relieved to be denied admittance; perhaps, in his heart, he preferred to speak
with Poole upon the doorstep and surrounded by the air and sounds of the
open city, rather than to be admitted into that house of voluntary bondage,
and to sit and speak with its inscrutable recluse. Poole had, indeed, no very
pleasant news to communicate. The doctor, it appeared, now more than ever
confined himself to the cabinet over the laboratory, where he would sometimes
even sleep; he was out of spirits, he had grown very silent, he did not read; it
seemed as if he had something on his mind. Utterson became so used to the
unvarying character of these reports, that he fell off little by little in the fre
quency of his visits.
Incident at the Window
It chanced on Sunday, when Mr. Utterson was on his usual walk with Mr.
Enfield, that their way lay once again through the by-street; and that when
they came in front of the door, both stopped to gaze on it.
.
THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE / 1663
'Well,' said Enfield, 'that story's at an end at least. We shall never see more
of Mr. Hyde.' 'I hope not,' said Utterson. 'Did I ever tell you that I once saw him, and
shared your feeling of repulsion?'
'It was impossible to do the one without the other,' returned Enfield. 'And
by the way, what an ass you must have thought me, not to know that this was
a back way to Dr. Jekyll's! It was partly your own fault that I found it out, even
when I did.'
'So you found it out, did you?' said Utterson. 'But if that be so, we may
step into the court and take a look at the windows. To tell you the truth, I am
uneasy about poor Jekyll; and even outside, I feel as if the presence of a friend
might do him good.' The court was very cool and a little damp, and full of premature twilight,
although the sky, high up overhead, was still bright with sunset. The middle
one of the three windows was half way open; and sitting close beside it, taking
the air with an infinite sadness of mien, like some disconsolate prisoner, Utter-
son saw Dr. Jekyll.
'What! Jekyll!' he cried. 'I trust you are better.'
'I am very low, Utterson,' replied the doctor, drearily, 'very low. It will not
last long, thank God.'
'You stay too much indoors,' said the lawyer. 'You should be out, whipping
up the circulation like Mr. Enfield and me. (This is my cousin?Mr. Enfield? Dr. Jekyll.) Come now; get your hat and take a quick turn with us.' 'You are very good,' sighed the other. 'I should like to very much; but no, no, no, it is quite impossible; I dare not. But indeed, Utterson, I am very glad to see you; this is really a great pleasure; I would ask you and Mr. Enfield up, but the place is really not fit.' 'Why then,' said the lawyer, good-naturedly, 'the best thing we can do is to stay down here and speak with you from where we are.' 'That is just what I was about to venture to propose,' returned the doctor
with a smile. But the words were hardly uttered, before the smile was struck
out of his face and succeeded by an expression of such abject terror and
despair, as froze the very blood of the two gentlemen below. They saw it but
for a glimpse, for the window was instantly thrust down; but that glimpse had
been sufficient, and they turned and left the court without a word. In silence,
too, they traversed the by-street; and it was not until they had come into a
neighbouring thoroughfare, where even upon a Sunday there were still some
stirrings of life, that Mr. Utterson at last turned and looked at his companion.
They were both pale; and there was an answering horror in their eyes.
'God forgive us, God forgive us,' said Mr. Utterson.
But Mr. Enfield only nodded his head very seriously, and walked on once
