3 A Conversation with Dr. Lanyon

CHAPTER 3 A Conversation with Dr. Lanyon It was Mr. Utterson's custom on Sunday nights to enjoy a good book by the fire and be in bed by midnight. On this night, however, Utterson sat down to dinner in bad spirits. He had too much on his mind and had a touch of indigestion. As soon as his plate was taken away, he went to his den. He opened his safe and removed some private

papers. "The Last Will and Testament of Dr. Henry Jekyll" was written on the envelope. Mr. Utterson opened it and sat down. His brow was furrowed. Utterson was not pleased with the terms of the will. As a matter of fact, he had argued with Jekyll about its contents. The will stated that upon the death of Dr. Jekyll—or a disappearance of longer than three months—all of the doctor's possessions and money should go to Mr. Edward Hyde. The lawyer thought it highly unusual for Jekyll to leave his entire fortune to one man. Utterson was one of Jekyll's closest friends, but he had known nothing about Mr. Hyde until Enfield mentioned him. Utterson was most disturbed by the phrase "or a disappearance of longer than three months." Why on earth would anyone include such a statement in his will? Did Dr. Jekyll think he might disappear? Utterson thought this was madness, but

Jekyll had only laughed at him. There was nothing the lawyer could do but honor his friend's wishes. Now, however, Utterson was outraged to learn that this man Hyde was in fact a monster. Why would his good friend Jekyll be involved with such a man? With a heavy heart and a great deal of worry for his friend, he put the papers back in the safe.

Utterson could not think of going to sleep in such a state. He put on his coat and left for Cavendish Square, where his friend Dr. Lanyon lived. If anyone knows about this man Hyde, Utterson thought, it will be Lanyon. Lanyon, Jekyll, and Utterson had known each other since they were young. There was a time when they were inseparable. Many years had passed, though, and the old friends rarely saw one another. Lanyon and Jekyll, in particular, had gone their separate ways. Utterson knocked on Dr. Lanyon's door. Dr. Lanyon greeted his old friend with a hearty welcome. "It's been too long, Utterson," he said. "Where have you been keeping yourself?" Lanyon was a healthy, lively man with a reddish face and stark white hair. His house was well decorated with comfortable couches and chairs. Every room felt warm and welcoming. There was

always a roaring fire and plenty of candlelight. Lanyon enjoyed company and long conversations with friends. He had a loud, booming laugh that was often heard echoing around his house. They talked for a while about old times and what had happened since last they talked. Utterson said that his law practice was going well. Lanyon spoke of some of his patients and said that he was looking forward to retirement. Eventually, the lawyer brought up the reason for his late visit. "I suppose, Lanyon" he said, "that you and I must be Dr. Jekyll's two oldest friends." "I wish we were younger friends," chuckled Dr. Lanyon. "But I suppose we are. And what about it? I see little of him now." "Really?" Utterson said. "I thought you had a lot of common interests. As doctors, the two of you always had so much to discuss."

"We had," came the reply. "But it is more than ten years since Henry Jekyll became too strange for me. He began to go wrong, terribly wrong, in my opinion. He had very odd and unscientific notions. Not only do I think that his ideas and experiments were unscientific, I believe they were unethical. He was moving toward very dangerous results. I simply could not continue to support him. Of course, as an old friend, I am still concerned for his well-being, but I want little do with him." It was upsetting to hear that Lanyon and Jekyll had a fight. He wanted to ask about these dangerous experiments, but Utterson knew he should stick to the topic he really wanted to talk about. "Did you ever come across a man he knows named Mr. Hyde?" Utterson asked. "Hyde?" repeated Lanyon. "No, I've never heard of him."