't really like it you did sign the book didn't you oh yes that's good because later if I forget what you were called then I can always look it up I still do that every

day with Mr Mulholland and Mr Mr Temple Billy said Gregory Temple excuse me for 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 moving her head slightly to the left she looked at him out of the corners of her eyes and gave him another gentle little smile no my dear she said only [Music] you this was the land lady by R doll a classic story produced by Nocturnal Tales [Music] m