در جستجوی آقای هاید

In search of Mr Hyde

A fter dinner that evening Mr Utterson went into his office and unlocked a cupboard. He took out an envelope. It contained the will of Doctor Henry Jekyll, and was written in the doctor’s own handwriting.

‘If I die, or if I disappear for more than three months,’ the will began, ‘I wish to leave everything I own to my dear friend Edward Hyde.’ This will had both worried and annoyed Mr Utterson. To a lawyer it was an unusual and dangerous kind of will. It was bad enough “when Edward Hyde was only an unknown name, but now that the lawyer knew something about Hyde, the will worried him more than ever. It had seemed like madness before; now it began to seem shameful. With a heavy heart Mr Utterson replaced the envelope in the cupboard, put on his coat and went to see his old friend Doctor Lanyon.

Doctor Lanyon was enjoying his after-dinner coffee. ‘Come in, old friend!’ he cried. The two men had known each other since their school days. They sat for several minutes, drinking coffee and talking companionably of this and that. At last Mr Utterson mentioned the thoughts that were worrying him.

‘I suppose, Lanyon,’ he said ‘that you and I are Henry Jekyll’s oldest friends?’

‘I suppose so,’ said Doctor Lanyon, ‘but I don’t often see him now.’

‘Really?’ said Mr Utterson in surprise. ‘I thought you and he were interested in the same things.’

‘We were at one time,’ said Doctor Lanyon. ‘But more than ten years ago Henry Jekyll became too - well, imaginative for me. He developed some strange, wild, unscientific ideas. I told him so, and I’ve seen very little of him since then.’ Mr Utterson looked at his friend’s red, angry face. ‘Only a disagreement about some scientific question,’ he thought. ‘It’s nothing worse than that.’ Calmly he continued, ‘Did you ever meet a friend of Jekyll’s — a man called Hyde?’ ‘Hyde?’ repeated Lanyon. ‘No, never.’

Soon the lawyer said goodnight and went home to bed, where he lay awake for a long time thinking about Enfield’s description of Hyde, and Doctor Jekyll’s will.

When at last he fell asleep, he was troubled by dreams. In his mind’s eye he saw a faceless man marching over the child’s body. Then he saw his old friend Jekyll in bed, while the same faceless figure stood over him. The facelessness of that figure worried him deeply.

‘Very well, Mr Hyde,’ said the lawyer to himself, ‘I will find you, and I will see your face for myself.’

During the next few weeks Mr Utterson spent many hours in the narrow street where Enfield had seen Hyde. He waited patiently near the mysterious door, hoping for a sight of Mr Hyde — and one dry, clear winter night he was successful. The street was empty and silent and small sounds carried a long way. The lawyer heard footsteps. He stepped back into the shadows and waited. A short figure turned the corner and walked towards the mysterious door. Although Mr Utterson could not see his face, he felt a strong, almost violent, dislike for the stranger.

Mr Utterson stepped forward and touched him on the shoulder. ‘Mr Hyde?’

‘Yes, that’s my name,’ said the stranger coolly. ‘What do you want?’

‘I see that you’re going in. I’m an old friend of Doctor Jekyll’s. My name is Utterson. You must have heard my name — may I come in with you?’ ‘Doctor Jekyll is not at home,’ replied Mr Hyde. ‘How did you know me?’ he added sharply.

‘First let me see your face,’ replied the lawyer.

Mr Hyde hesitated for a moment, then he stood under the street light and the lawyer saw his face. ‘Thank you,’ said Mr Utterson. ‘Now I shall know you again. It may be useful.’ ‘Yes,’ said Mr Hyde, ‘it may indeed be useful. Here, too, is my address. You may need it one day.’ He gave the lawyer his address, which was in a poor part of London.

‘Good God!’ thought the lawyer, ‘does Hyde know about Jekyll’s will? Is that what he’s thinking of?’ But he said nothing.

‘And now,’ said Mr Hyde, ‘how did you know me?’

‘You were described to me.’

‘Who did that?’

‘I know people who know you.’

‘Who?’ asked Mr Hyde sharply.

‘Doctor Jekyll, for example,’ said the lawyer.

‘He never told you!’ cried Mr Hyde in sudden anger. ‘Don’t lie to me!’ And before the lawyer could answer, he turned the key in the lock and disappeared into the house.

Mr Utterson stared at the closed door. ‘Why do I dislike him so much?’ he said to himself. ‘Enfield was right — there is something evil about the man. Poor Henry Jekyll, I’m worried about you. Your new friend will mean trouble for you.’ Round the corner from the narrow street there was a square of handsome old houses. One of these was Doctor Jekyll’s house, and Mr Utterson knocked at the front door. The servant answered and told him that Doctor Jekyll was not at home.

‘I saw Mr Hyde go in by the laboratory door in the street at the back of the house,’ said the lawyer.

‘That’s right, Mr Utterson,’ replied the servant. ‘Mr Hyde has his own key, and comes and goes when he likes. We have orders from Doctor Jekyll to obey him.’ Mr Utterson walked homd more worried than ever.

A fortnight later Doctor Jekyll gave a dinner party for a few old friends. Mr Utterson was among them and he remained after the others had left.

‘I’ve been wanting to speak to you for some time, Jekyll,’ said the lawyer, ‘about your will.’

Doctor Jekyll was a tall, well-made man of fifty with a smooth, kindly face. ‘My pdor friend,’ he said, ‘you do worry unnecessarily, you kndw. Like poor Lanyon when I told him about my new ideds. “Imaginative rubbish” he called them . . . I’m very disappointed in Lanyon.’ But the lawyer did not want to talk about Doctor Lanyon. ‘You know I’ve never agreed with your will,’ he continued.

‘You’ve told me often enough,’ said his friend sharply.

‘Well, I’ve learnt something about your friend Hyde,’ continued the lawyer.

The colour of the doctor’s handsome face changed from pink to greyish-white. ‘I don’t want to hear any more,’ he said. ‘You don’t understand. I’m in a very difficult, painful situation.’

‘Tell me everything,’ said Mr Utterson, ‘and I’ll do my best to help you.’

‘You’re very kind, but this is a private matter. I’ll tell you one thing -1 can get rid of Mr Hyde any time I want. You must understand, however, that I take a great interest in poor Hyde. I know you’ve seen him — he told me, and I’m afraid he wasn’t very polite to you. But I really do care about him. And if anything happens to me, I want you to promise to make sure that he inherits my money.’ ‘I cannot pretend that I shall ever like him,’ said the lawyer.

‘I’m not asking you to like him,’ said his friend. ‘I only ask you to help him, when I’m gone.’

‘I promise,’ said Mr Utterson sadly.