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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.