21 A New Perspective

CHAPTER 21 A New Perspective "Ihad no mirror in the lab. I eventually installed one in my office so I could watch the transformation. The first night, however, I had to sneak inside my own house. As I skulked across the courtyard, I noticed that the sky was full of stars. It occurred to me that in all of their millions of years in existence, they had never looked down on

such a being like me before. I also knew that if my servants found me wandering through the corridors, they would summon the police. Looking into a hall mirror, I saw a dried-up and ugly face. I wondered if the evil in a man's soul could affect a face so strongly. My first guess was yes. There could be no other explanation for Hyde's awful appearance. It would seem that my "evil side" was not as developed as my good side. Of course, this only makes sense, since I had never allowed it time to grow or exercise. I had spent most of my life hiding it away, keeping it locked up and quiet. I wasn't disgusted, though. I recognized the reflection in the mirror as me. It was still me that I was looking at. This was unlike anyone else's reaction. Every single person—even you, my good friend Utterson—jumped back when he saw Edward Hyde. I think this is because people are used to looking at a person with

both good and evil inside him, the dual nature I spoke of earlier. Edward Hyde, however, was like no other. He was pure evil. "It was only then that the horrible thought occurred to me. What if I could not revert to my other self? I raced back to my laboratory. Quickly, I prepared the mixture again and drank it down. Again I was struck by terrible pains and spasms. When I recovered, I was relieved to see that I had returned to the body of Dr. Henry Jekyll.

"Please believe that my plan were noble. I approached this experiment with purely scientific motives. But once I had reached a crossroads, I could not turn back. Something was unleashed in me. Perhaps it was simply curiosity. I'm afraid that I don't really know myself. Once I had discovered Mr. Hyde, he demanded to be let out more and more. He began to take root in the rest of my life.

"This change didn't happen overnight. I was still involved in my studies. I still saw friends and associates. Over time, though, I could feel Mr. Hyde growing in strength. He was developing rapidly. I was intrigued at first, but Mr. Hyde's presence was to become unwelcome. I was obsessed by this power. Knowing that with a quick drink of potion I could switch between the bodies of an evil villain and a gentleman doctor was too much for one man. It became a form of torture. It became more and more difficult for me to meet with others. I let friendships slip away. Only my servants kept me company. Hyde, on the other hand, was not hidden away. He lived a life among thieves and monsters. That was the perfect company for Mr. Hyde. "I—or perhaps I should say Hyde—rented that room in Soho. It was a place for him to stay in comfort and do whatever business he saw fit. In the meantime, I told all of my

servants to admit Hyde into the house. I next drew up the will that bothered you so much. I worried that something might happen to my Jekyllside. I didn't want Hyde to be without money. Once I thought all sides had been taken care of, I actually began to enjoy the freedom of Mr. Hyde. "Hyde could do anything he liked and no one would blame Jekyll. Hyde could commit unspeakable, awful acts, but it would never be the fault of Dr. Jekyll. There were times when I—as Jekyll—tried to repair the damage done by Mr. Hyde, so I was not without feelings. Your cousin Enfield may have told you a story about Hyde causing injury to a young girl. I paid her family a large sum of money. I know that the check could not undo the harm, but it was all I felt I could do. For the most part, though, I turned a blind eye."