The Landlady

1. 

Foreshadowing is an advance sign or warning of what is to come in the future. The author of a mystery novel might use foreshadowing in the early chapter of his book to give readers an inkling of an impending murder.

2.

He had stayed a couple of nights in a pub once before and he had liked it. He had never stayed in any boardinghouses, and, to be perfectly honest, he was a tiny bit frightened of them. The name itself conjured up images of watery cabbage, rapacious landladies, and a powerful smell of kippers in the living room. 

3.There were no shops on this wide street that he was walking along, only a line of tall houses on each side, all of them identical. They had porches and pillars and four or five steps going up to their front doors, and it was obvious that once upon a time they had been very swanky residences. But now, even in the darkness, he could see that the paint was peeling from the woodwork on their doors and windows and that the handsome white facades were cracked and blotchy from neglect

 4.On the other hand, a pub would be more congenial than a boardinghouse. There would be beer and darts in the evenings, and lots of people to talk to, and it would probably be a good bit

 congenial- on the other hand a pub would be more congenial than a boardinghouse.

rapacious-The name of itself conjured images of watery cabbage, rapacious landladies and a powerful  smell  of kippers in in the living room.

dither-after dithering about like this in the cold for two minutes or three minutes.

compulsion-The compulsion or more accurately the desire to follow after her into that house was extraordinarily strong

swanky-each side, all of them identical. They had porches and pillars and four or five steps going up to their front doors, and it was obvious that once upon a time they had been very swanky residences. But now, even in the darkness, he could see that the paint was peeling from the woodwork on their doors and windows and that the handsome white facades were cracked and blotchy from neglect.

compelling-BED AND BREAKFAST, BED AND BREAKFAST. Each word was like a large black eye 
staring at him through the glass, holding him, compelling 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 the front door of the house, climbing the steps that led up to it, and reaching for the bell. 

dotty-The old girl is slightly dotty, Billy told himself. But at five and sixpence a night, who cares about that? “I should’ve thought you’d be simply swamped with applicants,” he said politely. 

dainty-The old girl is slightly dotty, Billy told himself. 

tantalizing-There is nothing more tantalizing than a thing like this that lingers just outside the borders of one’s memory. He hated to give up. 
 -
linger-There is nothing more tantalizing than a thing like this that lingers just outside the borders of one’s memory. He hated to give up. 

emanate-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 emanate directly from her person.