CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The Office Door

Poole's eyes lit up when he heard Utterson's words, "Yes, sir!" he cried. "That is what I was hoping you would say!"

"Well Poole, what tools do you have around here that we can use to break the door?"

"We have two heavy tools, sir. I already have them prepared downstairs. One is an axe to open boxes and one is a tool to turn wood in the fireplace." Poole picked up the axe and handed the fireplace tool to the lawyer.

The tool was heavy and Mr Utterson felt its weight in his hand. "This is a strong tool," he said. "I am hoping that I will not need to use this for protection, but I think both of us fear that maybe Mr Hyde really is behind that door."

"Yes, sir, I fear he may be."

"Before we go in I want you to tell me what you saw again. Did you recognize that person in the laboratory, even though he covered his face with his hands?"

Poole did not stop to think. "He moved quickly up the stairs, and he was covering his face so that another man might not recognize him. But I am sure that it was Mr Hyde! He never returned his key to the laboratory door. Also—have you ever met Mr Hyde, sir?"

"Yes," said the lawyer, "just once."

"Even if you only met him once, you would know that there is something very horrible about him. Just looking at his face is quite scary."

"I admit that you are right."

"Well, sir, when I saw that animal of a man jump up and run into the doctor's office, a feeling like ice ran all through my body. That's why I am sure it was Mr Hyde."

"I have worried about this for a long time. In his will, Jekyll left all his money to Hyde. Now, Hyde has murdered poor Henry for his money." Utterson looked at the group of servants still sitting around the fire in the hall. He pointed a finger at one, and said to Poole, "Tell that man to come over here."

Poole called the man over. Though he was a large man with huge arms, he was pale and nervous. Still, he listened closely to Mr Utterson's instructions. He was told to go get one of the bigger servant boys from the kitchen and some tools that could be used as weapons. The two of them were to wait in the street and guard the laboratory door in case Mr Hyde tried to escape or run away from both Poole and Utterson.

"I will wait ten minutes for you to get your tools and go to your positions," said the lawyer, "then we are going up to the room."

After the man left, Utterson and Poole went to wait at the bottom of the stairs. Utterson looked at his watch; he whispered to Poole that they should wait ten minutes. They could hear footsteps inside Jekyll's office, walking around and around.

"He walks around like that all day, sir," whispered Poole, "and sometimes he walks all night also. He only stops walking when I bring him a new package of medicine, and then only for a short time. Tell me, sir, do you think they sound like the doctor's footsteps?"

Utterson listened closely to the footsteps. They were light on the floor—strangely slow and soft. They were very different from the heavy sound of Jekyll's boots. Utterson shook his head and said, "No, they do not."

"A few nights ago," said Poole, "I heard it crying."

"Crying?" said Utterson with a sudden deep feeling of horror.

"It's true, sir. It sounded like the crying of a child who is lost. It was so terrible that it made me want to cry too."

By this time, ten minutes had passed and Utterson lifted his heavy tool. Poole put the candle down on a table, and he and Utterson slowly climbed up the stairs. They could still hear the sound of someone walking in the office, but as they came to the top of the stair, the sound stopped immediately.

"Jekyll!" yelled Utterson in his loudest voice. "I demand to see you!"

The room was silent.

"I warn you," cried the lawyer. "We know that something strange is going on in that room. I will see you, even if I have to break down the door to do so!"

"No, Utterson!" cried a voice from behind the room. "Please, don't enter, have mercy!"

"That's not Jekyll's voice," cried the lawyer. "It's Hyde's! Poole, take down that door!" He stepped back so Poole would have space to swing the axe.

The first strike of the axe made the whole room shake but only a small cut in the wood beside the lock was made. A scream came like that of an animal in a cage from inside the office. Poole lifted the axe again. He brought it down and a small piece of wood broke off. But the door, like everything in Henry Jekyll's house, was well-built and strong, so Poole had to strike the door five times before the lock broke off and the broken door fell down.

The door made a loud crash when it hit the floor and then the room became silent. Mr Utterson did not enter, but looked around at the scene in front of him. There was a large fire going and a pot of water boiling. On a table, papers sat in a neat pile. Another table was covered with a few bottles of chemicals and medicines.

Mr Utterson walked slowly into this quiet, comfortable room and looked around carefully. There was a large chair in one corner, and Utterson could see two feet behind it. He walked over and found a man lying with his face down on the floor. Utterson reached a hand down and turned the man over.

Poole, standing right behind the lawyer, took a deep breath of surprise. "I was right!" he cried. "It's Mr Hyde!"

"Yes," said Mr Utterson, "and he is dead!"

(end of section)