chapter-3

CHAPTER III In the early evening, Dr. Kemp was in his study

on the third floor of his house. He lived on a hill above Burdock. His study was a pleasant

little room with three windows, bookshelves covered with books and a big writing table.

Under one of the windows, there was a microscope and other scientific instruments and bottles.

Dr. Kemp was a tall, thin man, about thirty years old, with blond hair and a grey moustache.

He was busy writing. He lifted his head up and noticed the sun setting behind the hill.

He sat there, looking at the beautiful golden colour. Suddenly he noticed the figure of

a man running towards his house. It was a short little man in a hat and he was running fast.

He must be one of those silly people, he said to himself. Like the man telling me about

the invisible man this morning, why do people believe stupid stories? Dr. Kemp got up, went

to the window and watched the little figure. He seems to be in a hurry, he said, and went

back to his writing table. The people who were nearer could see the man more clearly. There

was terror in his face. He was going towards the main street where the lamps were being

lit. People were crowded on the street. As he passed them, people stopped and stared at

him and asked each other why the man was running so fast, and then, far up the hill, behind

Mr. Marvel, a dog gave a cry and ran under a gate. Something, like a wind, heavy footsteps,

a heavy breathing, was coming down the hill. People screamed. People jumped off the pavement.

They shouted as the thing passed them. They were escaping into their houses and shutting

the doors behind them. Fear had taken over the town. The invisible man is coming. The

invisible man, they shouted. There was an inn called the jolly cricketers at the bottom of

the hill. Inside, the waiter was chatting with a cabman, while a black bearded American

was having lunch and talking to a policeman.

What's the shouting about, said the cabman, trying to see up the hill through the window?

Somebody ran by outside.

A fire, perhaps, said the waiter. The door was pushed open and Mr. Marvel rushed in.

Coming, he cried, his voice shaking with terror. He's coming. The invisible man. He's

after me. Please help me. Shut the doors, said the policeman. Who's coming? He went to the

door and closed it. The American closed the other door.

Let me hide inside, said Mr. Marvel, still holding the books. Let me hide. I tell you,

he's after me. I escaped. He'll kill me.

You're safe, said the man with the black beard. The doors shut. What's it all about?

There was a loud knock at the lock door that made it shake. Mr. Marvel screamed in panic.

Let me go inside, he said, as the knocking continued.

Hello, cried the policeman. Who's there?

He'll kill me, shouted Mr. Marvel. He's got a knife or something, please.

Here, said the waiter. He opened the door of the parlour.

Come in here, he said, and Mr. Marvel went in.

Is this the invisible man, then? asked the man with the black beard. I guess it's about

time we saw him. The window of the inn was suddenly broken in. People were shouting and

running around in the street. The four men were by the window, looking out to see who

was at the door. It's him, said the policeman. Everything was suddenly quiet.

Once we opened the door, he will come in, he said.

Don't open that door, said the cab man anxiously.

Unlock the door, said the man with the black beard. If he comes, he took out a gun.

You can't do that, said the policeman. That's murder.

I won't shoot him, said the bearded man. I'm just going to scare him.

Slowly he moved to the door, holding the gun behind him.

Come in, he said. No one came in, and the door was still closed.

Five minutes later, Mr. Marvel came out of the parlour.

Are all the doors of the house shut? He asked.

He's going around the house, he's very smart.

Oh no, cried the waiter, suddenly remembering something.

There's a back door into the kitchen. He rushed to the kitchen.

In a minute, he returned with a knife in his hand.

The back door was open, he said.

He may be in the house now, said the cab man.

As the man with the beard put his gun back into his pocket, the door opened with a loud noise.

A moment later, the parlour door burst open.

Mr. Marvel let out a cry, and the men ran to his help.

The American fired his gun, and the mirror at the back of the parlour came crashing down.

As the waiter entered the room, he saw Mr. Marvel being pulled into the kitchen.

The policeman and the cab man rushed into the kitchen.

The policeman caught hold of the invisible hand that held Marvel, but he was struck in the face and fell down.

Then the cab man caught something.

I've got him, he said.

The waiter caught the man on the other side.

Here he is, he said.

Mr. Marvel suddenly dropped to the ground.

He tried to hide behind the legs of the men.

When the policeman stepped on the invisible man's foot, he cried out and kicked the cab man in the stomach.

Suddenly the men found themselves holding on to empty air.

Where's he gone?

Cried the man with the beard.

This way, said the policeman, stepping into the yard.

A piece of rock flew by his head and smashed on the kitchen table.

I'll show him, shouted the man with the black beard.

He took out his gun and fired five shots.

A silence followed.

Let's find his body, he said.

Dr. Kemp was writing in his study when he heard the shots.

Crack, crack, crack, they came one after the other.

What's this?

He asked himself, pausing and listening.

Who's firing guns in Birdock?

He went to the window, pulled it up and looked out.

It was dark.

He could only see the bright windows of the town.

Then he noticed a crowd by the jolly cricketers.

He looked towards the sea far away and saw the ship's lights shining.

The moon hung over the hill and the stars were clear and bright.

After watching the view for a while, he pulled down the window and returned to his writing desk.

About an hour later, the doorbell rang.

He sat listening.

He heard the maid answer the door and waited for her to come upstairs, but she did not.

I wonder what that was, said Dr. Kemp to himself.

He tried to go back to his work, but he could not.

He went downstairs and rang the bell for the maid, who came straight away.

Was that a letter?

He asked.

No one was there, sir, she answered.

He felt uneasy.

He went back to his study.

Soon he was hard at work again and the only sounds in the room were the ticking of the clock

and the sound of his pen moving on paper.

It was two o 'clock when Dr. Kemp finished his work for the night.

He got up, yawned and went downstairs to get some water.

As he was about to go back, he noticed a dark spot on the stairs.

He bent down and touched the spot.

It looked like drying blood.

He returned upstairs, looking around and trying to explain the blood.

Suddenly he saw something and stopped.

There was blood on the handle of his bedroom door.

He looked at his own hand.

It was quite clean.

He remembered that he had not touched the handle because the door of his room had been open when he came.

He went in calmly and looked at the bed.

There was blood on it and the sheet was torn.

The other side of the bed looked as if someone had been sitting there.

Then he heard a low voice say, Kemp.

Dr. Kemp was an educated man and did not believe in voices.

He stood staring at the bed.

Was that really a voice?

He looked around again.

Then he heard a movement across the room.

He had a strange feeling.

Suddenly he noticed a bandage hanging in midair.

There was blood on it.

He stared at it in surprise.

It was properly tied but quite empty.

He raised his arm to hold it, but a touch stopped him.

Kemp said the voice.

A said Kemp.

His mouth open.

Don't be frightened, said the voice.

I'm an invisible man.

Kemp made no answer but simply stared at the bandage.

I am the invisible man, repeated the voice.

I thought it was all a lie, said Kemp.

Are you wearing a bandage?

Yes, on my arm, said the invisible man.

Oh, said Kemp.

But this is nonsense.

It must be some trick.

He moved forward and his hand touched an invisible arm.

His color changed.

Kemp, said the voice.

I need your help.

A hand touched Kemp's arm.

He pushed it away.

Kemp cried the voice.

Kemp, listen to me.

Kemp wished to get away.

The hand touched his shoulder and he was suddenly pushed onto the bed.

He opened his mouth to shout, but the corner of the sheet was pushed between his teeth.

He tried to fight back with all his strength.

Listen to me, will you, said the invisible man.

Stop moving, he shouted in Kemp's ear.

Kemp struggled for another moment and then stopped.

If you shout, I'll smash your face, said the invisible man, taking the sheet out of his

mouth.

I'm an invisible man.

It's no magic.

And I want your help.

I don't want to hurt you.

Don't you remember me, Kemp?

Griffin.

Let me get up, said Kemp.

He sat up and felt his neck.

I'm Griffin from university.

I'm just an ordinary man.

Griffin, said Kemp.

A younger student answered the voice.

Remember?

Tall?

Very light hair?

A pink face?

I won the medal for chemistry.

I am confused, said Kemp.

Where is Griffin?

I am Griffin.

That's horrible, said Kemp.

How did you become invisible?

Yes, it is horrible.

But I'm injured, in pain and tired.

Kemp, you are a good man.

Give me some food and drink and let me sit down.

Kemp watched as the bandage moved across the room.

Then he saw a chair pulled across the floor, stopping near the bed.

The seat sank a little as if someone had sat on it.

Kemp rubbed his eyes and felt his neck again.

Give me some water, said the voice.

Kemp got up and poured a glass of water.

He turned around to give it to the man.

Where are you?

There!

Water!

Kemp felt the glass taken from his hand.

It moved in the air and stopped in front of the chair.

I don't believe it, he said.

I must be mad.

Nonsense, said the voice.

I'm starving and I need some clothes.

Kemp brought him a pair of trousers, a shirt and a dressing gown.

These, he asked.

The clothes were taken from him.

They hung in the air for a moment, buttoned themselves and sat down in the chair.

Socks and slippers too, said the invisible man, and food.

This is the craziest thing I have ever seen, said Kemp, as he brought socks and slippers.

He went downstairs to get some food.

He came back with some cold meat and bread and placed them on a small table in front of his guest.

A piece of meat hung in mid -air and then disappeared.

Is your arm all right, asked Kemp?

It hurts, replied the invisible man.

This is all very strange.

Not at all, said the invisible man as he ate.

But how is it done, asked Kemp?

It's all so unbelievable.

Quite reasonable, said the invisible man.

What were the gunshots?

There was a man.

He was helping me.

He stole my money.

Is he invisible too?

No.

Well, did you shoot him?

No.

Can I finish my food before I tell you all that?

I'm hungry and in pain.

And you want me to tell stories?

Kemp got up.

You didn't do the shooting?

He asked.

Not me, replied his visitor.

A man I'd never seen fired his gun.

A lot of them got scared.

I want more food, Kemp.

Kemp brought some more food.

The invisible man finished the food.

I'm lucky to be here with you, Kemp, he said.

You haven't changed much.

I must tell you.

We will work together.

But how was it done, asked Kemp?

Please let me rest.

I will tell you later.

His arm was growing painful.

He was exhausted and had a fever.

He started talking about marvel.

He spoke angrily.

He was afraid of me.

He repeated over and over.

He wanted to run away.

I should have killed him.

Where did you get the money?

Asked Kemp.

I can't tell you tonight, said the invisible man.

Kemp, I haven't slept for three days.

I must sleep soon.

You can sleep in this room.

But how can I sleep?

I don't want to be caught.

Kemp told him he was safe.

But the invisible man refused to believe it.

He checked the two windows of the bedroom.

Outside the night was very quiet and still.

Then he examined the key to the bedroom door.

Finally, he agreed to go to bed.

I'm sorry I can't tell you about everything tonight, said the invisible man.

Believe me, I have made a discovery.

I wanted to keep it a secret.

I can't.

I must have someone to help me and you.

We can do great things together.

But tomorrow, good night.

Good night, said Kemp and shook his invisible hand.

He walked out of the room and went downstairs to the dining room.

He lit the lamp and walked up and down the room, thinking.

The day's newspapers were lying on the coffee table.

They were full of stories about the strange events in Iping.

He read them one by one.

A vicar's house robbed.

A policeman nearly dead.

A shopkeeper seriously injured.

Windows broken.

He was shocked at what he had read.

He dropped the paper and stared blankly in front of him.

Next morning, Kemp was still up.

He was too excited to sleep.

He waited for the morning's paper to come.

There was not much in it, except another story about the events in Birdock

and the jolly cricketers.

He is invisible, he thought to himself.

It seems that he is going mad.

The things he may do.

What should I do?

He went to his desk and wrote a letter.

On the envelope he wrote,

Colonel Adai, Port Birdock Police.

Then he heard the invisible man moving in the bedroom upstairs.

He heard a crash and rushed upstairs and knocked on the door.

The invisible man opened the door.

What's the matter?

He asked.

Nothing.

The crash?

I lost my temper, said the invisible man.

I forgot about my arm.

It hurts badly.

You lose your temper easily.

I do.

Your story is in the papers, said Kemp.

The events in Iping and Birdock.

Your secrets out.

But of course, I want to help you.

The invisible man sat down on the bed.

There's breakfast upstairs in my study, said Kemp, leading the way.

But before we can do anything,

I must understand a little more about you.

They sat down at the breakfast table.

It's simple, said Griffin.

It may be simple to you, Kemp laughed.

Tell me about it.

Well, I discovered the formula at Chezelstow.

Chezelstow?

I went there after I left London.

I studied physics.

I've always been interested in light.

Ah!

I was 22 and full of enthusiasm.

I decided to devote my life to this.

So, I worked day and night.

Six months later, I came up with an idea,

a way to change the human body.

Sadly, it's all in the journals that marvel stole from me.

Think about it, Kemp.

If you break a piece of glass into tiny pieces

and turn it into powder,

it is much more visible while it is in the air.

But when you put it into water,

it becomes invisible.

Yes, said Kemp.

Materials like white paper, cotton, wool,

and wood are like glass.

They are made of a kind of powder,

so they are transparent.

And bone, flesh, nerves and nails are transparent too.

Almost every part of the human body is transparent.

Only the blood is not.

He stood up and started walking up and down the little study.

I went on working, he continued.

I had to find a way to make the blood transparent.

And by accident, I discovered a way.

Blood can be made white.

Unbelievable, cried Kemp.

I remember the night I made that discovery.

I was alone in my laboratory.

I realized I could make someone invisible.

I could be invisible myself.

I thought about the power and the freedom I could have.

So I kept working.

Three years later I gave up.

I was helpless.

Why?

Asked Kemp.

Money? replied Griffin.

I needed a lot of money.

I stole it from my father.

When he found out he was very mad at me.

He has not spoken to me since then.

He was standing in front of the window looking outside.

Kemp sat in silence,

staring at the back of the figure at the window.

You are tired, he said.

Come sit down on my chair.

He stood up and went to the window.

Griffin sat down.

After a pause he continued.

It happened last December, he said.

After I took the money I went to London.

I rented a room in a big house on Great Portland Street.

I bought lots of equipment with the money.

I did my experiments in my room.

At last, my dream was becoming real.

I knew I was approaching the end.

Griffin paused again.

He took a deep breath and continued.

I will tell you all the details Kemp.

But we don't need to talk about them now.

Most of the information is written in those journals that Marvel has stolen from me.

We must find him.

My first experiment was with a piece of white wool.

It was so strange to see it become soft and white and then disappear.

I could not believe it.

I put my hand into the emptiness and I could touch it.

And then I heard a noise behind me.

I turned and saw a dirty white cat outside the window.

A thought came into my head.

I opened the window and let her in.

She was starving so I gave her some milk.

Then I washed her and made her a comfortable bed.

And you made her invisible?

asked Kemp.

Yes, by giving her drugs.

How long did it take?

The experiment took three or four hours.

It was night by then and the cat was asleep.

I was very tired so I went to bed.

In the middle of the night she began meowing.

I tried to calm her down by talking to her, but she didn't stop.

So I opened the window.

I guess it went out because the meowing stopped.

You mean there's an invisible cat out there?

said Kemp.

Yes, said the invisible man.

Why not?

I know it was alive four days later.

I saw some people on the street looking for her.

They could hear the meowing but could not find her.

I clearly remember that morning before the change.

It was a sunny day in January.

I was tired trying to decide what step to take next.

I knew what I had to do.

I was running out of money so I had to do it.

I had something to eat and went to sleep.

I woke up to a knock at the door.

It was my landlord.

He asked if I had been hurting a cat in the night.

I said I did not know about any cat.

He looked around in my room and started asking questions.

What was I doing?

Was it dangerous?

Was it illegal?

Suddenly I lost my temper.

I pushed him out of the door and locked it.

He made some noise outside but after a time he went away.

But I was worried.

I did not know what he would do.

If he went to the police they would search my room.

I did not have time to move to a new place and I didn't have much money left.

I knew what I had to do.

I had to disappear.

After I made my decision I acted quickly.

I took my three journals and rushed to the post office on Great Portland Street.

I rented a postal box and left them there.

Then I returned home.

I was ready.

I did it that night.

I took the drugs.

At first I felt sleepy and sick.

A few hours later there was a knock at the door.

I ignored it but the knocking continued.

It was my landlord who was shouting telling me he wanted me out of his room.

I went to the door and opened it.

I remember the look on his face when he saw me.

He was shocked and frightened.

He dropped his candle and ran off.

I shut the door and went to the mirror.

I understood his terror.

My face was white like a ghost.

It was a long night.

I had not expected so much pain.

My body felt like it was on fire.

It was terrible.

When the sun came up the pain had passed.

I lifted my hands to look at them.

They were transparent like glass and then they disappeared slowly.

I got up.

I felt like a baby walking on legs I could not see.

I slept until noon covering my eyes with a sheet to block the light.

Then I was woken up again by a knock at the door.

I got up very quietly and listened.

It was my landlord and his son.

They knocked again.

To gain time I answered them.

Then I opened the window, climbed out and shut it behind me.

It was too high for me to jump so I stood on the window sill.

I saw the old man and his son enter my room.

This made me very angry.

The two men were very surprised to find the room empty.

The younger one rushed to the window and opened it.

He was looking outside, trying to find me.

His bearded face came very close to mine.

I was so angry that I could hurt him but I stopped myself.

They searched the room and could not find me.

But then I realized that I could not let anyone find my papers and my equipment.

As the men were talking I climbed back into the room and went downstairs.

Ten minutes later I heard them leave my room.

I went back upstairs and found some paper and placed it in the middle of the room.

Then I lit a fire.

You set the house on fire, said Kemp.

I did, replied the invisible man.

It was the only way to keep my secret.

I left the house quietly.

I was invisible.

My head was full of the amazing things that I could do.

The invisible man continued telling his story.

That's how my new life began last January.

I had nowhere to go and no one to help me.

I could not share my secret with anyone.

My only goal was to find some shelter from the snow and to find some clothes to keep warm.

I went into a department store, waited until closing time and found a shirt, a pair of wool pants, a jacket and a coat.

Once I put them on, I began to feel human again.

Then I went to the food section and had a good meal.

In the toy section I found some fake noses.

Finally I went to the furniture section and found a comfortable bed and fell asleep.

When I woke up early next morning, I heard people talking.

Two men had seen me.

I quickly jumped out of bed and ran.

They were chasing me around the store so I had to take off my clothes.

I stood watching them look for me.

I was very disappointed that I had lost my clothes.

I waited for a few hours until the day became warmer and left the store.

Where did you go from there, asked Kemp?

I was in a very bad condition.

Once again, I had no shelter, no clothes and I couldn't eat.

I noticed that the food I ate was visible for some time.

I had not thought of that, said Kemp.

Another problem was the snow.

If I stayed under the snow, it would collect on me and people could see me.

The same was true for rain and fog.

That's why I decided to leave London.

I walked back to Great Portland Street.

I went to a shop that sold costumes for theatres.

It was an old -fashioned shop with a house on the top floor.

I entered through the door which made the bell ring.

My plan was to find a costume, a mask and a pair of glasses.

And I would also take some money.

A few minutes later, an old man appeared.

He looked around and was angry because he could see no one.

Those boys, he said angrily.

After checking the door, he went back into his house through the back door.

He had left it open, so I followed him quietly into a strange little room.

The man sat down to finish his breakfast.

I could not look around the house while he was there because I could not move at all.

At last he finished eating and took his tray into the kitchen.

He became suspicious that there was someone in the house.

I followed him around the house as he inspected the rooms.

Finally, he went into a room and shut the door.

I could finally look around the house.

In a room, I found a lot of old clothes.

I must have made some noise because the old man came in with a gun in his hand.

It's her, he said to himself.

Then he left the room and locked the door.

I did not know what to do.

I felt very angry.

I went back to the clothes, and as I did so, I accidentally knocked over a vise.

The old man came back.

He stood in the middle of the room, looking amazed.

I was so angry with him that I could not control myself.

I knew that he was alone in the house, so I knocked him on the head with a chair.

You knocked him on the head, asked Kemp.

Yes, I hit him from behind.

He fell down the stairs.

But that's a crime.

I had no other choice.

I had to get out of that house.

I tied him up in a sheet.

What?

My dear Kemp, you think I am a thief, but I had to do it.

He had a gun.

But the man was in his own house, and you were robbing him.

But you must understand.

It wasn't my fault.

That fool was looking for me.

Kemp wanted to say more, but he stopped himself.

He decided to change the subject.

What did you do next?

He asked.

I went into the kitchen and had some food.

Then I searched the place, found some clothes, and got dressed.

I found a mask, a pair of dark glasses, a fake beard, and a wig.

Then I looked for money and found eight pounds in the house and five pounds in the shop.

I was ready.

I checked myself in the mirror.

With some hesitation, I opened the shop door and walked out into the street.

What about the old man?

Asked Kemp.

I don't know anything about him.

Then what happened?

I was feeling very confident.

I thought I could do anything I wanted.

No one could stop me.

I went back to the post office and picked up my journals.

Then I found a nice restaurant and ordered lunch.

But then I realized that I could not eat without taking off my mask.

I left the restaurant feeling annoyed.

I went to another restaurant and asked for a private room.

There I was able to have lunch.

I sat there thinking about what I would do.

A snowstorm was beginning outside.

Why did you go to Eaping?

Ask Kemp.

I went there to work, said the invisible man.

I decided to become visible again.

That's why I need your help now.