The next week, Dr. Jekyll received a letter from Miss Leigh politely refusing his kind offer. Jekyll was more than a little surprised. He read the letter twice through and then showed it to Mina. Mina seemed to be equally puzzled and showed it to Tom, who had no help to offer and showed it to Skinner. Skinner seemed to have no reaction whatsoever. He didn't seem surprised, but neither did he seem to have expected it. His face wasn't visible – he had been painting his face less often as of late – so it was impossible to tell by his expression what he was thinking. He read the letter, handed it back to Tom, and walked away without so much as a word. This reaction was almost as puzzling as the letter itself, and it made Jekyll suspicious. Had Skinner known Emily would refuse? If so, why hadn't he told anyone?
Had he told Emily to refuse?
It wasn't an improbable explanation. Emily was shy and could easily be persuaded, particularly by Skinner. It was difficult to imagine that Skinner could be so cruel as to take advantage of her trust in him. He was wayward and impertinent, but he was anything but vicious. Yet Jekyll couldn't put the thought out of his mind. The day after receiving the letter, he asked Skinner for a private meeting in the library.
"Mr. Skinner, there is something I feel I must speak to you about," he began, fiddling nervously with his watch. "I could be grossly mistaken on the matter, and I'm sure you'll forgive me if this is so."
"Sure," said Skinner nonchalantly. "Wot is it?"
Jekyll flipped the lid of his pocket watch open and shut with a furious energy as he asked, "Mr. Skinner, have you, in any way, influenced Miss Leigh's recent decision?"
Outwardly, Skinner didn't allow himself to appear at all affected by this question, but in reality nothing was further from the truth. How had Jekyll found out?
"Woy would Oi do a thing loike that?" he asked, taking a chair in the most indifferent manner possible.
"Well, your motivation is as yet unclear," said Jekyll, looking still more nervous as he continued to flip the watch lid open and shut.
"So you're accusing me of a croime without a motivation?" Skinner asked scornfully. "Sounds real plausible."
"I said the motivation was unclear." Jekyll finally looked up from the watch as he defended himself. "It simply doesn't seem…it doesn't seem possible that Miss Leigh would refuse. All evidence pointed to her acceptance."
"Maybe the risks outweighed the benefits," Skinner suggested with a roguish smile. Jekyll looked at him sharply.
"You 'ave to admit that it's an equally plausible explanation," Skinner said, leaning back on the arm of the chair.
"Yes, but it doesn't explain your strange behavior," said Jekyll. "That is what concerns me."
"Wot are you, moy father all of a sudden?" Skinner asked laughingly. "Moy behavior concerns you?"
"Yes, it does, but this isn't about you or I," said Jekyll. "It's about Miss Leigh, and what she wants."
"Well, Oi believe she told you very clearly in 'er letter wot she wants," said Skinner. "She wants you to leave 'er alone."
"Skinner…"
"An' if you'd asked me, Oi'd 'ave said that this wos about the fact that you can't take no for an answer, loike any otha doctor."
"Mr. Skinner, please, let's stay on the subject at hand."
"This is the subject at 'and!" said Skinner, standing up quite suddenly.
"There's no need to get excited," said Jekyll, taking a small step backward.
"If Oi'm wrong, then woy can't you accept 'er answer an' move on?" Skinner took a step forward as he spoke.
Instead of taking another step back, Jekyll stayed where he was.
"Was it Miss Leigh's answer, Mr. Skinner? Or was it yours?"
Skinner was silent for a moment as he retreated back to his chair.
"Oi can't make Emily do anything," he said at last.
"No," said Jekyll. "But your personality is stronger than hers. It happens all the time. She is timid and easily influenced, and you are brash and could easily influence. The situation is suspicious. If I were wrong, you would have told me so at once without getting agitated. I'm afraid you gave yourself away."
"So now you're a psychologist, too?" said Skinner.
"Why? Why did you do it, Skinner?" Jekyll persisted, with a wild gesture of his hand. "I thought you loved her."
"I do love 'er!" Skinner said angrily, getting on his feet again. "That's woy Oi did it. Because Oi love 'er."
"That's impossible," said Jekyll.
"Wot would you know?" Skinner said fiercely. "It's far more complicated than anythin' you'll read in any book, an' if you spent more toime livin' instead of just readin' about it, you'd know that."
"Pardon me, but I at least know that love – true love – is selfless," said Jekyll. "You don't seem to understand that."
"You 'ave no idea 'ow it is!" Skinner shouted. "You don't know wot it's loike to 'ave been nothing but a shadow all this toime. An' now 'ere's someone who sees me, sees me, Jekyll! She sees more than jus' the coat an' face paint that Oi am to you. She sees me, Rodney Skinner. She loves me. You can't begin to imagine wot it feels loike to be given that identity back. It wos somethin' Oi thought Oi'd never 'ave again."
"And now you can repay her by giving her something she thought she'd never have again," said Jekyll.
"Oi can't lose her," said Skinner, sounding a little too emotional for Jekyll's comfort. Emotional was not something he had ever seen Skinner be.
"Why should you lose her?" he asked.
"Take a good look at me," said Skinner contemptuously.
"And?" Jekyll asked.
"Oi'm a freak, Jekyll!" said Skinner. "If Emily ever sees me, she'll know that. There will be no more Rodney Skinner. Only the Invisible Man. She'll see me as everyone else does."
"If you don't trust her enough to give her a chance, then perhaps you were wrong for each other from the beginning," said Jekyll. "If you care for her at all, you will respect her right to an independent decision."
Without answering, Skinner turned and left. But he couldn't walk away from that conversation unaffected. The burning shame he'd felt upon initially lying to Emily was increased a hundred times over now that Jekyll had forced him to admit to his crime. In a way, he had been in denial of it. He went to his room, locked himself in, and felt absolutely no desire to ever leave that room again. At least here he had no chance of making a mess of anyone's life. He sat down at his desk and quickly penned a letter to Emily, telling her he had been mistaken in his opinion on the procedure and advising her to go ahead with it if that was what she chose. He laid his pen down. What was it he'd said to Jekyll?
If you spent more time living, instead of just reading about it, you'd know that.
Oh, the cruel hypocrisy of that statement! Henry Jekyll spent far more time living than he himself was able, for how could a shadow ever really live?
For Skinner, the day of the operation was comparable to Judgment Day. He didn't greet her, nor did anyone else but Jekyll, in order to deceive her into thinking that the Nautilus was Jekyll's workplace. In fact, Skinner didn't even come out of his room. Later that evening, Tom, upon passing by Skinner's door, thought he heard a strange muffled sound. It sounded like someone crying.
Skinner? Crying? he wondered. What could that be about?
He stood looking at the door for a moment. He was uncertain whether Skinner would appreciate his intrusion; he was uncertain whether he'd even heard the noise in the first place. He stepped closer to the door and put his ear against it. Skinner was crying. He stepped back and raised his hand to knock, but then doubts began to flood his mind. Would Skinner let him in? It wasn't likely. No one had ever been allowed into Skinner's room before. Would Skinner even answer? If he did, would he be angry? And finally, in the unlikely event that Skinner allowed him to enter, would he even know what to say?
Tom lowered his hand and continued on down the hallway.
Very late that night, after the operation had long been over and everyone was asleep, Skinner – dressed in his coat, gloves, sunglasses, and paint – stole down to the sick bay to see Emily. Jekyll was sleeping in the next room in case something should go wrong, but it didn't worry Skinner. He was an expert at not getting caught. He pulled a chair over to the bedside and simply sat there. After a few minutes, he reached out and touched her hand. She didn't stir, so he took her hand in his and sat like that for a long time. He didn't look up when he heard the doorknob turn. He waited expectantly to be turned out by Jekyll, but Jekyll's voice never came. Only Mina's.
"What are you up to at this hour?" she asked softly.
"Oi could ask you the same thing," said Skinner. Mina looked amused and crossed the room to stand beside him.
"Don't worry, Mr. Skinner," she said, placing a hand on his throat. "I don't fancy the taste of greasepaint."
Skinner didn't appear to be cheered by the jest.
"What's wrong?" Mina asked him.
"Woy should there be anything wrong?" Skinner replied. Mina rolled her eyes.
"Mr. Skinner, it's two o'clock in the morning," she said. "Something is wrong."
"We didn't quarrel, if that's wot you're getting at," said Skinner irately.
"What happened, then?" Mina asked.
"Nothing that concerns you," said Skinner. "Oi believe Oi told you that once."
"Why the aversion to discussion?" Mina wanted to know.
"Woy the aversion to leavin' me alone?" Skinner replied.
"Why do people frighten you so?" Mina insisted.
"People don't froighten me, all roight?" said Skinner. "Oi froighten them. 'Appy now?"
"You don't give yourself credit for your personality," said Mina.
"Wot good does personality do when Oi look loike this?" Skinner asked. "Anyway, wot are you doin' defendin' moy personality? It doesn't seem to appeal to you."
"The Invisible Man's personality doesn't appeal to me," said Mina. "But I like Rodney Skinner much better than I'd have expected. I've never found you so agreeable as I have these past six months."
"Well, you're in for a disappointment," said Skinner.
"Oh?"
"Rodney Skinner ceased to exist some years back."
"I don't believe that, and I don't believe you do, either. He's there somewhere. Through her disability, Emily brought your true personality out. All you have to do is learn how to let it out yourself."
"It's a near impossible task when you're always seen for wot you are, never who you are."
"Emily saw you," said Mina. "You said so yourself. Emily saw you for who you are because you allowed her to. If you would only allow the rest of the world…"
"It's not that simple," Skinner cut in.
"Yes, it is," Mina argued. "Everyone sees the Invisible Man because that's all you show them."
"That's all they care to know," said Skinner.
"Well, then it's your own fault for not trusting people enough to give them a chance," said Mina.
The next morning, Skinner hadn't moved from the chair. He was resolved that he would be the very first thing Emily saw that day, whether Jekyll liked it or not. The sun had just begun its ascent, and Skinner waited anxiously for Emily to awaken. What would she do when she saw him? Certainly she wouldn't recognize him, but would she be afraid? As the sun rose higher, lack of sleep made Skinner more nervous. Suppose she were afraid of him? How would he respond to that? He got up, paced around the room, sat down, got up, and paced again. The tension was positively maddening!
"Excuse me, sir."
Skinner stopped dead in his tracks.
"Are you…doctor Edward Hyde?"
"No," said Skinner.
"Who are you?" Emily asked.
Skinner hesitated. He couldn't tell her who he was. The words simply wouldn't come. He took her hand and looked at her for a moment.
"Sir?" Emily asked.
"A friend," he finally managed. He quickly kissed her cheek and walked out.
That was that. He could never see her again. It was possible he'd let her see too much already. If she recognized him, if his name got circulated in connection with hers, she would be in the greatest of danger. But he felt some comfort in knowing that he had been the first thing she had seen in three-odd years.
When Jekyll came in just moments after Skinner left, Emily immediately asked him, "You are a friend of Mr. John Smith's?"
"Indeed, I am," said Jekyll, taken aback by the question.
"Can you tell me what he looks like?" Emily asked.
"Do you mean that he's been to visit you?" Jekyll asked evasively.
"I'm not altogether sure," said Emily. "When I woke up there was a strange man sitting beside me. He was dressed completely in black, in a coat, gloves, and glasses, and his face was so pale that I was startled at first. I believe it was painted. He said only that he was a friend."
Jekyll didn't quite know what to say. Judging from the distinctive description, he had no doubt that the "strange man" had been Skinner. But if Skinner had purposely kept even his alias from Emily, he certainly must have had his reasons for doing so, and Jekyll felt it wasn't his place to interfere.
"The man certainly sounds like a unique character," was all he told her.
