Chapter 7 The Letter

It was late in the afternoon when Mr Utterson went to Dr Jekyll's house. Poole opened the door to him, and the lawyer and the servant crossed the courtyard behind the house and went into the workroom.

The workroom was for Dr Jekyll's scientific experiments. Above it there was a large room where the doctor had his desk, hundreds of books, and things for his experiments. On one wall of this room was a large mirror. There was a fire in the fireplace. Near it, Dr Jekyll was sitting silently. He looked very ill.

After Poole left them, Mr Utterson said, ' Have you heard the news? '

'Yes, I have heard, ' the doctor said. His face was white. 'The newspaper boys were shouting it outside in the streets. I heard them from my dining-room.'

' Then tell me one thing, Jekyll, ' said the lawyer.' Sir Danvers Carew was my client, but you are too. I want to know what I am doing.You aren't mad enough to hide this man Hyde, are you? '

' No, Utterson, ' said the doctor.' I promise that I will never see him again. It is all finished. I'll never have any more business with him. He is safe, and nobody will ever hear ofhim again.'

The lawyer was very worried about his friend. Dr Jekyll seemed very ill.

' You seem very sure, Henry' Utterson said.' I hope that you are right. Please understand - i f they catch the man, people will talk about you too.'

' I am sure, ' Jekyll answered.' I have a good reason to be sure, but I cannot explain it. But you can help me with one thing. I... I had a letter. I am not sure that I should show it to the police. You can decide, Utterson. I know I can trust you.'

'You are afraid that it will help the police, ' said Mr Utterson. ' Is that right? '

Dr Jekyll was sitting silently. He looked very ill.

'No, ' said the doctor. 'I'm not worried about Hyde, or what happens to him. I have finished with him — completely finished. I was thinking of my good name.'

' Show me the letter, ' said the lawyer.
 The letter was written in unusual handwriting:

Dear Dr Jekyll, 
 You have helped me in a thousand ways. I am afraid

that I have paid you for your kindness with some very bad actions. But you do not need to worry about me. I will be safe because I have a sure way to escape.

Please forgive and forget me. Edward Hyde.

Mr Utterson liked the letter. It showed that he could worry a

little less.
 'Do you have the envelope? ' he asked.
 ' I burned it without thinking, ' Jekyll answered.' But the letter

was not posted, I know that. Somebody brought it to the house.' Mr Utterson thought for a minute.Then he said, ' If you agree,

I'll keep the letter until tomorrow. I'll think about it.'
 ' Please do that, ' said Jekyll.
 'And now, I have one more question, ' said Mr Utterson.' Was

it Hyde who wanted you to put that sentence in your will? The sentence about your disappearance? '

'Yes, ' said the doctor, quietly.

' I knew it, ' said Utterson.' He wanted to murder you.You have

had a lucky escape.'
 ' I have had something much more important, ' the doctor said

seriously.' I have had a lesson. Oh, Utterson, I have learned a lesson! ' On his way out, the lawyer stopped and spoke to Poole. ' Somebody brought a letter for the doctor this morning, Poole, ' he

said.' Can you describe the person who brought it to the door? '

' No letters came today, ' the old servant said.' Only a few that the postman brought — all bills.'

Mr Utterson's fears were as great as before when he walked home. ' It seems that the letter came through the workroom door, ' he thought.' Or perhaps it was written in the workroom! If that is true, I must be very careful.'

The newspaper boys were shouting in the streets of the city.

'Read all about it! Sir Danvers Carew murdered! Read all about it! '

•

A few hours later, Mr Utterson was sitting by the fire in his own office. With him was his head clerk, Mr Guest. Utterson trusted his clerk. Guest often went to Dr Jekyll's house on business for Mr Utterson, and he knew Poole.

'Perhaps he also knows about Mr Hyde's visits to the house, ' thought Utterson.

Mr Utterson decided to show Guest the letter which explained some of the mystery. There was another good reason for showing Guest the letter. Guest was very clever about handwriting.

' This is terrible news about Sir Danvers Carew; Mr Utterson said.

'Yes, sir, terrible, ' said Guest.' The murderer was mad, ofcourse.'

' I'd like to hear what you think about that, ' the lawyer said.' I have a letter here in his handwriting.Will you look at it? '

Guest looked surprised, but said nothing.

'Perhaps you are interested to see a murderer's handwriting, ' Mr Utterson continued. ' I am not sure what to do about the letter. It must be a secret between the two of us. But I would like to hear your opinion about the handwriting.'

Guest studied the letter with great interest.

'No, sir, ' he said at last. 'Not mad. But it is very strange handwriting.'

Guest studied the letter with great interest.

Just then, a servant came in with a note for Mr Utterson.
 ' Is that from Dr Jekyll, sir? ' the clerk asked.
 ' Yes, ' said Utterson.
 ' I thought that I knew the writing, ' said Guest.' Is it private,

Mr Utterson? '
 'No, it is only a dinner invitation, ' said Utterson. 'Why? Do

you want to see it? '
 'Just for a minute, sir, please.' And the clerk put the two pieces

of paper side by side and studied them with great interest. 'Thank you, sir, ' he said at last, and he gave both the notes

back to Mr Utterson.
 There was a minute of silence. Then the lawyer asked the

question that Guest was waiting for. Mr Utterson was afraid that he already knew the answer.

' Why did you look at the two together, Guest? ' asked Utterson.

'Well, sir, in very many ways the handwriting is the same, ' said Guest.

' That's strange, ' said Utterson.
 ' Yes, ' Guest agreed.' Very strange.'
 'But it isn't information to tell other people, ' said the lawyer

carefully.
 ' No, sir, ' said the clerk.' I understand.' And he turned and left

the room.
 When Mr Utterson was alone, he locked the note in his safe.

' I don't understand it, ' he thought.' Henry Jekyll wrote a letter for a murderer! '

And the blood ran cold through his body.

Chapter 8 Dr Lanyon

Time passed. Thousands of pounds were offered for information about Sir Danvers Carew's murderer. Where was Mr Hyde?

Nobody knew. The police heard a lot about him. They heard stories about his crimes. They heard about the hate that people felt for him. But where was he? After he left the house in Soho on that morning of the murder, nobody heard of Mr Hyde again.

Mr Utterson slowly stopped being worried, and his friend Dr Jekyll was enjoying a new life now without Mr Hyde. The doctor visited his old friends again, and there were dinners, drinking and pleasant talk, like the old days.

On the eighth of January, Utterson had dinner at Jekyll's house w i t h a small number of other guests. Dr Lanyon was there, and the three of them were soon talking like old friends again. It was very pleasant.

Then, on the twelfth of January, and again on the fourteenth, Utterson tried to see his friend, but without any success. Each time, Poole answered the door.

' The doctor is not able to leave the house, sir, ' said the servant. ' He will not see any visitors.'

On the fifteenth of January Mr Utterson tried again, with the same result. He was worried and unhappy.What was wrong with his friend?

At last he went to see Dr Lanyon. He thought that the doctor's servant looked worried. But the man took him in immediately to Lanyon.

Mr Utterson was shocked at the change in his friend. The usually healthy-looking man was pale and sick. He looked much older and thinner. The lawyer was sure that Lanyon was dying. But the look in the doctor's eyes was worse than this. It was a look of terrible fear, of something in the mind that was killing him.

' You don't look well, ' said the lawyer.' Is it something serious, old friend? '

' I had a shock, ' said Dr Lanyon. And then he continued, ' I won't get better. I have only a few weeks to live. Life has been pleasant - I have enjoyed it. But if we know everything, we are happier to leave this life.'

'Jekyll is ill, too, ' said Utterson.'Have you seen him? '

Lanyon held up a hand that was shaking with weakness - or strong feelings. 'I don't want to see Dr Jekyll again or to hear anything about him, ' he said.

' That is very sad, ' Utterson said.' Can I do anything to help? We have been three very good friends, Lanyon. We are too old to make new friends now.'

'No, ' said Lanyon.'You can't do anything, Utterson. Ask Jekyll.'

'He won't see me, ' said the lawyer. 'I've tried. He won't give me permission to go into his house.'

' I am not surprised, ' was the reply.' One day soon, Utterson, after I am dead, you will perhaps learn the true story'

' Can't you tell me now? ' asked Utterson.

' No, I can't tell you, ' said Lanyon.' Now, if you can talk to me about other things, that will be good. But i f you can't keep away from that subject, please go.'

After he got home, Utterson sat down and wrote a letter to Jekyll. He wrote:

I am sorry that you will not see me. And what happened between you and Lanyon?

An answer came the next day. It was a long and strange reply. Towards the end, Utterson read:

I agree with Lanyon - we must never meet again. I cannot tell you the reason. In future I am going to see very few people. My door is shut to you. But you must be sure that I am still your friend.

I have brought to myself a danger that I cannot tell you about. My suffering and fears are worse than I can describe. There is only one thing that you can do to help me, Utterson. Leave me alone.

Henry Jekyll

Mr Utterson could not understand the sudden change. Until a week ago, the doctor seemed happy with life again. What went wrong? Was Jekyll mad? The lawyer remembered Lanyon's words. He knew that there was no simple reason.

•

A week later, Dr Lanyon was in bed, and two weeks after that, he died. Mr Utterson was very sad about the death of his old friend as he sat down in Lanyon's office. He opened an envelope. On it were the words:

Private. For the eyes of J. G. Utterson only.

That was in Dr Lanyon's handwriting. Inside the envelope there was another envelope. On it were more words in Dr Lanyon's writing:

Do not open until Dr Henry Jekyll dies or disappears.

Mr Utterson could not believe his eyes. Here was the word again! Disappears! Here again, like in Jekyll's will, was the idea that the doctor could disappear. The idea came from the evil man Hyde, but here it was in Dr Lanyon's handwriting. Utterson wanted to open the envelope and read, but he was a good and honest lawyer. He locked it in the back of his safe, unopened.

•

He went quite often to Dr Jekyll's house, but he did not see the doctor. Poole came to the door, but had no good news for him.

' The doctor spends nearly all his time in the room above the workroom, ' said Poole. ' Sometimes he even sleeps there. He is strangely silent, Mr Utterson, and his servants are all worried about him.'

' Thank you for telling me, Poole, ' said Mr Utterson.