The Landlady by Roald Dahl | audio and text

Summary

Seventeen-year-old Billy Weaver arrives in Bath late at night, searching for cheap lodgings. He’s on his way to the Bell and Dragon pub, but he notices a warm, inviting “bed and breakfast” notice nearby. As he hesitates, the repeated black-letter words on the sign (“bed and breakfast”) seem to exert a strange, compelling pull—before he knows it, he’s ringing the bell and stepping inside.

The landlady—unnervingly cheerful and gently dotty—opens the door instantly, welcoming him as if she’s been waiting for someone “exactly right.” She offers him a very cheap rate and treats him like a perfect guest: a prepared room upstairs, a hot water bottle already tucked into the sheets, and clear instructions that he must sign the guest book downstairs “because it’s the law of the land.”

Billy settles in, then reads the guest book on the piano. Only two other names appear across multiple years: Christopher Mulholland (Cardiff) and Gregory W Temple (Bristol). Billy feels the names in his head as though they’ve appeared in newspapers. When he brings it up, the landlady confirms—calmly and with absolute certainty—that both young men are still “here,” though she says they’re on the third floor.

During tea, the landlady describes their ages and physical traits in eerie detail. Mulholland and Temple were both seventeen at the time; Temple is older in real terms, but has been preserved so perfectly that you wouldn’t guess. Billy also notices the “pets” in the room: the parrot and the dash hound are completely motionless and preserved—hard and cold underneath their fur and feathers.

When Billy realizes what the landlady has done—making her “little pets” and presumably preserving her guests—he becomes increasingly unsettled. Yet she remains gentle, sweet, and matter-of-fact.

By the end, the story reveals its final, shocking truth: the landlady has only had two guests recently—Mulholland and Temple—and Billy is now effectively her latest “guest,” simply another entry in her collection, kept and maintained rather than living.

Highlights / Notable Reactions / Standout Moments

• The sign’s hypnotic repetition (“bed and breakfast… bed and breakfast”) directly draws Billy toward the house.
• The landlady’s “instant-door-opening” hospitality feels comically wrong—like a jack-in-the-box—turning her warmth into menace.
• The guest book reveals a time gap (multiple years between entries), creating mounting dread.
• Billy’s growing certainty: he recognizes the names, then realizes they belong to the preserved parrot and dash hound—and the “missing” people upstairs.
• Dark irony: tea tastes subtly of bitter almonds (a hallmark association with poison), while she remains sweet, attentive, and composed.

Performers / Personalities (as presented in the subtitles)

• Billy Weaver
• The Landlady (Mrs. Weaver)
• Mr. Mulholland (guest / preserved person referenced)
• Mr. Temple (guest / preserved person referenced)
• Mr. Greenslade (head office manager mentioned)