Reading Check

1. Advice on the nearest hotel (Paragraph 1)

2. “Briskness” (Paragraph 5)

3. “[T]hat she had probably lost a son in the war” (Paragraph 31)

4. That they are both dead (Paragraphs 59-61)

Short Answer

1. Billy notes that most of the houses have peeling paint and decrepit exteriors, things he can see on the outside even in the darkness. By contrast, the house labeled “BED AND BREAKFAST” is filled with pleasant furniture; a small, sleeping dog; and a vase of flowers. (Paragraphs 6-9)

2. As soon as Billy presses the doorbell, a middle-aged woman opens the door. He notes that she “look[s] exactly like the mother of one’s best school friend welcoming one into the house to stay for the Christmas holidays.” After some conversation, he finds her “slightly dotty”; however, the room is so cheap that he decides to stay. (Paragraphs 12-22)

3. After signing his name and address in the guest book, Billy realizes there are only two other names in the guestbook: Christopher Mulholland and Gregory W. Temple, both of which were signed years prior. He realizes that both names sound familiar, and as he tries to place where he has heard them before, the landlady re-enters and makes him a cup of tea.