Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Behind the Red Door

When the ten minutes were over, Utterson called loudly, “Jekyll, I demand to see you,” and warned that he would come in by force if he must.“Utterson,” said the voice, “for God’s sake, have mercy!”“Ah, that’s not Jekyll’s voice; it’s Hyde’s!” cried Utterson. “Down with the door, Poole!”

Poole swung the axe, and a scream of animal terror came from the cabinet; four times the blow fell, and at the fifth the lock burst and the door fell in.Inside, the room was strangely peaceful: a fire glowed, the kettle sang, papers lay neatly on the table and the things were laid out for tea.But in the middle of the floor lay the twisted body of a man, and when they turned it over, they saw the face of Edward Hyde.

He was dressed in clothes far too large for him, clothes of the doctor’s size, and a crushed little bottle in his hand and a strong bitter smell told Utterson that Hyde had taken his own life.“We have come too late,” he said, “whether to save or punish. It only remains for us to find the body of your master.”They searched every room and closet and the cellar, which was sealed with old cobwebs, but there was no trace of Henry Jekyll, dead or alive, and the key of the side-street door lay broken and rusty on the floor.

Back in the cabinet they found little heaps of white salt on glass dishes. “That is the same drug that I was always bringing him,” said Poole.Beside the tea things lay a religious book that Jekyll had admired, now covered with shocking words in his own hand.They looked into the tall mirror with horror, but it showed them only the firelight and their own pale faces. “This glass has seen some strange things, sir,” whispered Poole.

On the desk lay a large envelope addressed to Utterson, and inside was a new will that left everything not to Edward Hyde but to Gabriel John Utterson.There was also a short note, dated that very day: “When this shall fall into your hands, I shall have disappeared. Go then, and first read the narrative which Lanyon warned me he was to place in your hands; and if you care to hear more, turn to the confession of your unworthy and unhappy friend, Henry Jekyll.”Poole handed him a thick sealed packet, and Utterson put it in his pocket and went home to read the two papers that would explain the whole mystery.