The four men were taken to Lanyon's bedroom, where Utterson claimed that Lanyon had been resting in secret since his alleged death. The other men were incredulous, of course, but Lanyon's butler acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary. He lead the men inside. All of them except Utterson gasped in horror.
Before them, in his bed, was the form of Lanyon, his eyes closed and it seemed to all the world as if he were deep in sleep.
"Sir?" Asked Lanyon's butler, tentatively. "Are you awake? You have guests. It is Utterson, Jaule, Poole, and... well, Jekyll, Sir."
"Jekyll?!" The man instantly became aware.
There was another collective gasp.
"Lanyon!" Jekyll choked, miserably.
"My God!" Jaule could not hold his tongue.
Poole said nothing, his eyes glassed over with fright.
Utterson stepped forward, smiling with something akin to triumph. "See!" He exclaimed. "I told you! He is alive!" Then the old man turned to Jekyll. "Jekyll..." He said, calmly. "I think that you might want to..."
But Lanyon cut him off, with a fierce tone. "I do not want that man in my house!" And so it had begun.
Jekyll sighed, looking away in frustration. "When have you ever wanted me in your house?" Then he checked himself. "Excuse me, I... I do not understand!" He exclaimed, suddenly, again taken by shock. "But you are dead!"
"I am very much alive, thank you nothing for it, Doctor Jekyll." Lanyon squinted at the younger doctor, harshly.
"Why have you faked your death?!" Demanded Jekyll, angrily.
"Yes... Lanyon... This is disgusting..." Jaule trailed off into silence, unable to form words. "Why... Why have you done this to your poor old friends? We love you, Lanyon! It grieved us so when we learned of your... of your death! Why ever would you stage such a horrible thing?!"
Lanyon grunted. "It was because of that horrible man there. It was because of that... that disgrace of a physician! Jekyll Lionel!"
Jaule was angered by this. "If I was not so taken aback by all of this, I would... Lanyon, I can not believe what I am hearing! Are you trying to tell me that you have faked your death because of my brother, Jekyll?! Jekyll, who loves you so?!"
"That man is a monster!" Shouted Lanyon, then he coughed, pathetically.
Lanyon's butler decided that it was time to take his leave. Obviously, the conversation was turning personal.
"If you do not mind, good Sirs." He interrupted, momentarily. "I do not wish to eavesdrop on your discussion. I will be off now." And the man left them to themselves.
Jekyll began to back up, uncomfortably. "Jaule does not... He does not..." He was tired of the lies, but... he couldn't handle the pain of the truth!
"I do not know what?" Demanded Jaule, turning harshly on Jekyll. "What is this man ranting about? What have you done to make him act so?!" Then he turned on Lanyon. "Certainly, there is nothing in this world so horrible, so terrible that Jekyll deserves such an unjust punishment?!"
Lanyon grumbled something inaudible to himself, then coughed again. "I may not be dead, but I am certainly on my death bed because of that man! Ever since he revealed his secret to me, I have been so ill that I can barely walk across my own bedroom floor!"
"Secret?" The word was like poison on Jaule's lips. He turned to Jekyll, frantically. "What secret?" His tone was so controlling that Jekyll flinched.
"That man... That man... He is...!" But Lanyon could not finish.
"Silence!" Ordered Utterson, in a loud, roaring voice. "That is enough, both of you."
"I have barely said anything!" Retorted Jekyll, in irritation.
"I said that is enough!" Utterson would not be deterred. "This is a joyous occasion." He said, hastily, wishing to spare Jaule the truth until he was properly made ready for it. "Let us not quarrel." The lawyer turned to Lanyon. "Jaule is not aware of this secret. We will discuss it another time." He turned to Jaule. "Let it go for now, Jaule. It is not... 'important' at the moment."
"Important!" Laughed Lanyon. "It is hardly not important!"
"What is this that has been kept from me?" Demanded Jaule, impatiently. "I will know now, and I will know all of it."
"No." Said Utterson, firmly. "This is not the place for it."
Now Utterson was a tall man, with white hair and blue eyes. He was an impressive figure, lean but intimidating, and he put a fear in a man that went up against him. But Jaule was a large man himself, and he was not at all afraid of Utterson.
"You have dragged me from the comfort of my brother's house and the company of my family to make this ghastly journey into this ghastly house to see this ghastly, liar of a man! Then I hear that my brother is daringly accused of a crime so terrible, it is without any honour or justification that such an accusation be made against my own blood...! Now, tell me, Utterson, why am I being denied the right to understand the meaning of such an uproar?!"
Utterson held out a hand in protest. "Richard and I will explain it all to you later. Now is not the time!"
"I demand to know what evil falsehood is being said about my brother!" Ordered Jaule, angrily.
"I swear that you will know and that you will know the full story!" Reassured Utterson. "Poole will help us. Will you not, Poole?"
"Yes, yes, of course." But Poole felt as if he was betraying his master, even to tell his own brother. He couldn't help it. It felt wrong. What if they couldn't trust Jaule?
Jaule looked to both men, menacingly. "I will know the truth. I will have it on the word of both of you." He then turned to Lanyon. "Now... You tell me... what is your condition and why do you continue to hide here?"
Lanyon scoffed. "My condition and my reason for remaining in my house is so tied to your brother that I dare not speak it less I be scolded by Utterson and his pet, Poole, over there!"
Poole shifted, uncomfortably. Utterson merely sighed, holding his head in frustration. Jaule huffed, thoroughly frustrated himself.
"I fear that my soul is broken." Admitted Lanyon finally, in a softened voice.
"The condition of your soul takes you to bed?" Asked Jaule, almost disbelievingly. "And you blame this on Jekyll?"
"Jaule, we made an oath to you!" Reminded Utterson.
"Yes, yes, what ever!" Jaule was disgusted with the whole affair.
"I can not bear life any more. My heart has been shattered." Said the old doctor, sadly. "And it is all the fault of that man over there you call your brother!"
"Lanyon!" Utterson scolded.
Lanyon became silent, as did everyone else. The only sound that broke the quietness was Jaule breaking out into tears. Then, "I can not believe this." Sobbed the man. "I can not believe that all of this has happened. I can not believe that you would lie about something so completely destructive and so willingly plunge all of us into such madness of despair! Do you not realize what you have done to Father's heart?! Do you not realize what seclusion you have intensified in Gene?! Do you not realize the voice that you have helped steal of Mozart, and the life that you have drained of me?! We suffered miserably because we thought that a good, a good friend of our family had perished! How can you ever expect us to forgive you for this?!"
"You will come to understand." Said Lanyon, helplessly, rolling his head away from Jaule's burning face. "You will come to understand. And then... we will see who your anger boils against, who causes your hatred to foam."
Jaule could do nothing but cry and turn away. He utterly believed none of it. In his mind, Jekyll had never done anything so wrong as to cause anyone to act in such a manner. It was a tragedy!
Jekyll was silent. Poole was nervous.
"Jekyll..." Begged Jaule. "Tell me that you do not accept this."
Jekyll said nothing, breaking his brother's tear stricken gaze when he could not hold it for shame. Of course, Jaule understood nothing of the other doctor's emotions.
"Jekyll..." Started Lanyon, a smile creeping onto his face. "You look well." He turned to face the younger man. "Too well. I would expect that you would be flattened in a bed like me. I heard that you have changed. That you have... decided to mend your ways. But you are fine!" His voice was full of disdain. "Perfectly fine. Walking and talking and everything. What manner of filth are you, really?"
"That is enough!" Cried Jaule, angrily.
"It is not like I steal trains from little boys and then break them and set them on fire." Retorted Jekyll, hypocritically.
Lanyon scoffed, almost breaking out into full laughter in his bitter amusement.
"I knew that we would never get through this without some kind of calamity occurring between you two." Sighed Utterson.
"You savagely attacked your little brother that day, and I merely threw that toy into the hearth like you rightfully deserved! You talk of it as if I were some arsonist!" Lanyon was gravely ill, but apparently ready for an argument with Jekyll no matter what the circumstance.
"I was only ten!" Shot back Jekyll, leaning forward in his rage.
"And your brother was like an infant then!" Exclaimed Lanyon.
"He was almost six years old! And I was only ten!" Insisted the younger doctor. "Only ten!"
"Excuses, excuses!" Complained Lanyon, throwing his arms up. "You have done nothing but make excuses for yourself ever since you could talk!"
"You have done nothing but talk rubbish of me and destroy my personal belongings since my earliest memories of you!" Replied Jekyll.
"You were a demon child!" Claimed Lanyon, furiously. "And you are still a demon!"
"I am merely...! I am merely...!" Jekyll tried to catch himself before he did what Jaule had been trying to force him to do back at his house. "I am... I am..."
"Yes...?" Jaule lit up, expectantly.
"I am sick and tired of all of this!" Shouted Poole, suddenly.
All of the men stared at him.
"Jekyll!" The butler pointed an accusing finger at the doctor. "You are a hellion! And Lanyon!" He then pointed at the man laying in bed. "We do not need you to remind us of every misdeed that Jekyll has committed!" Poole then stomped out of the room. "When you all are done quarrelling with one another, you will find me outside waiting quite alone by myself!"
Utterson couldn't help but sigh again. "I think that we have disturbed you long enough for today, Lanyon. I merely needed to prove that you were still alive. I knew that all of this would happen."
Lanyon said nothing, resolving himself to ignore Jekyll. Then, "It is not your fault, Utterson. You are a good man. Unlike some people I know."
Jekyll huffed, and then turned to join Poole in the hallway. Jaule did not move. His eyes lingered on the resting form of Doctor Lanyon. Utterson lingered with him. After several minutes had passed and there was some quiet conversation between Utterson and Lanyon, the remaining two men exited the room.
"Well..." Said Jaule, quietly. "Let us be off."
Jekyll wordlessly followed his brother, Poole trailing behind him. Utterson remained still for a moment more, briefly turning back to catch a glance of Lanyon through the door, and then he walked after the other men.