It's time for Part Seven of my serialization of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. In tonight's episode Dr Lanyon receives a visitor and comes, so to speak, face to face with the truth:
"And now," said he, "to settle what remains. Will you be wise? will you be guided? will you suffer me to take this glass in my hand and to go forth from your house without further parley? or has the greed of curiosity too much command of you? Think before you answer, for it shall be done as you decide. As you decide, you shall be left as you were before, and neither richer nor wiser.... Or, if you shall so prefer to choose, a new province of knowledge and new avenues to fame and power shall be laid open to you, here, in this room, upon the instant; and your sight shall be blasted by a prodigy to stagger the unbelief of Satan."
"Sir," said I, affecting a coolness that I was far from truly possessing."...I have gone too far in the way of inexplicable services to pause before I see the end."
"It is well," replied my visitor. "Lanyon, you remember your vows: what follows is under the seal of our profession. And now, you who have so long been bound to the most narrow and material views, you who have denied the virtue of transcendental medicine, you who have derided your superiors— behold!"
He put the glass to his lips and drank at one gulp. A cry followed; he reeled, staggered, clutched at the table and held on, staring with injected eyes, gasping with open mouth; and as I looked there came, I thought, a change...
Members of The Mark Steyn Club can hear the details of the ghastly "change" simply by clicking here and logging-in. Earlier installments of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde can be found here - and thank you for all your comments. I was especially touched by this endorsement from Emily Maxymiv:
These serializations are a refreshing retreat from the Netflix era that we live in. Admittedly I have binge-listened to a couple Tales for Our Time, but I have especially enjoyed the ones I've listened to each night as they are posted. This current tale is no exception.
If you'd like to know more about The Mark Steyn Club, please click here - and don't forget, for fellow fans of classic fiction and/or poetry, our Steyn Club Gift Membership.
~A fortnight from today, Thursday April 26th, I'll be speaking at the Ethan Allen Institute's 25th anniversary gala in Burlington, Vermont. The Green Mountain State is not exactly fertile soil for me in the Bernie era, but, if you're in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, upstate New York or Quebec, it's a short drive and we'll be delighted to see you. You can find more details here - and you can get 15 per cent off the ticket price if you enter the promo code EAIMARK. More details of upcoming live appearances in Florida and New York can be found here.
I'll see you back here tomorrow for Part Eight of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.