sh of cymbals; and bounding from my bed, I
rushed to the mirror. At the sight that met my eyes my blood was changed
into something exquisitely thin and icy. Yes, I had gone to bed Henry
Jekyll, I had awakened Edward Hyde. How was this to be explained? I
asked myself; and then, with another bound of terror--how was it to be
remedied? It was well on in the morning; the servants were up; all my
drugs were in the cabinet--a long journey, down two pairs of stairs,
through the back passage, across the open court and through the
anatomical theatre, from where I was then standing horror-struck. It
might indeed be possible to cover my face; but of what use was that,
when I was unable to conceal the alteration in my stature? And then,
with an overpowering sweetness of relief, it came back upon my mind that
the servants were already used to the coming and going of my second
self. I had soon dressed, as well as I was able, in clothes of my own
size: had soon passed through the house, where Bradshaw stared and drew
back at seeing Mr. Hyde at such an hour and in such a strange array; and
ten minutes later Dr. Jekyll had returned to his own shape, and was
sitting down, with a darkened brow, to make a feint of breakfasting.

Small indeed was my appetite. This inexplicable incident, this reversal
of my previous experience, seemed, like the Babylonian finger on the
wall, to be spelling out the letters of my judgment; and I began to
reflect more seriously than ever before on the issues and possibilities
of my double existence. That part of me which I had the power of
projecting had lately been much exercised and nourished; it had seemed
to me of late as though the body of Edward Hyde had grown in stature, as
though (when I wore that form) I were conscious of a more generous tide
of blood; and I began to spy a danger that, if this were much prolonged,
the balance of my nature might be permanently overthrown, the power of
voluntary change be forfeited, and the character of Edward Hyde become
irrevocably mine. The power of the drug had not always been equally
displayed. Once, very early in my career, it had totally failed me;
since then I had been obliged on more than one occasion to double, and
once, with infinite risk of death, to treble the amount; and these rare
uncertainties had cast hitherto the sole shadow on my contentment. Now,
however, and in the light of that morning's accident, I was led to
remark that whereas, in the beginning, t