MARY REILLY

THE UNTOLD STORY OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE

(by Valerie Martin)

The authoress, Mary Reilly, begins with an account about her childhood. She had been shut up in a little cupboard under the stairs (by her father as we know from a later entry). But once he locked her in the closet and he also threw a rat in it. She was hurt by the rat on her hands and her neck until her mother freed her and then they left the house and they never saw him again.

BOOK I

Then the book is written as a diary by the grown up Mary Reilly. She worked in the household of Dr. Jekyll (she talks of him only as Master) as a housemaid. There are also Mrs. Kent (the cook of the house), Annie (doing the dishes,), Mr. Bradshaw (caring for the clothes of Master), a boy (to bring messages to other places) and Mr. Poole (their boss and highest employed man in the household). One day Mary Reilly was blacking the grate when Master asked her where she had got the scars. He looked at the scars and he asked her to write down the story of it, after he had heard that she could read and write. Mary Reilly worked hard every day, washing the carpets, the floor, doing the bed, the fire in the fireplace, dusting and so on. She worked from dawn till night and had only a half day off (Thursday). Mr. Poole was the only one who talked to Master and didn`t like others to communicate directly with Master. So Mary Reilly and Master kept their talk secret. Five days after Mary Reilly had handed the account to Master he talked to her about it. Now she had to tell him that the man, who had shut her up with the rat was her father.

One day Mary Reilly and Cook decided to use a part of the yards as a herb garden and they were allowed to do so. Mary Reilly worked very hard and nearly went ill. Sometimes Mary Reilly heard Master come into the house on his way from the laboratory across the yard to his room. Sometimes she couldn`t identify the steps but she thought it had to be him.

One morning Mr. Poole and Mr. Bradshaw moved the cheval glass from Master's bedroom to the cabinet in the laboratory (only Mr. Poole was allowed to go into this room). This day Master asked Mary Reilly what she thought of "a    life in which you could act only as you please, when you please, with no consequences, no regrets, then wouldn't you say yes " to lead another life. Mary Reilly answered him that she didn`t believe that there were any actions without consequences which made Master thoughtful. When Mr. Poole and Mr. Bradshaw carried the mirror to the laboratory Mary Reilly had to help and opened the doors for them. So she saw an old " theatre " in the first room (there was a Dr. Denman who had performed operations for students). The next room was divided, half of it with carpets, furniture and a fireplace and the other part with a desk.

Ten days later Mary Reilly and Master talked about the weeds in the herb garden. Mary Reilly said that "being wild, they have greater will to life ". Master found it interesting and also found out that he was the only one who knew about how she had got those scars.

BOOK II

One day Master talked again with Mary Reilly Master said that he knew her secret and he wanted Mary Reilly to do something for him. Mary Reilly thought that it had to be very important to him to keep it secret. She had to bring a message to Mrs. Farraday.

Normally this would be a job for Mr. Poole but it seemed that Master didn`t even want him to know of it. So Mary Reilly had to go there on her free day (half day). Master trusted Mary Reilly very much. Mary Reilly went to the address in Soho. It was a dirty part of the town, where the poor lived. Also many prostitutes lived there. Mrs. Farraday read the message and gave Mary Reilly the answer that all would be arranged in two weeks. The next day Mary Reilly told Master the answer and he thanked her. One day Master talked to Mary Reilly about his school (a school for poor people where also Mary Reilly had learnt to read. It was a project of Master. He supported it with much money). They wanted to close it because of some disappeared funds.

One day Master wanted to see all in a group. Mary Reilly, Mr. Poole, Mr. Bradshaw, Cook, Annie and the knife boy, Peter. Master told them that he would take an assistant and that this Mr. Edward Hyde should have complete liberty in his house and the laboratory. All were curious about this man. At first Cook saw him trough the mist on the street, small, black hair, clean shaven, stooped a little.

One day Master fell in the yard. Mary Reilly helped him out of his boot because his ankle hurt him. Then Master was taken to his room. When Mary Reilly went out again to fetch the boot it had changed it`s place.

Master didn`t rest as long as he should and started soon to walk with a stick. One night Mary Reilly heard something and went to Master's room but he wasn`t there. She remembered her childhood, cried and went to bed again.

One day Master fell down again. His ankle was swollen. Now he stayed in bed for a few days. Then he was well because he had slept much. Later Mr. Poole saw Mr. Hyde in the library. He didn`t like him. He didn`t seem to be a gentleman.

One day Master sent Mary Reilly again to Mrs. Farraday. Mrs. Farraday was upset and talked badly about Master. She showed Mary Reilly the room of Mr. Hyde; all was covered with blood. But Mrs. Farraday said that she would arrange everything for Master. Mary Reilly brought him the message. Mary Reilly was upset, afraid and didn`t know what to think of the whole thing. In another talk Master asked Mary Reilly if she was ever afraid of herself. Mary Reilly said yes, which pleased Master.

One night Mary Reilly heard noises, went to the library and met Mr. Hyde. He wrote in a book. They talked but Mary Reilly felt uneasy and went back to her room. One night Master and Mary Reilly talked and parted with saying good night to each other (which was uncommon and new).

One day Mary Reilly read the book, in which Mr. Hyde had written. She couldn`t believe it because there were rude words. Suddenly Mr. Hyde stood behind her. She had brought him tea. He broke the cup in his hand. He was Bleeding and Touched her face. She closed her eyes in fear. When she opened them again he had gone and she smelled the blood. He had said," Don`t you know who I am, Mary ?"

One day Mary Reilly got a message from Mr. James Haffinger, her mother's landlord. She was dead. So Mary Reilly got there on her free day and arranged the funeral. Mr. J. Haffinger told her that her father had also been there but she told him not to tell her father where she was living. He promised it.

When Mary Reilly returned she heard that Mr. D. C., a friend of Master, had been killed. Soon the police came and told them that it had been Mr. Hyde who had now disappeared.  Master told Mary Reilly that Mr. Hyde had come to him after he had killed Danvers Carew.

BOOK III

Some weeks later Master had many visitors and had to work very hard. One day Master argued with his friends about a Latin school for workers but Dr. Lanyon wanted to build a hospital for the poor. Master had not been in the laboratory for weeks and asked Mary Reilly to clean it. So she did. One night Master met Mary Reilly in the library and they talked. Master worked much and fell ill.

One night Mary Reilly heard something and met Mr. Hyde in the theatre. He calmed her. Mary Reilly wanted to know what he had done with Master. Mr. Hyde said that he was her Master. She ran to the laboratory. He dug his teeth into her shoulders. She felt them. Suddenly he disappeared in the laboratory. When she got up Master appeared. Master asked Mary Reilly to promise not to call the police. She didn`t. One morning she heard that Mr. Hyde had killed himself and Master disappeared. Mr. Hyde had killed himself with poison. Everybody had to stay in the house till they knew where Master was.   

Mr. Edward Hyde's dead body lay still in the cabinet.

Mr. Utterson, a friend of Master, found a letter and a package of pages, which was directed to him in Master's own hand bound up. Mr. Utterson wanted to study them and all had to wait in the house, calling no one until a way to clear Master's name of any wrongdoing should reveal itself to Mr Utterson.

One evening Mary Reilly got out of the bed, she pulled her cloak over and went out onto the landing. She took the key to the theatre and slipped out the back door to the yard. She wanted to see the dead body of Edward Hyde. Mary Reilly took a lamp and stared at the face of Mr. Hyde. Now many thoughts came into her mind. All the time the truth was right before her eyes. How many times did he tell her ? But Master was right, she thought now, how could one man be two. Then she crawled to Master, speaking to him softly. From the yard she could hear the sound of heavy footsteps crossing to the theatre. She rested her head upon his chest and put her arms around his neck. She could hear her own heart in her ear and it seemed to be beating against his still one. That was how they found them.