there is sir horace -- who rattles when he walks , which is a bit of a giveaway ; there are the hot water pipes , which gurgle ; the big floorboards on the landing that creak as the house cools down ; the grandfather clock in the hall , which has the loudest tick you can imagine and -- ever since aunt tabby tried to fix it -- chimes thirteen times every hour ; and the family of rats that chase each other all around the attic and sound like they are wearing hik- ing boots .