CHAPTER THREE

A Strange Will

Usually Mr Utterson was in a good mood after his Sunday walks with his cousin. He liked his cousin's happy personality and his interesting opinions. But tonight, Utterson was quiet and serious. Usually he ate all his dinner, but tonight he could not touch a bite. Later his cook wondered if she had not cooked the beef well enough!

After dinner, the lawyer took a candle and went to his library. There, he opened a locked box and took out an envelope. The envelope read: "Dr Jekyll's Will." Dr Jekyll had written the will himself. When Jekyll first showed him the will, Utterson had been extremely surprised by the strange things that were written there. He was still very upset. Utterson was Jekyll's good friend, so he had agreed to keep the will for him. He would show it to the courts, if it were ever necessary.

Utterson put on his glasses. He did not want to read the strange will again, but he wanted to try to understand what was happening. The first part of the will was very normal. Utterson did not understand Jekyll's connection with Mr Hyde, but he could not tell his client who he should give his money to. This first part said that if Jekyll died, all his possessions and money should be given to his "dear friend, Edward Hyde."

It was the second part of the will that frightened Utterson. This part said that in case of Doctor Jekyll's "disappearance of more than three months," Edward Hyde should immediately take everything Jekyll owned. Hyde would have to pay the servants some money, but then he would have no responsibilities. He could do whatever he wanted with Jekyll's things!

Mr Utterson did not understand this strange situation. Tonight, as he read these pages, he became even more worried. He was worried because he had just learned that Edward Hyde was an evil man, a criminal. Utterson sighed and put the will away, wishing he could do something about the terrible situation.

"Why did Jekyll write about his own disappearance?" thought the lawyer to himself. He remembered that his cousin Richard thought that Dr Jekyll was being blackmailed, and he wondered if it was true. "Is something—or someone—going to make Henry Jekyll disappear?" he asked himself. Because Jekyll was a good friend, Utterson was quite upset by the story Richard had told him that morning. "Perhaps Lanyon can help me to understand Henry's actions."

In college, Utterson, Jekyll, and a man named Hastie Lanyon had all been close friends. The three men had done everything together. Lanyon was now a successful doctor.

Utterson got his coat and quickly walked to Lanyon's large house in Cavendish Square.

Dr Lanyon was still at the dinner table, relaxing and drinking wine. He was happy to see Utterson, and made Utterson feel better because he was so loud and cheerful. Utterson was a very quiet man, and he did not often like loud people. But Lanyon was the one person Utterson liked and trusted more than any other. A servant brought Utterson a glass of wine, and then the two men sat down in comfortable chairs.

Utterson did not want to waste any time. "Lanyon, I think that you and I are Henry Jekyll's two oldest friends." he said.

"I wish we were all younger!" said Lanyon with a laugh. "But anyway, I haven't seen Henry in a long time."

"Really?" said Utterson, surprised. "I thought you would spend a lot of time together, since you are both men of science."

Lanyon looked upset. "We were close friends," he said quietly. "But for many years now, I have watched Jekyll become more and more strange. Too strange for me! I do not like his ideas. His whole personality has become very unpleasant to me."

Utterson drank some of the fine old wine, but he still felt worried. "What do you mean, Jekyll is strange?" he asked.

Lanyon suddenly became angry. "He is not a scientist anymore. He thinks about such stupid things!" he said loudly. "I cannot be his friend any more."

Utterson felt relieved, and he thought to himself, "I understand. Lanyon and Jekyll do not agree about some scientific subject. The argument isn't personal." He wanted to make sure his guess was right, however, so Utterson waited until Lanyon had drunk some more wine. Then he asked the question he had wanted to ask.

"Lanyon, did you ever meet a man named Edward Hyde? He is a good friend of Jekyll's," he said.

Lanyon thought for a moment. "No, I've never heard of him."

Utterson felt better. Lanyon had never heard of Hyde, so perhaps he was not so important after all. And Lanyon had heard no bad news about Jekyll. The two friends talked about other things for a while, and then Utterson left. He did not know that this was the last time he would see his old friend Lanyon healthy and smiling. His death was near.

(end of section)