He stared at her in amazement. No one? he asked. No one, she answered.

He was about to drain his cup when all of a sudden he felt woozy. He stared at his tea. The tea was as purple as an eggplant. He look up at his landlady and saw her face. A smile was creeping at the edge of her mouth. He was being poisoned. Im so terribly sorry, but I must go to bed, Billy excused himself and started to get up. Why dont you finish your tea? she offered. Before your go? there was a bit of anger in those words. I have had enough, thank you, and he trudged up the stairs. As he was lying in bed, he remembered the names of the people on the guest list. Christopher Mulholland had been on a walking tour when he suddenly disappeared. After searching for two months, he was recorded dead. Two years ago Gregory Temple was traveling all around England, when, here, in Bath, he disappeared. No one has seen him since. With these thoughts in his head, Billy fell into a restless sleep. The next morning he sat up with a jolt, remembering that his landlady had tried to kill him. He washed up, got dressed, and, instead of going downstairs, he went up to the fourth floor. When he went into the first room, he thought nothing was there. Until he saw a man sitting at the desk with his back turned to him. Billy walked over to him. He recognized his face from the newspaper article. Christopher Mulholland? he asked. When Christopher didnt move, Billy poked him. His skin was coarse and unreal. It was then Billy realized that he was looking at a stuffed man. Billy tried holding back a scream, but he was overwhelmed. He ran into the room next-doorempty. He kept on running through the rooms until he found Gregory Temple, cold, dead, and stuffed. He ran down the stairs back to his room, and he immediately started packing. Just as he was about to zip his bag up, his landlady appeared in the doorway. Where are you going? she asked. Away! Away from you! You, you, you monster! he yelled. Oh! So you have met my friends. Well, I guess it is no secret now. Secret? Youre a murderer! You stuff people! he exclaimed. All I want to know is why! Why would you do such a thing? Well, you see, my darling son was killed and stuffed by a murderous gang. He was put out for all to see! My little boy, seventeen and perfect, was dead! When it happened I vowed, that if any perfect boy of seventeen, or a man who was perfect, and looked seventeen, came across me, I would kill him as vengeance for what happened to me, err, my son. I have my husband, the porter, look for perfect teenagers to send to me. He tells them to go to The Bell and Dragon. While on the way, they stop here. He selected you, she explained.

Youre a spider who draws men into your web to kill! Well, maybe she started to walk toward him. He realized a second too late she was holding a dart. He knew that the dart contained poison. She got up close and stabbed it into the side of his neck. But, as soon as it pierced his skin, he woke up. It was nine oclock and the train was just pulling up to the station in Bath.