Question

infer
pause at line 306. what might the strange smell indicate?

predict
re - read lines 307 - 315. what do you guess has happened to the two guests?

identify
circle the words in lines 321 - 331 that indicate the landladys interest in her guests appearance.

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 cozy this is, isnt it?\
billy started sipping his tea. she did the same. for half a minute or so, neither of them spoke. but billy knew that she was looking at him. her body was half turned toward him, and he could feel her eyes resting on his face, watching him over the rim of her teacup. now and again, he caught a whiff of a peculiar smell that seemed to emanate¹⁶ directly from her person. it was not in the least unpleasant, and it reminded him - well, he wasnt quite sure what it reminded him of. pickled walnuts? new leather? or was it the corridors of a hospital?
at length, she said, \mr. mulholland was a great one for his tea. never in my life have i seen anyone drink as much tea as dear, sweet mr. mulholland.\
\i suppose he left fairly recently,\ billy said. he was still puzzling his head about the two names. he was positive now that he had seen them in the newspapers - in the headlines.
\left?\ she said, arching her brows. \but my dear boy, he never left. hes still here. mr. temple is also here. theyre on the fourth floor, both of them together.\
billy set his cup down slowly on the table and stared at his landlady. she smiled back at him, and then she put out one of her white hands and patted him comfortingly on the knee. \how old are you, my dear?\ she asked.
\seventeen.\
\seventeen!\ she cried. \oh, its the perfect age! mr. mulholland was also seventeen. but i think he was a trifle shorter than you are; in fact im sure he was, and his teeth

1. emanate (emə - nāt) v.: come forth.

Explanation:

1. Infer: The strange smell could indicate something unique about the land - lady, perhaps her personal habits, the products she uses, or a hint of something more mysterious in the story's setting. It adds an element of intrigue.
2. Predict: Given the land - lady's odd statements about Mr. Mulholland and Mr. Temple still being in the house on the fourth floor, it's likely that something sinister has happened to the two guests, such as they are either imprisoned or deceased and the land - lady is hiding something.
3. Identify: Words like "teeth shorter than you are" in lines 321 - 331 show the land - lady's interest in the guests' appearance.

Answer:

1. The strange smell might indicate the land - lady's personal traits or a mysterious aspect of the setting.
2. It is likely that something bad, such as imprisonment or death, has happened to the two guests.
3. Words indicating the land - lady's interest in guests' appearance: "teeth shorter than you are".