December 11, 2023 • 19 mins
Search for Mr. Hyde (chapter 2) of Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, read by Anna Butterworth
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(00:00):
Search for mister Hyde. That evening, mister Utterson came home to his bachelor
house in somber spirits, and satdown to dinner without relish. It was
his custom of a Sunday when thismeal was over, to sit close by
the fire a volume of some drydivinity on his reading desk until the clock
(00:21):
of the neighboring church rang out thehour of twelve, when he would go
soberly and gratefully to bed. Onthis night, however, as soon as
the cloth was taken away, hetook up a candle and went into his
business room. There he opened hissafe, took from the most private part
of it a document indorsed on theenvelope as doctor Jekyll's Will, and sat
(00:46):
down with a clouded brow to studyits contents. The will was holograph for
mister Utterson, though he took chargeof it now that it was made,
had refused to lend the least assistancein the making of it. It provided
not only that in case of thedecease of Henry Jekyll, M. D,
D, C, L L LD F R, s et cetera,
(01:11):
all his possessions were to pass intothe hands of his friend and benefactor
Edward Hyde, but that in caseof doctor Jekyll's disappearance or unexplained absence for
any period exceeding three calendar months,the said Edward Hyde should step into the
said Henry Jekyll's shoes without further delay, and free from any burthen or obligation
(01:37):
beyond the payment of a few smallsums to members of the doctor's household.
This document had long been the lawyer'seye sore. It offended him, both
as a lawyer and as a loverof the sane and customary sides of life,
to whom the fanciful was the immodest, and hitherto it was his ignorance
(01:57):
of mister Hyde that had swelled hisnation. Now by a sudden turn,
it was his knowledge. It wasalready bad enough when the name was but
the name of which he could learnno more. It was worse when it
began to be clothed upon with detestableattributes. And out of the shifting in
substantial mists that had so long baffledhis eye, there leapt up the sudden,
(02:23):
definite presentment of a fiend. Ithought it was madness, he said,
as he replaced the obnoxious paper inthe safe, and now I begin
to fear it is disgrace with that. He blew out his candle, put
on a greatcoat, and set forthin the direction of Cavendish Square, that
(02:44):
citadel of medicine, where his friend, the great doctor Lanyon had his house,
and received his crowding patience. Ifany one knows it will be Lanyon,
he had thought the solemn butler knewand welcomed him. He was subjected
to no stage of delay, butushered direct from the door to the dining
(03:04):
room, where Doctor Lanion sat aloneover his wine. This was a hearty,
healthy, dapper, red faced gentleman, with a shock of hair prematurely
white, and a boisterous and decidedmanner. At sight of mister Utterson,
he sprang up from his chair andwelcomed him with both hands. The geniality,
as was the way of the man, was somewhat theatrical to the eye,
(03:29):
but it reposed ungenuine feeling. Forthese two were old friends, old
mates both at school and college,both thorough respectors of themselves and of each
other. And what does not alwaysfollow men who thoroughly enjoyed each other's company.
After a little rambling talk, thelawyer led up to the subject which
(03:51):
so disagreeably preoccupied his mind. Isuppose, Lanion, said he, You
and I must be the two oldestfriends that Henry Jeckyll has. I wish
the friends were younger, chuckled doctorLanyon. But I suppose we are,
And what a fact, I seelittle of him now, Indeed, said
(04:15):
Utterson, I thought you had abond of common interest we had, was
the reply. But it is morethan ten years since Henry Jekyll became too
fanciful for me. He began togo wrong, wrong in mind, And
though of course I continue to takean interest in him for old sake's sake,
as they say, I see,and I have seen devilish little of
(04:40):
the man. Such unscientific balder dash, added the doctor, flushing sunly purple.
What of a strange damon and pitheus. This little spirit of temper was
somewhat of a relief to mister Utherson. They have only differed on some point
of science, he thought, Andbeing a man of no scientific passions except
(05:03):
in the matter of conveyancing, heeven added, it is nothing worse than
that He gave his friend a fewseconds to recover his composure, and then
approached the question he had come toput. Did you ever come across a
protegee of his? One? Hide? He asked, Hide, repeated Lanyon,
(05:27):
No, never heard of him sincemy time. That was the amount
of information that the lawyer carried backwith him to the great dark bed on
which he'd tossed to and fro untilthe small hours of the morning began to
grow large. It was a nightof little ease to his toiling mind,
toiling in mere darkness and besieged byquestions. Six o'clock struck on the bells
(05:53):
of the church that was so convenientlynear to mister Utterson's dwelling, and still
he was digging at the hitherto ithad touched him on the intellectual side alone,
But now his imagination also was engaged, or rather enslaved. And as
he lay and tossed in the grossdarkness of the night and the curtain's room,
(06:15):
mister Enfield's tail went by before hismind in a scroll of lighted pictures.
He would be aware of the greatfield of lamps of a nocturnal city,
then of the figure of a manwalking swiftly, then of a child
running from the doctor's and then thesemet, and that human juggernaut trod the
child down and passed on, regardlessof her screams. Or else he would
(06:40):
see a room in a rich housewhere his friend lay asleep, dreaming and
smiling at his dreams. And inthe door of that room would be opened,
the curtains of the bed plucked apart, the sleeper recalled, and lo
there would stand by his side,a figure to whom power was given,
And even at that dread hour,he must arise and do its bidding.
(07:04):
The figure in these two phases hauntedthe lawyer all night, and if at
any time he dozed over, itwas but to see it glide more stealthily
through sleeping houses, or move themore swiftly, and still the more swiftly,
even to dizziness, through wider labyrinthsof lamp lighted city, and at
(07:25):
every street corner crush a child andleave her screaming. And still the figure
had no face by which he mightknow it even in his dreams. It
had no face, or one thatbaffled him and melted before his eyes.
And thus it was that there sprangup and grew apace in the lawyer's mind,
a singularly strong, almost an inordinatecuriosity to behold the features of the
(07:50):
real mister Hyde. If he couldbut once set eyes on him, he
thought the mystery would lighten, andperhaps roll altogether, as was the habit
of mysterious things. When well examined, he might see a reason for his
friend's strange preference or bondage, callit which you please, and even for
(08:11):
the startling clause of the will.At least it would be a face worth
seeing, the face of a manwho was without bowels of mercy, a
face which had but to show itself, to raise up in the mind of
the unimpressionable Enfield a spirit of enduringhatred. From that time forward, mister
(08:33):
Utterson began to haunt the door inthe by street of shops in the morning
before office hours, at noon,when business was plenty and time scarce,
at night, under the face ofthe fogged city moon, by all lights,
and at all hours of solitude orconcourse, the lawyer was to be
found on his chosen post. Ifhe be mister Hyde, he thought,
(08:58):
I shall be mister Seek And atlast his patience was rewarded. It was
a fine, dry night, frostin the air, the streets as clean
as a balloon floor, the lampsunshaken by any wind, drawing a regular
pattern of light and shadow. Byten o'clock, when the shops were closed,
(09:18):
the by street was very solitary,and, in spite of the low
growl of London, from all round, very silent. Small sounds carried far.
Domestic sounds out of the houses wereclearly audible on either side of the
roadway, and the rumor of theapproach of any passenger preceded him by a
long time. Mister Utterson had beensome minutes at his post when he was
(09:43):
aware of an odd light footstep drawingnear. In the course of his nightly
patrols, he had long grown accustomedto the quaint effect with which the footfalls
of a single person, while heis still a great way off, suddenly
spring out, distinct from the vasasked tom and clatter of the city.
Yet his attention had never before beenso sharply and decisively arrested, and it
(10:07):
was with a strong, superstitious provisionof success that he withdrew into the entry
of the court. The steps grewswiftly nearer and swelled out suddenly louder,
As they turned the end of thestreet, the lawyer, looking forth from
the entry, could soon see whatmanner of man he had to deal with.
(10:28):
He was small and very plainly dressed, and the look of him,
even at that distance, went somehowstrongly against the watcher's inclination. But he
made straight for the door, crossingthe roadway to save time, and as
he came he drew a key fromhis pocket, like one approaching home.
Mister Utterson stepped out and touched himon the shoulder as he passed. Mister
(10:54):
Hyde. I think mister Hyde shrankback with a hissing intake of the breath,
but his fear was only momentary,and though he did not look the
lawyer in the face, he answeredcoolly enough, that is my name.
What do you want? I seeyou are going in, returned the lawyer.
(11:15):
I am an old friend of doctorJekyll's, mister Utterson, of Gaunt
Street. You must have heard ofmy name and meeting you so conveniently,
I thought you might admit me.You will not find doctor Jekyll. He
is from home, replied mister Hyde, blowing the key, and then suddenly,
but still without looking up, howdid you know me? He asked.
(11:41):
On your side, said mister Utterson. Will you do me a favor
with pleasure? Replied the other.What shall it be? Will you let
me see your face? Asked thelawyer. Mister Hyde appeared to hesitate,
and then, as if upon somesudden reflection, fronted about with an air
(12:03):
of defiance, and the pair staredat each other pretty fixedly for a few
seconds. Now I shall know youagain, said mister Utterson. It may
be useful, yes, returned misterHyde. It is as well. We
have met an apropos. You shouldhave my address, and he gave a
(12:24):
number of a street in Soho.Good God, thought mister Utterson. Can
he too have been thinking of thewill, But he kept his feelings to
himself and only grunted in acknowledgment ofthe address. And now said the other,
How did you know me by description? Was the reply? Whose description
(12:50):
we have? Common friends, saidmister Utherson. Common friends, echoed mister
Hyde, a little hoarsely. Whoare they Jekyll, for instance, said
the lawyer. He never told you, cried mister Hyde, with a flush
of anger. I did not thinkyou would have lied. Come, said
(13:15):
mister Utterson. That is not fittinglanguage. The other snarled aloud into a
savage laugh, and the next moment, with extraordinary quickness, he had unlocked
the door and disappeared into the house. The lawyer stood awhile when mister Hyde
had left him the picture of disquietude. Then he began slowly to mount the
(13:35):
street, pausing every step or twoand putting his hand to his brow like
a man in mental perplexity. Theproblem he was thus debating as he walked
was one of a class that israrely solved. Mister Hyde was pale and
dwarfish. He gave an impression ofdeformity without any n amiable malformation. He
(13:58):
had a displeasing smile. He hadborne himself to the lawyer with a sort
of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness. And he spoke with a husky,
whispering and somewhat broken voice. Allthese were points against him, but not
all of these together could explain thehitherto unknown disgust, loathing, and fear
(14:18):
with which mister Utterson regarded him.There must be something else, said the
perplexed gentleman. There is something more, If I could find a name for
it, God bless me. Theman seems hardly human, something trobleditic,
shall we say? Or can itbe the old story of doctor Fell?
(14:41):
Or is the mere radiance of afoul soul that thus transpires through and transfigures
its clay continent? The last Ithink, for oh, my poor old
Harry Jekyll. If ever I readSatan's signature upon a face, it is
on that of your new friend.Round the corner from the Bye street there
(15:03):
was a square of ancient, handsomehouses, now for the most part decayed
from their high estate and let inflats and chambers to all sorts and conditions
of men, map engravers, architects, shady lawyers, and the agents of
obscure enterprises. One house, however, second from the corner, was still
(15:24):
occupied entire And at the door ofthis which wore a great air of wealth
and comfort, though it was nowplunged in darkness except for the fan light,
mister Utterson stopped and knocked. Awell dressed elderly servant opened the door.
Is doctor Jekyll at home? Pooleasked the lawyer. I shall see,
(15:46):
mister Utterson, said Poole, admittingthe visitor as he spoke into a
large, low roofed, comfortable hall, paved with flags, warmed after the
fashion of a country house, bya bright open fire, and furnished with
costly cabinets of oak. Will youwait here by the fire, sir?
(16:07):
Or shall I give you a lightin the dining room? Here? Thank
you? Said the lawyer, andhe drew near and leaned on the tall
fender. This hall, in whichhe was now left alone, was a
pet fancy of his friend, thedoctor's, and Utterson himself was wont to
speak of it as the pleasantest roomin London. But to night there was
(16:30):
a shudder in his blood. Theface of Hyde sat heavy on his memory.
He felt what was rare with him, a nausea and distaste of life,
And in the gloom of his spiritshe seemed to read a menace in
the flickering of the firelight on thepolished cabinets, and the uneasy staring of
the shadow on the roof. Hewas ashamed of his relief. When Poole
(16:53):
presently returned to announce that doctor Jekyllwas gone out. I saw mister Hyde
go in by the old dissecting roompool. He said, Is that right?
When doctor Jekyll is from home,quite right, mister Utterson, Sir,
replied the servant. Mister Hyde hasa key. Your master seems to
(17:17):
repose a great deal of trust inthat young man. Poole resumed the other
musingly. Yes, sir, hedoes, indeed, said Poole. We
have all orders to obey him.I do not think I ever met mister
Hyde, asked Utterson. Oh dear, No, sir, he never dines
(17:38):
here, replied the butler. Indeed, we see very little of him on
the side of the house. Hemostly comes and goes by the laboratory.
Well, good night, Pool,Good night. Mister Utterson and the lawyer
set out homeward with a very heavyheart. Poor Harry Jekyll, he thought,
(18:00):
my mind misgives me. He isin deep waters. He was wild
when he was young, a longwhile ago, to be sure. But
in the law of God there isno statute of limitations. Aye, it
must be that the ghost of someold sin, the cancer of some concealed
disgrace, punishment coming pede Claudo yearsafter memory has forgotten, and self love
(18:23):
condone the fault. And the lawyer, scared by the thought, brooded a
while on his own past, gropingin all the corners of memory, least
by chance some jack in the boxof an old iniquity should leap to light.
There His past was fairly blameless.Few men could read the rolls of
(18:44):
their life with less apprehension. Yethe was humbled to the dust by the
many ill things he had done,and raised up again into a sober and
fearful gratitude by the many he hadcome so near to doing yet avoided.
And then by a return on hisformer subject. He conceived a spark of
hope. This master Hide, ifhe were studied, thought he must have
(19:10):
secrets of his own, black secrets, by the look of him, secrets
compared to which poor Jeckyll's worst wouldbe like sunshine. Things cannot continue as
they are. It turns me coldto think of this creature stealing like a
thief to Harry's bedside. Poor Harry, what awakening and the danger of it?
(19:30):
For if this Hide suspects the existenceof the will, he may grow
impatient to inherit. Ay, Imust put my shoulders to the wheel,
if Jekyl will but let me,he added, if Jekyl will only let
me. For once more he sawbefore his mind's eye as clear as transparency,
the strange clauses of the Will
Search for mister Hyde. That evening, mister Utterson came home to his bachelor
house in somber spirits, and satdown to dinner without relish. It was
his custom of a Sunday when thismeal was over, to sit close by
the fire a volume of some drydivinity on his reading desk until the clock
(00:21):
of the neighboring church rang out thehour of twelve, when he would go
soberly and gratefully to bed. Onthis night, however, as soon as
the cloth was taken away, hetook up a candle and went into his
business room. There he opened hissafe, took from the most private part
of it a document indorsed on theenvelope as doctor Jekyll's Will, and sat
(00:46):
down with a clouded brow to studyits contents. The will was holograph for
mister Utterson, though he took chargeof it now that it was made,
had refused to lend the least assistancein the making of it. It provided
not only that in case of thedecease of Henry Jekyll, M. D,
D, C, L L LD F R, s et cetera,
(01:11):
all his possessions were to pass intothe hands of his friend and benefactor
Edward Hyde, but that in caseof doctor Jekyll's disappearance or unexplained absence for
any period exceeding three calendar months,the said Edward Hyde should step into the
said Henry Jekyll's shoes without further delay, and free from any burthen or obligation
(01:37):
beyond the payment of a few smallsums to members of the doctor's household.
This document had long been the lawyer'seye sore. It offended him, both
as a lawyer and as a loverof the sane and customary sides of life,
to whom the fanciful was the immodest, and hitherto it was his ignorance
(01:57):
of mister Hyde that had swelled hisnation. Now by a sudden turn,
it was his knowledge. It wasalready bad enough when the name was but
the name of which he could learnno more. It was worse when it
began to be clothed upon with detestableattributes. And out of the shifting in
substantial mists that had so long baffledhis eye, there leapt up the sudden,
(02:23):
definite presentment of a fiend. Ithought it was madness, he said,
as he replaced the obnoxious paper inthe safe, and now I begin
to fear it is disgrace with that. He blew out his candle, put
on a greatcoat, and set forthin the direction of Cavendish Square, that
(02:44):
citadel of medicine, where his friend, the great doctor Lanyon had his house,
and received his crowding patience. Ifany one knows it will be Lanyon,
he had thought the solemn butler knewand welcomed him. He was subjected
to no stage of delay, butushered direct from the door to the dining
(03:04):
room, where Doctor Lanion sat aloneover his wine. This was a hearty,
healthy, dapper, red faced gentleman, with a shock of hair prematurely
white, and a boisterous and decidedmanner. At sight of mister Utterson,
he sprang up from his chair andwelcomed him with both hands. The geniality,
as was the way of the man, was somewhat theatrical to the eye,
(03:29):
but it reposed ungenuine feeling. Forthese two were old friends, old
mates both at school and college,both thorough respectors of themselves and of each
other. And what does not alwaysfollow men who thoroughly enjoyed each other's company.
After a little rambling talk, thelawyer led up to the subject which
(03:51):
so disagreeably preoccupied his mind. Isuppose, Lanion, said he, You
and I must be the two oldestfriends that Henry Jeckyll has. I wish
the friends were younger, chuckled doctorLanyon. But I suppose we are,
And what a fact, I seelittle of him now, Indeed, said
(04:15):
Utterson, I thought you had abond of common interest we had, was
the reply. But it is morethan ten years since Henry Jekyll became too
fanciful for me. He began togo wrong, wrong in mind, And
though of course I continue to takean interest in him for old sake's sake,
as they say, I see,and I have seen devilish little of
(04:40):
the man. Such unscientific balder dash, added the doctor, flushing sunly purple.
What of a strange damon and pitheus. This little spirit of temper was
somewhat of a relief to mister Utherson. They have only differed on some point
of science, he thought, Andbeing a man of no scientific passions except
(05:03):
in the matter of conveyancing, heeven added, it is nothing worse than
that He gave his friend a fewseconds to recover his composure, and then
approached the question he had come toput. Did you ever come across a
protegee of his? One? Hide? He asked, Hide, repeated Lanyon,
(05:27):
No, never heard of him sincemy time. That was the amount
of information that the lawyer carried backwith him to the great dark bed on
which he'd tossed to and fro untilthe small hours of the morning began to
grow large. It was a nightof little ease to his toiling mind,
toiling in mere darkness and besieged byquestions. Six o'clock struck on the bells
(05:53):
of the church that was so convenientlynear to mister Utterson's dwelling, and still
he was digging at the hitherto ithad touched him on the intellectual side alone,
But now his imagination also was engaged, or rather enslaved. And as
he lay and tossed in the grossdarkness of the night and the curtain's room,
(06:15):
mister Enfield's tail went by before hismind in a scroll of lighted pictures.
He would be aware of the greatfield of lamps of a nocturnal city,
then of the figure of a manwalking swiftly, then of a child
running from the doctor's and then thesemet, and that human juggernaut trod the
child down and passed on, regardlessof her screams. Or else he would
(06:40):
see a room in a rich housewhere his friend lay asleep, dreaming and
smiling at his dreams. And inthe door of that room would be opened,
the curtains of the bed plucked apart, the sleeper recalled, and lo
there would stand by his side,a figure to whom power was given,
And even at that dread hour,he must arise and do its bidding.
(07:04):
The figure in these two phases hauntedthe lawyer all night, and if at
any time he dozed over, itwas but to see it glide more stealthily
through sleeping houses, or move themore swiftly, and still the more swiftly,
even to dizziness, through wider labyrinthsof lamp lighted city, and at
(07:25):
every street corner crush a child andleave her screaming. And still the figure
had no face by which he mightknow it even in his dreams. It
had no face, or one thatbaffled him and melted before his eyes.
And thus it was that there sprangup and grew apace in the lawyer's mind,
a singularly strong, almost an inordinatecuriosity to behold the features of the
(07:50):
real mister Hyde. If he couldbut once set eyes on him, he
thought the mystery would lighten, andperhaps roll altogether, as was the habit
of mysterious things. When well examined, he might see a reason for his
friend's strange preference or bondage, callit which you please, and even for
(08:11):
the startling clause of the will.At least it would be a face worth
seeing, the face of a manwho was without bowels of mercy, a
face which had but to show itself, to raise up in the mind of
the unimpressionable Enfield a spirit of enduringhatred. From that time forward, mister
(08:33):
Utterson began to haunt the door inthe by street of shops in the morning
before office hours, at noon,when business was plenty and time scarce,
at night, under the face ofthe fogged city moon, by all lights,
and at all hours of solitude orconcourse, the lawyer was to be
found on his chosen post. Ifhe be mister Hyde, he thought,
(08:58):
I shall be mister Seek And atlast his patience was rewarded. It was
a fine, dry night, frostin the air, the streets as clean
as a balloon floor, the lampsunshaken by any wind, drawing a regular
pattern of light and shadow. Byten o'clock, when the shops were closed,
(09:18):
the by street was very solitary,and, in spite of the low
growl of London, from all round, very silent. Small sounds carried far.
Domestic sounds out of the houses wereclearly audible on either side of the
roadway, and the rumor of theapproach of any passenger preceded him by a
long time. Mister Utterson had beensome minutes at his post when he was
(09:43):
aware of an odd light footstep drawingnear. In the course of his nightly
patrols, he had long grown accustomedto the quaint effect with which the footfalls
of a single person, while heis still a great way off, suddenly
spring out, distinct from the vasasked tom and clatter of the city.
Yet his attention had never before beenso sharply and decisively arrested, and it
(10:07):
was with a strong, superstitious provisionof success that he withdrew into the entry
of the court. The steps grewswiftly nearer and swelled out suddenly louder,
As they turned the end of thestreet, the lawyer, looking forth from
the entry, could soon see whatmanner of man he had to deal with.
(10:28):
He was small and very plainly dressed, and the look of him,
even at that distance, went somehowstrongly against the watcher's inclination. But he
made straight for the door, crossingthe roadway to save time, and as
he came he drew a key fromhis pocket, like one approaching home.
Mister Utterson stepped out and touched himon the shoulder as he passed. Mister
(10:54):
Hyde. I think mister Hyde shrankback with a hissing intake of the breath,
but his fear was only momentary,and though he did not look the
lawyer in the face, he answeredcoolly enough, that is my name.
What do you want? I seeyou are going in, returned the lawyer.
(11:15):
I am an old friend of doctorJekyll's, mister Utterson, of Gaunt
Street. You must have heard ofmy name and meeting you so conveniently,
I thought you might admit me.You will not find doctor Jekyll. He
is from home, replied mister Hyde, blowing the key, and then suddenly,
but still without looking up, howdid you know me? He asked.
(11:41):
On your side, said mister Utterson. Will you do me a favor
with pleasure? Replied the other.What shall it be? Will you let
me see your face? Asked thelawyer. Mister Hyde appeared to hesitate,
and then, as if upon somesudden reflection, fronted about with an air
(12:03):
of defiance, and the pair staredat each other pretty fixedly for a few
seconds. Now I shall know youagain, said mister Utterson. It may
be useful, yes, returned misterHyde. It is as well. We
have met an apropos. You shouldhave my address, and he gave a
(12:24):
number of a street in Soho.Good God, thought mister Utterson. Can
he too have been thinking of thewill, But he kept his feelings to
himself and only grunted in acknowledgment ofthe address. And now said the other,
How did you know me by description? Was the reply? Whose description
(12:50):
we have? Common friends, saidmister Utherson. Common friends, echoed mister
Hyde, a little hoarsely. Whoare they Jekyll, for instance, said
the lawyer. He never told you, cried mister Hyde, with a flush
of anger. I did not thinkyou would have lied. Come, said
(13:15):
mister Utterson. That is not fittinglanguage. The other snarled aloud into a
savage laugh, and the next moment, with extraordinary quickness, he had unlocked
the door and disappeared into the house. The lawyer stood awhile when mister Hyde
had left him the picture of disquietude. Then he began slowly to mount the
(13:35):
street, pausing every step or twoand putting his hand to his brow like
a man in mental perplexity. Theproblem he was thus debating as he walked
was one of a class that israrely solved. Mister Hyde was pale and
dwarfish. He gave an impression ofdeformity without any n amiable malformation. He
(13:58):
had a displeasing smile. He hadborne himself to the lawyer with a sort
of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness. And he spoke with a husky,
whispering and somewhat broken voice. Allthese were points against him, but not
all of these together could explain thehitherto unknown disgust, loathing, and fear
(14:18):
with which mister Utterson regarded him.There must be something else, said the
perplexed gentleman. There is something more, If I could find a name for
it, God bless me. Theman seems hardly human, something trobleditic,
shall we say? Or can itbe the old story of doctor Fell?
(14:41):
Or is the mere radiance of afoul soul that thus transpires through and transfigures
its clay continent? The last Ithink, for oh, my poor old
Harry Jekyll. If ever I readSatan's signature upon a face, it is
on that of your new friend.Round the corner from the Bye street there
(15:03):
was a square of ancient, handsomehouses, now for the most part decayed
from their high estate and let inflats and chambers to all sorts and conditions
of men, map engravers, architects, shady lawyers, and the agents of
obscure enterprises. One house, however, second from the corner, was still
(15:24):
occupied entire And at the door ofthis which wore a great air of wealth
and comfort, though it was nowplunged in darkness except for the fan light,
mister Utterson stopped and knocked. Awell dressed elderly servant opened the door.
Is doctor Jekyll at home? Pooleasked the lawyer. I shall see,
(15:46):
mister Utterson, said Poole, admittingthe visitor as he spoke into a
large, low roofed, comfortable hall, paved with flags, warmed after the
fashion of a country house, bya bright open fire, and furnished with
costly cabinets of oak. Will youwait here by the fire, sir?
(16:07):
Or shall I give you a lightin the dining room? Here? Thank
you? Said the lawyer, andhe drew near and leaned on the tall
fender. This hall, in whichhe was now left alone, was a
pet fancy of his friend, thedoctor's, and Utterson himself was wont to
speak of it as the pleasantest roomin London. But to night there was
(16:30):
a shudder in his blood. Theface of Hyde sat heavy on his memory.
He felt what was rare with him, a nausea and distaste of life,
And in the gloom of his spiritshe seemed to read a menace in
the flickering of the firelight on thepolished cabinets, and the uneasy staring of
the shadow on the roof. Hewas ashamed of his relief. When Poole
(16:53):
presently returned to announce that doctor Jekyllwas gone out. I saw mister Hyde
go in by the old dissecting roompool. He said, Is that right?
When doctor Jekyll is from home,quite right, mister Utterson, Sir,
replied the servant. Mister Hyde hasa key. Your master seems to
(17:17):
repose a great deal of trust inthat young man. Poole resumed the other
musingly. Yes, sir, hedoes, indeed, said Poole. We
have all orders to obey him.I do not think I ever met mister
Hyde, asked Utterson. Oh dear, No, sir, he never dines
(17:38):
here, replied the butler. Indeed, we see very little of him on
the side of the house. Hemostly comes and goes by the laboratory.
Well, good night, Pool,Good night. Mister Utterson and the lawyer
set out homeward with a very heavyheart. Poor Harry Jekyll, he thought,
(18:00):
my mind misgives me. He isin deep waters. He was wild
when he was young, a longwhile ago, to be sure. But
in the law of God there isno statute of limitations. Aye, it
must be that the ghost of someold sin, the cancer of some concealed
disgrace, punishment coming pede Claudo yearsafter memory has forgotten, and self love
(18:23):
condone the fault. And the lawyer, scared by the thought, brooded a
while on his own past, gropingin all the corners of memory, least
by chance some jack in the boxof an old iniquity should leap to light.
There His past was fairly blameless.Few men could read the rolls of
(18:44):
their life with less apprehension. Yethe was humbled to the dust by the
many ill things he had done,and raised up again into a sober and
fearful gratitude by the many he hadcome so near to doing yet avoided.
And then by a return on hisformer subject. He conceived a spark of
hope. This master Hide, ifhe were studied, thought he must have
(19:10):
secrets of his own, black secrets, by the look of him, secrets
compared to which poor Jeckyll's worst wouldbe like sunshine. Things cannot continue as
they are. It turns me coldto think of this creature stealing like a
thief to Harry's bedside. Poor Harry, what awakening and the danger of it?
(19:30):
For if this Hide suspects the existenceof the will, he may grow
impatient to inherit. Ay, Imust put my shoulders to the wheel,
if Jekyl will but let me,he added, if Jekyl will only let
me. For once more he sawbefore his mind's eye as clear as transparency,
the strange clauses of the Will
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