most honest.

As the cab drew up before the address indicated, the fog lifted a
little, and showed him a dingy street, a gin-palace, a low French
eating-house, a shop for the retail of penny numbers and twopenny
salads, many ragged children huddled in the doorways, and many women of
many different nationalities passing out, key in hand, to have a morning
glass; and the next moment the fog settled down again upon that part, as
brown as umber, and cut him off from his blackguardly surroundings. This
was the home of Henry Jekyll's favourite; of a man who was heir to a
quarter of a million sterling.

An ivory-faced and silvery-haired old woman opened the door. She had an
evil face, smoothed by hypocrisy; but her manners were excellent. Yes,
she said, this was Mr. Hyde's, but he was not at home; he had been in
that night very late, but had gone away again in less than an hour;
there was nothing strange in that; his habits were very irregular, and
he was often absent; for instance, it was nearly two months since she
had seen him till yesterday.

"Very well then, we wish to see his rooms," said the lawyer; and when
the woman began to declare it was impossible, "I had better tell you who
this person is," he added. "This is Inspector Newcomen of Scotland
Yard."

A flash of odious joy appeared upon the woman's face. "Ah!" said she,
"he is in trouble! What has he done?"

Mr. Utterson and the inspector exchanged glances. "He don't seem a very
popular character," observed the latter. "And now, my good woman, just
let me and this gentleman have a look about us."

In the whole extent of the house, which but for the old woman remained
otherwise empty, Mr. Hyde had only used a couple of rooms; but these
were furnished with luxury and good taste. A closet was filled with
wine; the plate was of silver, the napery elegant; a good picture hung
upon the walls, a gift (as Utterson supposed) from Henry Jekyll, who
was much of a connoisseur; and the carpets were of many plies and
agreeable in colour. At this moment, however, the rooms bore every mark
of having been recently and hurriedly ransacked; clothes lay about the
floor, with their pockets inside out; lockfast drawers stood open; and
on the hearth there lay a pile of grey ashes, as though many papers had
been burned. From these embers the inspector disinterred the butt-end of
a green cheque-book, which had resisted the action of the fire; the
other half of the stick was found behin