It was late in the afternoon. Mr. Utterson went to the house of Dr. Jekyll. Poole let him in immediately. They walked through the kitchen and across a yard. They went to a building at the end of the garden. People called this building the laboratory.
This was the first time Mr. Utterson had been inside this building. It was a dirty, dark building. The room was very large and silent. There were tables with bottles of chemicals, and many boxes stood on the floor. Mr. Utterson felt strange and uncomfortable there.
Mr. Utterson walked up some stairs. He went through a door covered in red cloth. He entered Dr. Jekyll’s private room. It was a large room with many tall cupboards and a large mirror. Dr. Jekyll sat near the fire. He looked very sick. When he greeted Mr. Utterson, his hand was cold and his voice sounded strange.
"Did you hear the news?" asked Mr. Utterson. Poole left the room and closed the door. Dr. Jekyll said he heard people shouting the news in the street. Mr. Utterson asked a serious question. He asked if Dr. Jekyll was hiding Mr. Hyde.
Dr. Jekyll cried out. He promised he would never see Mr. Hyde again. He said his relationship with Mr. Hyde was finished. He said Mr. Hyde was safe and no one would hear of him again. Mr. Utterson listened, but he was worried. Dr. Jekyll looked very nervous and ill.
Dr. Jekyll said he received a letter. He did not know if he should show it to the police. He gave the letter to Mr. Utterson. He trusted Mr. Utterson to make a wise choice. Mr. Utterson asked if the letter would help the police find Mr. Hyde.
Dr. Jekyll said he did not care about Mr. Hyde. He was worried about his own name and reputation. Mr. Utterson looked at the letter. The handwriting was very strange and upright. The letter was signed by Edward Hyde.
The letter said that Dr. Jekyll was very kind. It said that Mr. Hyde had a way to escape. It told Dr. Jekyll not to worry. Mr. Utterson was pleased with the letter. It showed that Dr. Jekyll had only tried to be kind to Mr. Hyde. He asked for the envelope, but Dr. Jekyll said he burned it.
Dr. Jekyll said a man brought the letter to the house. Mr. Utterson asked another question. He asked if Mr. Hyde told Dr. Jekyll what to write in the will. Dr. Jekyll looked faint and he nodded his head.
Mr. Utterson said Mr. Hyde wanted to murder Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Jekyll said he learned a terrible lesson. He covered his face with his hands. Mr. Utterson left the room. He saw Poole near the door. Mr. Utterson asked Poole about the person who brought the letter.
Poole said no one brought a letter that day. Only some advertisements came by post. Mr. Utterson felt afraid again. He thought the letter came through the laboratory door. Perhaps Mr. Hyde even wrote the letter in Dr. Jekyll’s private room.
In the street, men were shouting the news. They said a famous man was murdered. Mr. Utterson was worried about Dr. Jekyll. He did not want a scandal. He wanted to talk to someone for advice.
Later, Mr. Utterson sat in his home with Mr. Guest. Mr. Guest was his head clerk. They sat by a bright fire and drank old wine. Mr. Utterson told many secrets to Mr. Guest. Mr. Guest was an expert at studying handwriting.
Mr. Utterson told Mr. Guest about the murder. He said he had a letter from the murderer. He asked Mr. Guest to look at the letter. Mr. Guest looked at it very carefully. He said the writing was very strange but the man was not mad.
Just then, a servant brought a small note for Mr. Utterson. It was a dinner invitation from Dr. Jekyll. Mr. Guest asked to see the note. He put the two papers next to each other. He compared the writing on both papers very slowly.
"Why are you doing that, Guest?" asked Mr. Utterson. Mr. Guest said the two styles of writing were almost the same. Only the slope of the letters was different. Mr. Utterson was very surprised. He told Mr. Guest not to talk about the note.
When Mr. Utterson was alone, he felt very cold. He locked the letter in his safe. He thought Dr. Jekyll wrote the letter for a murderer. He could not believe it. He felt a great fear for his friend.