Henry Jekyll.
'Is this Mr. Hyde a person of small stature?' he inquired.
'Particularly small and particularly wicked-looking, is what the maid calls
him,' said the officer.
Mr. Utterson reflected; and then, raising his head, 'If you will come with
me in my cab,' he said, 'I think I can take you to his house.' It was by this time about nine in the morning, and the first fog of the season.
A great chocolate-coloured pall lowered6 over heaven, but the wind was con
tinually charging and routing these embattled vapours; so that as the cab
crawled from street to street, Mr. Utterson beheld a marvellous number of
degrees and hues of twilight; for here it would be dark like the back-end
of evening; and there would be a glow of a rich, lurid brown, like the light of
some strange conflagration; and here, for a moment, the fog would be quite
broken up, and a haggard shaft of daylight would glance in between the swirl
ing wreaths. The dismal quarter of Soho seen under these changing glimpses,
with its muddy ways, and slatternly passengers, and its lamps, which had never
been extinguished or had been kindled afresh to combat this mournful rein
vasion of darkness, seemed, in the lawyer's eyes, like a district of some city in
a nightmare. The thoughts of his mind, besides, were of the gloomiest dye;
and when he glanced at the companion of his drive, he was conscious of some
touch of that terror of the law and the law's officers, which may at times assail
the most honest.
As the cab drew up before the address indicated, the fog lifted a little and
showed him a dingy street, a gin palace, a low French eating house, a shop
for the retail of penny numbers7 and twopenny salads, many ragged children
huddled in the doorways, and many women of many different nationalities
passing out, key in hand, to have a morning glass; and the next moment the
fog settled down again upon that part, as brown as umber, and cut him off
from his blackguardly surroundings. This was the home of Henry Jekyll's
favourite; of a man who was heir to quarter of a million sterling.8 An ivory-faced and silvery-haired old woman opened the door. She had an
evil face, smoothed by hypocrisy; but her manners were excellent. Yes, she
6. Was gloomy and threatening. 'Gin palace:' cheap bar. 7. Cheap serial installments of popular fiction. 8. I.e., pounds sterling.
.
THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE / 1657
said, this was Mr. Hyde's, but he was not at home; he had been in that night
very late, but had gone away again in less than an hour; there was nothing
strange in that; his habits were very irregular, and he was often absent; for
instance, it was nearly two months since she had seen him till yesterday.
'Very well, then, we wish to see his rooms,' said the lawyer; and when the
woman began to declare it was impossible, 'I had better tell you who this
person is,' he added. 'This is Inspector Newcomen of Scotland Yard.' A flash of odious joy appeared upon the woman's face. 'Ah!' said she, 'he
is in trouble! What has he done?'
Mr. Utterson and the inspector exchanged glances. 'He don't seem a very
popular character,' observed the latter. 'And now, my good woman, just let
me and this gentleman have a look about us.'
In the whole extent of the house, which but for the old woman remained
otherwise empty, Mr. Hyde had only used a couple of rooms; but these were
furnished with luxury and good taste. A closet was filled with wine; the plate
was of silver, the napery9 elegant; a good picture hung upon the walls, a gift
