Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Chapter 9 - Dr Lanyon's Narrative

Dr. Lanyon receives a registered letter from his old school friend and colleague, Henry Jekyll. The letter is strange and filled with odd requests. Jekyll asks Lanyon to come to his house and collect a drawer from his cabinet, containing powders, a phial, and a paper book, then take it back to his own home. Later that night, Lanyon is to receive a visitor who will identify himself as Jekyll and will request the drawer. Although baffled, Lanyon agrees to the request and finds Poole, Jekyll's butler, waiting for him with a locksmith.

Together they break into Jekyll's cabinet, retrieve the drawer, and bring it back to Lanyon's house. Later that evening, the visitor arrives and Lanyon hands over the drawer as per Jekyll's request. Lanyon is shocked by the transformation of the visitor. This chapter sets the stage for the mystery and horror that unfolds in the rest of the book as we see the dark side of Jekyll's experiments and his relationship with Mr. Hyde.