," replied the lawyer, very pale, but giving look
for look.
"Changed? Well, yes, I think so," said the butler. "Have I been twenty
years in this man's house, to be deceived about his voice? No, sir;
master's made away with; he was made away with eight days ago, when we
heard him cry out upon the name of God; and who's in there instead
of him, and why it stays there, is a thing that cries to Heaven, Mr.
Utterson!"
"This is a very strange tale, Poole; this is rather a wild tale my man,"
said Mr. Utterson, biting his finger. "Suppose it were as you suppose,
supposing Dr. Jekyll to have been--well, murdered what could induce the
murderer to stay? That won't hold water; it doesn't commend itself to
reason."
"Well, Mr. Utterson, you are a hard man to satisfy, but I'll do it yet,"
said Poole. "All this last week (you must know) him, or it, whatever it
is that lives in that cabinet, has been crying night and day for some
sort of medicine and cannot get it to his mind. It was sometimes his
way--the master's, that is--to write his orders on a sheet of paper and
throw it on the stair. We've had nothing else this week back; nothing
but papers, and a closed door, and the very meals left there to be
smuggled in when nobody was looking. Well, sir, every day, ay, and twice
and thrice in the same day, there have been orders and complaints, and I
have been sent flying to all the wholesale chemists in town. Every time
I brought the stuff back, there would be another paper telling me to
return it, because it was not pure, and another order to a different
firm. This drug is wanted bitter bad, sir, whatever for."
"Have you any of these papers?" asked Mr. Utterson.
Poole felt in his pocket and handed out a crumpled note, which the
lawyer, bending nearer to the candle, carefully examined. Its contents
ran thus: "Dr. Jekyll presents his compliments to Messrs. Maw. He
assures them that their last sample is impure and quite useless for his
present purpose. In the year 18--, Dr. J. purchased a somewhat large
quantity from Messrs. M. He now begs them to search with most sedulous
care, and should any of the same quality be left, forward it to him at
once. Expense is no consideration. The importance of this to Dr. J. can
hardly be exaggerated." So far the letter had run composedly enough, but
here with a sudden splutter of the pen, the writer's emotion had broken
loose. "For God's sake," he added, "find me some of the old."
"This is a st
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