STORYOFTHEDOOR
Mr.
Utterson
el
thelawyerwasamanofaruggedcountenancethatwasnunca
neverlightedbyasmile;frío
cold,scantyandembarrassedindiscourse;backwardinsentiment;
lean,
largo
long,dusty,drearyandyetsomehowlovable.Atfriendlymeetings,
y
andwhenthewinewastohistaste,algo
somethingeminentlyhumanbeaconedfromhiseye;algo
somethingindeedwhichneverfounditscamino
wayintohistalk,butwhichhabló
spokenotonlyinthesesilentsymbolsoftheafter-dinnercara
face,butmoreoftenandloudlyintheactsofhisvida
life.Hewasausterewithhimself;
bebía
drankginwhenhewassolo
alone,tomortifyatasteforvintages;y
andthoughheenjoyedthetheatre,había
hadnotcrossedthedoorsofuno
onefortwentyyears.Buthe
tenía
hadanapprovedtoleranceforothers;sometimeswondering,
casi
almostwithenvy,atthealta
highpressureofspiritsinvolvedintheirmisdeeds;y
andinanyextremityinclinedtoayudar
helpratherthantoreprove.“IinclinetoCain’sheresy,”heusedto
decir
sayquaintly:“Iletmy
hermano
brothergotothedevilinhisownway.”In
este
thischaracter,itwasfrequentlyhisfortunetobethelastreputableacquaintancey
andthelastgoodinfluenceinthelivesofdowngoingmen.Y
Andtosuchasthese,solongastheyvinieron
cameabouthischambers,henunca
nevermarkedashadeofcambio
changeinhisdemeanour.Nodoubtthefeatwas
fácil
easytoMr.Utterson;forhewasundemonstrativeatthe
mejor
best,andevenhisfriendshipseemedtobefoundedinuna
asimilarcatholicityofgood-nature.Itisthemarkof
un
amodestmantoaccepthisfriendlycircleready-madefromthehandsofopportunity;y
andthatwasthelawyer’scamino
way.Hisfriendswerethoseofhisown
sangre
bloodorthosewhomhehabía
hadknownthelongest;hisaffections,
como
likeivy,werethegrowthoftiempo
time,theyimpliednoaptnessintheobject.Hence,nodoubtthebondthatunitedhimtoMr.RichardEnfield,hisdistantkinsman,thewell-known
hombre
manabouttown.Itwas
una
anuttocrackformuchos
many,whatthesetwocouldver
seeineachother,orwhatsubjecttheypodían
couldfindincommon.Itwasreportedby
aquellos
thosewhoencounteredthemintheirSundaywalks,thattheydecían
saidnothing,lookedsingularlydully
andwouldhailwithobviousrelieftheappearanceofun
afriend.Forallthat,the
dos
twomenputthegreateststorebyestas
theseexcursions,countedthemthechiefjewelofcada
eachweek,andnotonlysetasideoccasionsofpleasure,sino
butevenresistedthecallsofnegocios
business,thattheymightenjoythemuninterrupted.Itchancedononeof
estos
theseramblesthattheirwayledthemdownaby-streetinabusyquarterofLondon.The
calle
streetwassmallandwhatisllama
calledquiet,butitdroveun
athrivingtradeontheweekdays.Theinhabitantswere
todos
alldoingwell,itseemedy
andallemulouslyhopingtohacer
dobetterstill,andlayingoutthesurplusoftheirgrainsincoquetry;so
esa
thattheshopfrontsstoodalongesa
thatthoroughfarewithanairofinvitation,como
likerowsofsmilingsaleswomen.Incluso
EvenonSunday,whenitveileditsmás
morefloridcharmsandlaycomparativelyemptyofpassage,thecalle
streetshoneoutincontrasttoitsdingyneighbourhood,como
likeafireinaforest;y
andwithitsfreshlypaintedshutters,well-polishedbrasses,y
andgeneralcleanlinessandgaietyofnote,instantlycaughty
andpleasedtheeyeofthepassenger.Dos
Twodoorsfromonecorner,onthefue
lefthandgoingeastthelínea
linewasbrokenbytheentryofacourt;y
andjustatthatpointun
acertainsinisterblockofbuildingthrustforwarditsgableonla
thestreet.Itwastwostoreyshigh;
mostraba
showednowindow,nothingbutuna
adooronthelowerstoreyy
andablindforeheadofdiscolouredwallonel
theupper;andborein
cada
everyfeature,themarksofprolongedy
andsordidnegligence.Thedoor,whichwasequipped
con
withneitherbellnorknocker,wasblisteredy
anddistained.Trampsslouchedintotherecess
y
andstruckmatchesonthepanels;niños
childrenkeptshopuponthesteps;theschoolboy
había
hadtriedhisknifeonthemouldings;y
andforcloseonageneration,noonehabía
hadappearedtodriveawayestos
theserandomvisitorsortorepairtheirravages.Mr.
Enfield
y
andthelawyerwereontheotro
othersideoftheby-street;pero
butwhentheycameabreastoftheentry,theformerlifteduphiscaney
andpointed.“Didyoueverremark
esa
thatdoor?”heasked;
and
cuando
whenhiscompanionhadrepliedintheaffirmative,“Itisconnectedinmymind,”addedhe,“withuna
averyoddstory.”“Indeed?”
dijo
saidMr.Utterson,withaslightcambio
changeofvoice,“andwhatwasthat?”“Well,itwasthisway,”returnedMr.Enfield:
“Iwascoming
casa
homefromsomeplaceatthefinal
endoftheworld,abouttres
threeo’clockofablackwintermañana
morning,andmywaylaya través de
throughapartoftowndonde
wheretherewasliterallynothingtobever
seenbutlamps.Streetafter
calle
streetandallthefolksasleep—streettras
afterstreet,alllightedupasifforaprocessiony
andallasemptyasachurch—tillatfin
lastIgotintothatstateofmindwhenahombre
manlistensandlistensandbeginstolongforthesightofapoliceman.Allatonce,I
vi
sawtwofigures:onealittlemanwhowasstumpingalongeastwardatagood
caminando
walk,andtheotheraniña
girlofmaybeeightordiez
tenwhowasrunningashardasshewasabledownacrosscalle
street.Well,sir,thetworanintooneanothernaturallyenoughatthecorner;
y
andthencamethehorribleparte
partofthething;forthe
hombre
mantrampledcalmlyoverthechild’scuerpo
bodyandleftherscreamingontheground.It
suena
soundsnothingtohear,butitwashellishtover
see.Itwasn’tlikea
hombre
man;itwaslikesomedamnedJuggernaut.
I
di
gaveafewhalloa,tooktomyheels,collaredmygentleman,y
andbroughthimbacktodonde
wheretherewasalreadyquiteun
agroupaboutthescreamingniño
child.Hewasperfectlycool
y
andmadenoresistance,butdio
gavemeonelook,souglythatittrajo
broughtoutthesweatonmecomo
likerunning.Thepeoplewho
habían
hadturnedoutwerethegirl’sownfamilia
family;andprettysoon,the
doctor
doctor,forwhomshehadbeensentpuso
putinhisappearance.Well,the
niño
childwasnotmuchtheworse,más
morefrightened,accordingtothesawbones;y
andthereyoumighthavesupposedsería
wouldbeanendtoit.Pero
Buttherewasonecuriouscircumstance.I
había
hadtakenaloathingtomygentlemanatprimera
firstsight.Sohadthechild’s
familia
family,whichwasonlynatural.Pero
Butthedoctor’scasewaswhatstruckme
me.Hewastheusualcut
y
anddryapothecary,ofnoparticularagey
andcolour,withastrongEdinburghaccenty
andaboutasemotionalasabagpipe.Well,
señor
sir,hewasliketheresto
restofus;everytimehe
miraba
lookedatmyprisoner,Iveía
sawthatsawbonesturnsicky
andwhitewiththedesiretokillhim.I
sabía
knewwhatwasinhismente
mind,justasheknewwhatwasinmía
mine;andkillingbeingoutof
el
thequestion,wedidthenextmejor
best.Wetoldthemanwe
podríamos
couldandwouldmakesuchascandaloutofthisasshouldharíamos
makehisnamestinkfromoneextremo
endofLondontotheotro
other.Ifhehadanyfriends
o
oranycredit,weundertookthatheshouldperdiera
losethem.Andallthe
tiempo
time,aswewerepitchingitinrojo
redhot,wewerekeepingthewomende
offhimasbestwepodíamos
couldfortheywereaswildasharpies.I
nunca
neversawacircleoftan
suchhatefulfaces;andtherewas
el
themaninthemiddle,con
withakindofblacksneeringcoolness—frightenedtambién
too,Icouldseethat—butcarryingitoff,señor
sir,reallylikeSatan.‘Ifyouchooseto
hacer
makecapitaloutofthisaccident,’dijo
saidhe,‘Iamnaturallyhelpless.Ningún
Nogentlemanbutwishestoavoiduna
ascene,’sayshe.‘Nameyourfigure.’Well,wescrewedhimuptoahundredpoundsfor
la
thechild’sfamily;hewould
habría
haveclearlylikedtostickout;pero
buttherewassomethingaboutthelotofusthatsignificaba
meantmischief,andatlasthestruck.El
Thenextthingwastoconseguir
getthemoney;andwheredoyou
crees
thinkhecarriedusbuttoese
thatplacewiththedoor?—whippedoutakey,wentin,y
andpresentlycamebackwiththecuestión
matteroftenpoundsingoldy
andachequeforthebalanceonCoutts’s,drawnpayabletobearery
andsignedwithanameese
thatIcan’tmention,thoughit’soneofthepointsofmyhistoria
story,butitwasanombre
nameatleastverywellconocido
knownandoftenprinted.Thefigurewasstiff;
pero
butthesignaturewasgoodformás
morethanthatifitwasonlygenuine.I
tomé
tookthelibertyofpointingsalir
outtomygentlemanthatthetodo
wholebusinesslookedapocryphal,andthatahombre
mandoesnot,inrealvida
life,walkintoacellarpuerta
dooratfourinthemañana
morningandcomeoutwithotro
anotherman’schequeforcloseuponahundredpounds.Pero
Buthewasquiteeasyy
andsneering.‘Setyourmindatrest,’
dice
sayshe,‘Iwillstaywithyoutillthebanksabran
openandcashthechequemyself.’Sowetodos
allsetoff,thedoctor,y
andthechild’sfather,andouramigo
friendandmyself,andpassedtheresto
restofthenightinmychambers;y
andnextday,whenwehabíamos
hadbreakfasted,wentinacuerpo
bodytothebank.Igaveinthechequemyself,
y
andsaidIhadeveryrazones
reasontobelieveitwasuna
aforgery.Notabitofit.
El
Thechequewasgenuine.”“Tut-tut!”
dijo
saidMr.Utterson.“Iseeyou
sientes
feelasIdo,”saidMr.Enfield.“Yes,it’s
una
abadstory.Formy
hombre
manwasafellowthatnadie
nobodycouldhavetodocon
with,areallydamnableman;y
andthepersonthatdrewthechequeistheverypinkoftheproprieties,celebratedtambién
too,and(whatmakesitworse)uno
oneofyourfellowswhodowhattheyllaman
callgood.Blackmail,Isuppose;
un
anhonestmanpayingthroughthenoseforalgunos
someofthecapersofhisyouth.BlackMailHouseiswhatI
llamo
calltheplacewiththepuerta
door,inconsequence.Thougheven
eso
that,youknow,isfarfromexplainingall,”headded,y
andwiththewordsfellintouna
aveinofmusing.From
esto
thishewasrecalledbyMr.Uttersonpreguntando
askingrathersuddenly:“Andyoudon’t
sabe
knowifthedrawerofel
thechequelivesthere?”“Alikely
lugar
place,isn’tit?”returnedMr.Enfield.
“ButIhappento
he
havenoticedhisaddress;helivesinsomesquareorother.”
“Andyou
nunca
neveraskedaboutthe—placewiththedoor?”dijo
saidMr.Utterson.“No,sir;
I
tenía
hadadelicacy,”wasthereply.“Ifeel
muy
verystronglyaboutputtingquestions;itpartakes
demasiado
toomuchofthestyleofel
thedayofjudgment.You
comenzar
startaquestion,andit’scomo
likestartingastone.You
sientas
sitquietlyonthetopofuna
ahill;andawaythestone
va
goes,startingothers;andpresentlysomebland
viejo
oldbird(thelastyoues
wouldhavethoughtof)isknockedonthecabeza
headinhisownbackgardeny
andthefamilyhavetocambiar
changetheirname.Nosir,I
hago
makeitaruleofmía
mine:themoreitlookslikeQueer
Calle
Street,thelessIask.”“A
muy
verygoodrule,too,”saidel
thelawyer.“ButIhavestudied
el
theplaceformyself,”continuedMr.Enfield.“Itseemsscarcely
una
ahouse.Thereisnoother
puerta
door,andnobodygoesinoroutofesa
thatonebut,onceinagreatwhile,el
thegentlemanofmyadventure.Hay
Therearethreewindowslookingonthecourtontheprimer
firstfloor;nonebelow;
thewindowsare
siempre
alwaysshutbutthey’reclean.Y
Andthenthereisachimneywhichisgenerallysmoking;so
alguien
somebodymustlivethere.Andyetit’snotso
seguro
sure;forthebuildingsaresopackedtogetheraboutthecourt,thatit’s
difícil
hardtosaywhereoneendsy
andanotherbegins.”Thepair
caminó
walkedonagainforawhileinsilence;y
andthen“Enfield,”saidMr.Utterson,“that’suna
agoodruleofyours.”“Yes,I
creo
thinkitis,”returnedEnfield.“Butfor
todo
allthat,”continuedthelawyer,“there’sun
onepointIwanttopreguntar
ask.Iwanttoask
el
thenameofthatmanwhowalkedoverel
thechild.”“Well,”saidMr.Enfield,“Ican’t
ver
seewhatharmitwoulddo.Itwas
un
amanofthenameofHyde.”“Hm,”
dijo
saidMr.Utterson.“Whatsortofa
hombre
manishetosee?”“Heisnot
fácil
easytodescribe.Thereis
algo
somethingwrongwithhisappearance;algo
somethingdispleasing,somethingdown-rightdetestable.I
nunca
neversawamanIsodisliked,y
andyetIscarceknowpor qué
why.Hemustbedeformedsomewhere;
he
da
givesastrongfeelingofdeformity,althoughIcouldn’tspecifyel
thepoint.He’sanextraordinarylooking
hombre
man,andyetIreallypuedo
cannamenothingoutofthecamino
way.No,sir;
Ican
hacer
makenohandofit;Ican’tdescribehim.
Y
Andit’snotwantofmemory;forIdeclareI
puedo
canseehimthismoment.”Mr.
Utterson
de nuevo
againwalkedsomewayinsilencey
andobviouslyunderaweightofconsideration.“Youare
seguro
sureheusedakey?”heinquiredat
fin
last.“Mydearsir...”
beganEnfield,surprisedoutofhimself.
“Yes,Iknow,”
dijo
saidUtterson;“Iknowit
debe
mustseemstrange.Thefact
es
is,ifIdonotpregunto
askyouthenameoftheotherparte
party,itisbecauseIsé
knowitalready.Yousee,Richard,yourtale
ha
hasgonehome.Ifyou
ha
havebeeninexactinanypunto
pointyouhadbettercorrectit.”“Ithinkyou
podrías
mighthavewarnedme,”returnedel
theotherwithatouchofsullenness.“ButI
he
havebeenpedanticallyexact,asyoullama
callit.Thefellowhad
una
akey;andwhat’smore,he
tiene
hasitstill.Isawhimuseitnot
una
aweekago.”Mr.
Uttersonsigheddeeply
pero
butsaidneveraword;y
andtheyoungmanpresentlyresumed.“Hereis
otra
anotherlessontosaynothing,”saidhe.“Iamashamedofmylongtongue.
Letus
hagamos
makeabargainnevertorefertoesto
thisagain.”“Withallmyheart,”
dijo
saidthelawyer.SEARCHFORMR.HYDE
Esa
ThateveningMr.Uttersoncamehometohisbachelorhouseinsombrespiritsy
andsatdowntodinnersin
withoutrelish.Itwashiscustomof
un
aSunday,whenthismealwasover,tosentarse
sitclosebythefire,un
avolumeofsomedrydivinityonhisreadingdesk,hasta que
untiltheclockoftheneighbouringchurchrangoutthehouroftwelve,cuando
whenhewouldgosoberlyy
andgratefullytobed.On
esta
thisnighthowever,assoonasla
theclothwastakenaway,hetomó
tookupacandleandfue
wentintohisbusinessroom.Allí
Thereheopenedhissafe,tookfromthemás
mostprivatepartofitun
adocumentendorsedontheenvelopeasDr.Jekyll’sWilly
andsatdownwithacloudedbrowtostudyitscontents.The
era
willwasholograph,forMr.Uttersonaunque
thoughhetookchargeofitahora
nowthatitwasmade,había
hadrefusedtolendtheleastassistanceinthemakingofit;itprovidednotonlythat,in
caso
caseofthedeceaseofHenryJekyll,M.D.,D.C.L.,L.L.D.,F.R.S.,etc.,todas
allhispossessionsweretopassintothehandsofhis“friendy
andbenefactorEdwardHyde,”butthatincaso
caseofDr.Jekyll’s“disappearanceo
orunexplainedabsenceforanyperiodexceedingtres
threecalendarmonths,”thesaidEdwardHydedebería
shouldstepintothesaidHenryJekyll’sshoessin
withoutfurtherdelayandfreefromcualquier
anyburthenorobligationbeyondthepaymentofafewsmallsumstothemembersofthedoctor’shousehold.Este
Thisdocumenthadlongbeenla
thelawyer’seyesore.Itoffendedhim
tanto
bothasalawyerandasaloverofthesaney
andcustomarysidesoflife,towhomthefancifulwastheimmodest.Y
AndhithertoitwashisignoranceofMr.Hydethathabía
hadswelledhisindignation;now,by
un
asuddenturn,itwashisknowledge.Itwasalready
malo
badenoughwhenthenamewasbutun
anameofwhichhepodía
couldlearnnomore.Itwasworse
cuando
whenitbegantobeclotheduponcon
withdetestableattributes;andoutoftheshifting,insubstantialmiststhat
habían
hadsolongbaffledhiseye,thereleapedupthesudden,definitepresentmentofun
afiend.“Ithoughtitwasmadness,”he
dijo
said,ashereplacedtheobnoxiouspaperinthecaja fuerte
safe,“andnowIbegintofearitisdisgrace.”Con
Withthatheblewouthiscandle,puso
putonagreatcoat,andsetforthinthedirectionofCavendishSquare,thatcitadelofmedicine,donde
wherehisfriend,thegreatDr.Lanyon,tenía
hadhishouseandreceivedhiscrowdingpatients.“If
alguien
anyoneknows,itwillbeLanyon,”hehabía
hadthought.Thesolemnbutler
conocía
knewandwelcomedhim;