Mister Guest had been attending me, to cover some last items for the week. It was a fine spring day, so we had had no need for the fire, and yet, I don't believe it fanciful that when Mister Guest opened the front door to leave, revealing Doctor Jekyll on the stoop, I am sure I felt a chill run through me. Something in his eye struck at my very core. Of course, I said nothing to this effect, but merely greeted him. 'Doctor Jekyll, what a surprise. It has been too long since last I saw you.'

We both bid farewell to Mister Guest, and I ushered Doctor Jekyll inside. I contemplated taking him into my office, for he seemed overly serious and agitated and I felt that something must have happened that required my finest legal acumen, and yet he made no dissent when I changed my mind and took him into the drawing room. The maid came to my call, and I ordered tea. As we sat and sipped, I did my best to bring him out of himself by telling him tales of some of my recent cases. It had been some time since I had seen him, and I had many interesting tales to tell him. In turn, he seemed to recover some of his normal demeanour and told me about recent events in science that I must confess were meaningless to me, but seemed to be pleasing to him. In truth, the chill I had felt on first seeing my old friend had not left me, and I was unsure whether I wished to broach the reason for his visit for fear of what I might learn. There was a lean and hungry look in his eye that I had seen in some of my more desperate clients, and I did not care for it.