CHAPTER 27: Summary (The Siege of Kemp’s House)
The next day, Dr Kemp received a letter. The letter was written by Griffin and he threatened to murder Dr Kemp for his treachery. He tells Kemp that he was taking charge. He wrote that Port Burdock was no longer under the Queen but under his `Reign of Terror’. He warned others not to come in his way. Dr Kemp saw this as an opportunity to lure Griffin out and finally arrest him. He wrote a note to Colonel Adye and sent one of the servants with it.
Colonel Adye arrived and informed Dr Kemp that the servant he had sent was assaulted by Griffin and the note had been taken away. Dr Kemp informed him of the letter and realised that he had made a mistake. It was a foolish plan. Suddenly, the windows of the house started getting smashed. The siege of Dr Kemp’s house had begun.
 Colonel Adye understood that they were no match for the Invisible Man and he had to get help. Griffin was on the prowl. Colonel Adye asked for a revolver and after some hesitation, Dr Kemp gave up his own. Adye ran out, but Griffin stopped him. He said that he could not let Adye go as he would get help. He wanted Adye to return to the house and had no intention of hurting him. But Adye tried to deceive Griffin and in the struggle, he got shot.
 Things went very still after that. But then the knocking began once again. Griffin had found an axe and used it to break through the shutters over a window. Dr Kemp knew that it would not hold out much longer and Griffin would soon get to him. However, the maid had arrived with two policemen who got pokers and waited for Griffin.  Griffin got in brandishing the revolver and the axe. Though ill-equipped the policemen started to struggle with him. A shot was fired but missed its spot. The other policeman brought the poker down and the revolver fell from Griffin’s hand. He said that he didn’t want to hurt the two. But they replied that they wanted to catch him. Then Griffin hurt one of them with the axe. The poker hit Griffin’s hand and forced him to run away. Dr Kemp and his housemaid also manage to escape.
 Q1. How does this chapter establish the fact that Griffin was a dangerous man who would not take Kemp’s betrayal lying down?
Ans. The fact that Griffin comes out of hiding to attack Dr Kemp despite knowing that the police had been alerted and the people were on the lookout for him, shows that he was a dangerous man and could not take Kemp’s betrayal lying down. He was aware that Dr Kemp had informed the police about his shortcomings and they definitely had an advantage over him, but his overconfidence and his belief in his own powers made him take the risk. It was also probably the fact that Dr Kemp symbolised all the setbacks and defeat that he had faced in life especially since becoming invisible. His behaviour showed him as a remorseless character who would risk everything than be arrested quietly.
