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  Ientreatyou。

  Theladhesitated,andlookedoveratLordHenry,whowaswatchingthemfromthetea-tablewithanamusedsmile。

  Imustgo,Basil,heanswered。

  Verywell,saidHallward,andhewentoverandlaiddownhiscuponthetray。Itisratherlate,and,asyouhavetodress,youhadbetterlosenotime。Good-bye,Harry。Good-bye,Dorian。Comeandseemesoon。Cometo-morrow。

  Certainly。

  Youwon’tforget?

  No,ofcoursenot,criedDorian。

  And……Harry!

  Yes,Basil?

  RememberwhatIaskedyou,whenwewereinthegardenthismorning。

  Ihaveforgottenit。

  Itrustyou。

  IwishIcouldtrustmyself,saidLordHenry,laughing。Come,Mr。Gray,myhansomisoutside,andIcandropyouatyourownplace。Good-bye,Basil。Ithasbeenamostinterestingafternoon。

  Asthedoorclosedbehindthem,thepainterflunghimselfdownonasofa,andalookofpaincameintohisface。

  ThePictureofDorianGray:Chapter3Chapter3Athalf-pasttwelvenextdayLordHenryWottonstrolledfromCurzonStreetovertotheAlbanytocallonhisuncle,LordFermor,agenialifsomewhatrough-manneredoldbachelor,whomtheoutsideworldcalledselfishbecauseitderivednoparticularbenefitfromhim,butwhowasconsideredgenerousbySocietyashefedthepeoplewhoamusedhim。HisfatherhadbeenourambassadoratMadridwhenIsabellawasyoungandPrimunthoughtof,buthadretiredfromthediplomaticserviceinacapriciousmomentofannoyanceonnotbeingofferedtheEmbassyatParis,aposttowhichheconsideredthathewasfullyentitledbyreasonofhisbirth,hisindolence,thegoodEnglishofhisdispatches,andhisinordinatepassionforpleasure。Theson,whohadbeenhisfather’ssecretary,hadresignedalongwithhischief,somewhatfoolishlyaswasthoughtatthetime,andonsucceedingsomemonthslatertothetitle,hadsethimselftotheseriousstudyofthegreataristocraticartofdoingabsolutelynothing。Hehadtwolargetownhouses,butpreferredtoliveinchambersasitwaslesstrouble,andtookmostofhismealsathisclub。HepaidsomeattentiontothemanagementofhiscollieriesintheMidlandcounties,excusinghimselfforthistaintofindustryonthegroundthattheoneadvantageofhavingcoalwasthatitenabledagentlemantoaffordthedecencyofburningwoodonhisownhearth。InpoliticshewasaTory,exceptwhentheTorieswereinoffice,duringwhichperiodheroundlyabusedthemforbeingapackofRadicals。Hewasaherotohisvalet,whobulliedhim,andaterrortomostofhisrelations,whomhebulliedinturn。OnlyEnglandcouldhaveproducedhim,andhealwayssaidthatthecountrywasgoingtothedogs。Hisprincipleswereoutofdate,buttherewasagooddealtobesaidforhisprejudices。

  WhenLordHenryenteredtheroom,hefoundhisunclesittinginaroughshooting-coat,smokingacherootandgrumblingoverTheTimes。

  Well,Harry,saidtheoldgentleman,whatbringsyououtsoearly?I

  thoughtyoudandiesnevergotuptilltwo,andwerenotvisibletillfive。

  Purefamilyaffection,Iassureyou,UncleGeorge。Iwanttogetsomethingoutofyou。

  Money,Isuppose,saidLordFermor,makingawryface。Well,sitdownandtellmeallaboutit。Youngpeople,nowadays,imaginethatmoneyiseverything。

  Yes,murmuredLordHenry,settlinghisbutton-holeinhiscoat。

  andwhentheygrowoldertheyknowit。ButIdon’twantmoney。Itisonlypeoplewhopaytheirbillswhowantthat,UncleGeorge,andIneverpaymine。Creditisthecapitalofayoungerson,andonelivescharminglyuponit。Besides,IalwaysdealwithDartmoor’stradesmen,andconsequentlytheyneverbotherme。WhatIwantisinformation:notusefulinformation,ofcourse。uselessinformation。

  Well,IcantellyouanythingthatisinanEnglishBlueBook,Harry,althoughthosefellowsnowadayswritealotofnonsense。WhenI

  wasintheDiplomatic,thingsweremuchbetter。ButIheartheylettheminnowbyexamination。Whatcanyouexpect?Examinations,sir,arepurehumbugfrombeginningtoend。Ifamanisagentleman,heknowsquiteenough,andifheisnotagentleman,whateverheknowsisbadforhim。

  Mr。DorianGraydoesnotbelongtoBlueBooks,UncleGeorge,

  saidLordHenrylanguidly。

  Mr。DorianGray?Whoishe?askedLordFermor,knittinghisbushywhiteeyebrows。

  ThatiswhatIhavecometolearn,UncleGeorge。Orrather,I

  knowwhoheis。HeisthelastLordKelso’sgrandson。HismotherwasaDevereux,LadyMargaretDevereaux。Iwantyoutotellmeabouthismother。

  Whatwasshelike?Whomdidshemarry?Youhaveknownnearlyeverybodyinyourtime,soyoumighthaveknownher。IamverymuchinterestedinMr。Grayatpresent。Ihaveonlyjustmethim。

  Kelso’sgrandson!echoedtheoldgentleman。Kelso’sgrandson!……Ofcourse……Iknewhismotherintimately。IbelieveIwasatherchristening。Shewasanextraordinarilybeautifulgirl,MargaretDevereux,andmadeallthemenfranticbyrunningawaywithapennilessyoungfellow——

  amerenobody,sir,asubalterninafootregiment,orsomethingofthatkind。Certainly。Irememberthewholethingasifithappenedyesterday。

  ThepoorchapwaskilledinaduelatSpaafewmonthsafterthemarriage。

  Therewasanuglystoryaboutit。TheysaidKelsogotsomerascallyadventurer,someBelgianbrute,toinsulthisson-in-lawinpublic——paidhim,sir,todoit,paidhim——andthatthefellowspittedhismanasifhehadbeenapigeon。Thethingwashushedup,but,egad,Kelsoatehischopaloneattheclubforsometimeafterwards。Hebroughthisdaughterbackwithhim,Iwastold,andsheneverspoketohimagain。Oh,yes。itwasabadbusiness。Thegirldied,too,diedwithinayear。Sosheleftason,didshe?Ihadforgottenthat。Whatsortofboyishe?Ifheislikehismother,hemustbeagood-lookingchap。

  Heisverygood-looking,assentedLordHenry。

  Ihopehewillfallintoproperhands,continuedtheoldman。

  HeshouldhaveapotofmoneywaitingforhimifKelsodidtherightthingbyhim。Hismotherhadmoney,too。AlltheSelbypropertycametoher,throughhergrandfather。HergrandfatherhatedKelso,thoughthimameandog。Hewas,too。CametoMadridoncewhenIwasthere。Egad,Iwasashamedofhim。TheQueenusedtoaskmeabouttheEnglishnoblewhowasalwaysquarrellingwiththecabmenabouttheirfares。Theymadequiteastoryofit。Ididn’tdareshowmyfaceatCourtforamonth。Ihopehetreatedhisgrandsonbetterthanhedidthejarvies。

  Idon’tknow,answeredLordHenry。Ifancythattheboywillbewelloff。Heisnotofageyet。HehasSelby,Iknow。Hetoldmeso。

  And……hismotherwasverybeautiful?

  MargaretDevereuxwasoneoftheloveliestcreaturesIeversaw,Harry。Whatonearthinducedhertobehaveasshedid,Inevercouldunderstand。

  Shecouldhavemarriedanybodyshechose。Carlingtonwasmadafterher。

  Shewasromantic,though。Allthewomenofthatfamilywere。Themenwereapoorlot,but,egad!thewomenwerewonderful。Carlingtonwentonhiskneestoher。Toldmesohimself。Shelaughedathim,andtherewasn’tagirlinLondonatthetimewhowasn’tafterhim。Andbytheway,Harry,talkingaboutsillymarriages,whatisthishumbugyourfathertellsmeaboutDartmoorwantingtomarryanAmerican?Ain’tEnglishgirlsgoodenoughforhim?

  ItisratherfashionabletomarryAmericansjustnow,UncleGeorge。

  I’llbackEnglishwomenagainsttheworld,Harry,saidLordFermor,strikingthetablewithhisfist。

  ThebettingisontheAmericans。

  Theydon’tlast,Iamtold,mutteredhisuncle。

  Alongengagementexhauststhem,buttheyarecapitalatasteeplechase。

  Theytakethingsflying。Idon’tthinkDartmoorhasachance。

  Whoareherpeople?grumbledtheoldgentleman。Hasshegotany?

  LordHenryshookhishead。Americangirlsareascleveratconcealingtheirparents,asEnglishwomenareatconcealingtheirpast,hesaid,risingtogo。

  Theyarepork-packers,Isuppose?

  Ihopeso,UncleGeorge,forDartmoor’ssake。Iamtoldthatpork-packingisthemostlucrativeprofessioninAmerica,afterpolitics。

  Isshepretty?

  Shebehavesasifshewasbeautiful。MostAmericanwomendo。

  Itisthesecretoftheircharm。

  Whycan’ttheseAmericanwomenstayintheirowncountry?Theyarealwaystellingusthatitistheparadiseforwomen。

  Itis。Thatisthereasonwhy,likeEve,theyaresoexcessivelyanxioustogetoutofit,saidLordHenry。Good-bye,UncleGeorge。I

  shallbelateforlunch,ifIstopanylonger。ThanksforgivingmetheinformationIwanted。Ialwaysliketoknoweverythingaboutmynewfriends,andnothingaboutmyoldones。

  Whereareyoulunching,Harry?

  AtAuntAgatha’s。IhaveaskedmyselfandMr。Gray。Heisherlatestprot&eacute。g&eacute。e。

  Humph!tellyourAuntAgatha,Harry,nottobothermeanymorewithhercharityappeals。Iamsickofthem。Why,thegoodwomanthinksthatIhavenothingtodobuttowritechequesforhersillyfads。

  Allright,UncleGeorge,I’lltellher,butitwon’thaveanyeffect。Philanthropicpeopleloseallsenseofhumanity。Itistheirdistinguishingcharacteristic。

  Theoldgentlemangrowledapprovinglyandrangthebellforhisservant。LordHenrypassedupthelowarcadeintoBurlingtonStreetandturnedhisstepsinthedirectionofBerkeleySquare。

  SothatwasthestoryofDorianGray’sparentage。Crudelyasithadbeentoldtohim,ithadyetstirredhimbyitssuggestionofastrange,almostmodernromance。Abeautifulwomanriskingeverythingforamadpassion。

  Afewwildweeksofhappinesscutshortbyahideous,treacherouscrime。

  Monthsofvoicelessagony,andthenachildborninpain。Themothersnatchedawaybydeath,theboylefttosolitudeandthetyrannyofanoldandlovelessman。Yes。itwasaninterestingbackground。Itposedthelad,madehimmoreperfect,asitwere。Behindeveryexquisitethingthatexisted,therewassomethingtragic。Worldshadtobeintravail,thatthemeanestflowermightblow……Andhowcharminghehadbeenatdinnerthenightbefore,aswithstartledeyesandlipspartedinfrightenedpleasurehehadsatoppositetohimattheclub,theredcandleshadesstainingtoaricherrosethewakeningwonderofhisface。Talkingtohimwaslikeplayinguponanexquisiteviolin。Heansweredtoeverytouchandthrillofthebow……Therewassomethingterriblyenthrallingintheexerciseofinfluence。

  Nootheractivitywaslikeit。Toprojectone’ssoulintosomegraciousform,andletittarrythereforamoment。tohearone’sownintellectualviewsechoedbacktoonewithalltheaddedmusicofpassionandyouth。

  toconveyone’stemperamentintoanotherasthoughitwereasubtlefluidorastrangeperfume:therewasarealjoyinthat——perhapsthemostsatisfyingjoylefttousinanagesolimitedandvulgarasourown,anagegrosslycarnalinitspleasures,andgrosslycommoninitsaims……Hewasamarvelloustype,too,thislad,whombysocuriousachancehehadmetinBasil’sstudio,orcouldbefashionedintoamarvelloustype,atanyrate。Gracewashis,andthewhitepurityofboyhood,andbeautysuchasoldGreekmarbleskeptforus。Therewasnothingthatonecouldnotdowithhim。

  HecouldbemadeaTitanoratoy。Whatapityitwasthatsuchbeautywasdestinedtofade!……AndBasil?Fromapsychologicalpointofview,howinterestinghewas!Thenewmannerinart,thefreshmodeoflookingatlife,suggestedsostrangelybythemerelyvisiblepresenceofonewhowasunconsciousofitall。thesilentspiritthatdweltindimwoodland,andwalkedunseeninopenfield,suddenlyshowingherself,Dryadlikeandnotafraid,becauseinhissoulwhosoughtforhertherehadbeenwakenedthatwonderfulvisiontowhichalonearewonderfulthingsrevealed。themereshapesandpatternsofthingsbecoming,asitwere,refined,andgainingakindofsymbolicalvalue,asthoughtheywerethemselvespatternsofsomeotherandmoreperfectformwhoseshadowtheymadereal:howstrangeitallwas!Herememberedsomethinglikeitinhistory。WasitnotPlato,thatartistinthought,whohadfirstanalyzedit?WasitnotBuonarottiwhohadcarveditinthecolouredmarblesofasonnet-sequence?Butinourowncenturyitwasstrange……Yes。hewouldtrytobetoDorianGraywhat,withoutknowingit,theladwastothepainterwhohadfashionedthewonderfulportrait。Hewouldseektodominatehim——hadalready,indeed,halfdoneso。Hewouldmakethatwonderfulspirithisown。Therewassomethingfascinatinginthissonofloveanddeath。

  Suddenlyhestoppedandglancedupatthehouses。Hefoundthathehadpassedhisaunt’ssomedistance,and,smilingtohimself,turnedback。Whenheenteredthesomewhatsombrehall,thebutlertoldhimthattheyhadgoneintolunch。Hegaveoneofthefootmenhishatandstickandpassedintothedining-room。

  Lateasusual,Harry,criedhisaunt,shakingherheadathim。

  Heinventedafacileexcuse,andhavingtakenthevacantseatnexttoher,lookedroundtoseewhowasthere。Dorianbowedtohimshylyfromtheendofthetable,aflushofpleasurestealingintohischeek。

  OppositewastheDuchessofHarley,aladyofadmirablegood-natureandgoodtemper,muchlikedbyeveryonewhoknewher,andofthoseamplearchitecturalproportionsthatinwomenwhoarenotduchessesaredescribedbycontemporaryhistoriansasstoutness。Nexttohersat,onherright,SirThomasBurdon,aRadicalmemberofParliament,whofollowedhisleaderinpubliclifeandinprivatelifefollowedthebestcooks,diningwiththeToriesandthinkingwiththeLiberals,inaccordancewithawiseandwell-knownrule。

  ThepostonherleftwasoccupiedbyMr。ErskineofTreadley,anoldgentlemanofconsiderablecharmandculture,whohadfallen,however,intobadhabitsofsilence,having,asheexplainedoncetoLadyAgatha,saideverythingthathehadtosaybeforehewasthirty。HisownneighbourwasMrs。Vandeleur,oneofhisaunt’soldestfriends,aperfectsaintamongstwomen,butsodreadfullydowdythatsheremindedoneofabadlyboundhymn-book。FortunatelyforhimshehadontheothersideLordFaudel,amostintelligentmiddle-agedmediocrity,asbaldasaministerialstatementintheHouseofCommons,withwhomshewasconversinginthatintenselyearnestmannerwhichistheoneunpardonableerror,asheremarkedoncehimself,thatallreallygoodpeoplefallinto,andfromwhichnoneofthemeverquiteescape。

  WearetalkingaboutpoorDartmoor,LordHenry,criedtheduchess,noddingpleasantlytohimacrossthetable。Doyouthinkhewillreallymarrythisfascinatingyoungperson?

  Ibelieveshehasmadeuphermindtoproposetohim,Duchess。

  Howdreadful!exclaimedLadyAgatha。Really,someoneshouldinterfere。

  Iamtold,onexcellentauthority,thatherfatherkeepsanAmericandry-goodsstore,saidSirThomasBurdon,lookingsupercilious。

  Myunclehasalreadysuggestedpork-packingSirThomas。

  Dry-goods!WhatareAmericandry-goods?askedtheduchess,raisingherlargehandsinwonderandaccentuatingtheverb。

  Americannovels,answeredLordHenry,helpinghimselftosomequail。

  Theduchesslookedpuzzled。

  Don’tmindhim,mydear,whisperedLadyAgatha。Henevermeansanythingthathesays。

  WhenAmericawasdiscovered,saidtheRadicalmember——andhebegantogivesomewearisomefacts。Likeallpeoplewhotrytoexhaustasubject,heexhaustedhislisteners。Theduchesssighedandexercisedherprivilegeofinterruption。Iwishtogoodnessitneverhadbeendiscoveredatall!sheexclaimed。Really,ourgirlshavenochancenowadays。Itismostunfair。

  Perhaps,afterall,Americaneverhasbeendiscovered,saidMr。Erskine。Imyselfwouldsaythatithadmerelybeendetected。

  Oh!butIhaveseenspecimensoftheinhabitants,answeredtheduchessvaguely。Imustconfessthatmostofthemareextremelypretty。

  Andtheydresswell,too。TheygetalltheirdressesinParis。IwishI

  couldaffordtodothesame。

  TheysaythatwhengoodAmericansdietheygotoParis,chuckledSirThomas,whohadalargewardrobeofHumour’scast-offclothes。

  Really!AndwheredobadAmericansgotowhentheydie?inquiredtheduchess。

  TheygotoAmerica,murmuredLordHenry。

  SirThomasfrowned。Iamafraidthatyournephewisprejudicedagainstthatgreatcountry,hesaidtoLadyAgatha。Ihavetravelledalloveritincarsprovidedbythedirectors,who,insuchmatters,areextremelycivil。Iassureyouthatitisaneducationtovisitit。

  ButmustwereallyseeChicagoinordertobeeducated?askedMr。Erskineplaintively。Idon’tfeeluptothejourney。

  SirThomaswavedhishand。Mr。ErskineofTreadleyhastheworldonhisshelves。Wepracticalmenliketoseethings,nottoreadaboutthem。TheAmericansareanextremelyinterestingpeople。Theyareabsolutelyreasonable。Ithinkthatistheirdistinguishingcharacteristic。Yes,Mr。

  Erskine,anabsolutelyreasonablepeople。IassureyouthereisnononsenseabouttheAmericans。

  Howdreadful!criedLordHenry。Icanstandbruteforce,butbrutereasonisquiteunbearable。Thereissomethingunfairaboutitsuse。

  Itishittingbelowtheintellect。

  Idonotunderstandyou,saidSirThomas,growingratherred。

  Ido,LordHenry,murmuredMr。Erskine,withasmile。

  Paradoxesareallverywellintheirway……rejoinedthebaronet。

  Wasthataparadox?askedMr。Erskine。Ididnotthinkso。

  Perhapsitwas。Well,thewayofparadoxesisthewayoftruth。Totestrealitywemustseeitonthetightrope。Whentheveritiesbecomeacrobats,wecanjudgethem。

  Dearme!saidLadyAgatha,howyoumenargue!IamsureInevercanmakeoutwhatyouaretalkingabout。Oh!Harry,Iamquitevexedwithyou。WhydoyoutrytopersuadeourniceMr。DorianGraytogiveuptheEastEnd?Iassureyouhewouldbequiteinvaluable。Theywouldlovehisplaying。

  Iwanthimtoplaytome,criedLordHenry,smiling,andhelookeddownthetableandcaughtabrightansweringglance。

  ButtheyaresounhappyinWhitechapel,continuedLadyAgatha。

  Icansympathizewitheverythingexceptsuffering,saidLordHenry,shrugginghisshoulders。Icannotsympathizewiththat。Itistoougly,toohorrible,toodistressing。Thereissomethingterriblymorbidinthemodernsympathywithpain。Oneshouldsympathizewiththecolour,thebeauty,thejoyoflife。Thelesssaidaboutlife’ssores,thebetter。

  Still,theEastEndisaveryimportantproblem,remarkedSirThomaswithagraveshakeofthehead。

  Quiteso,answeredtheyounglord。Itistheproblemofslavery,andwetrytosolveitbyamusingtheslaves。

  Thepoliticianlookedathimkeenly。Whatchangedoyoupropose,then?heasked。

  LordHenrylaughed。Idon’tdesiretochangeanythinginEnglandexcepttheweather,heanswered。Iamquitecontentwithphilosophiccontemplation。But,asthenineteenthcenturyhasgonebankruptthroughanover-expenditureofsympathy,Iwouldsuggestthatweshouldappealtosciencetoputusstraight。Theadvantageoftheemotionsisthattheyleadusastray,andtheadvantageofscienceisthatitisnotemotional。

  Butwehavesuchgraveresponsibilities,venturedMrs。Vandeleurtimidly。

  Terriblygrave,echoedLadyAgatha。

  LordHenrylookedoveratMr。Erskine。Humanitytakesitselftooseriously。Itistheworld’soriginalsin。Ifthecavemanhadknownhowtolaugh,historywouldhavebeendifferent。

  Youarereallyverycomforting,warbledtheduchess。IhavealwaysfeltratherguiltywhenIcametoseeyourdearaunt,forItakenointerestatallintheEastEnd。ForthefutureIshallbeabletolookherinthefacewithoutablush。

  Ablushisverybecoming,Duchess,remarkedLordHenry。

  Onlywhenoneisyoung,sheanswered。Whenanoldwomanlikemyselfblushes,itisaverybadsign。Ah!LordHenry,Iwishyouwouldtellmehowtobecomeyoungagain。

  Hethoughtforamoment。Canyourememberanygreaterrorthatyoucommittedinyourearlydays,Duchess?heasked,lookingatheracrossthetable。

  Agreatmany,Ifear,shecried。

  Thencommitthemoveragain,hesaidgravely。Togetbackone’syouth,onehasmerelytorepeatone’sfollies。

  Adelightfultheory!sheexclaimed。Imustputitintopractice。

  Adangeroustheory!camefromSirThomas’stightlips。LadyAgathashookherhead,butcouldnothelpbeingamused。Mr。Erskinelistened。

  Yes,hecontinued,thatisoneofthegreatsecretsoflife。

  Nowadaysmostpeopledieofasortofcreepingcommonsense,anddiscoverwhenitistoolatethattheonlythingsoneneverregretsareone’smistakes。

  Alaughranroundthetable。

  Heplayedwiththeideaandgrewwilful。tosseditintotheairandtransformedit。letitescapeandrecapturedit。madeitiridescentwithfancyandwingeditwithparadox。Thepraiseoffolly,ashewenton,soaredintoaphilosophy,andphilosophyherselfbecameyoung,andcatchingthemadmusicofpleasure,wearing,onemightfancy,herwine-stainedrobeandwreathofivy,dancedlikeaBacchanteoverthehillsoflife,andmockedtheslowSilenusforbeingsober。Factsfledbeforeherlikefrightenedforestthings。HerwhitefeettrodthehugepressatwhichwiseOmarsits,tilltheseethinggrape-juiceroseroundherbarelimbsinwavesofpurplebubbles,orcrawledinredfoamoverthevat’sblack,dripping,slopingsides。Itwasanextraordinaryimprovisation。HefeltthattheeyesofDorianGraywerefixedonhim,andtheconsciousnessthatamongsthisaudiencetherewasonewhosetemperamenthewishedtofascinateseemedtogivehiswitkeennessandtolendcolourtohisimagination。Hewasbrilliant,fantastic,irresponsible。Hecharmedhislistenersoutofthemselves,andtheyfollowedhispipe,laughing。DorianGraynevertookhisgazeoffhim,butsatlikeoneunderaspell,smileschasingeachotheroverhislipsandwondergrowinggraveinhisdarkeningeyes。

  Atlast,liveriedinthecostumeoftheage,realityenteredtheroomintheshapeofaservanttotelltheduchessthathercarriagewaswaiting。Shewrungherhandsinmockdespair。Howannoying!shecried。

  Imustgo。Ihavetocallformyhusbandattheclub,totakehimtosomeabsurdmeetingatWillis’sRooms,whereheisgoingtobeinthechair。

  IfIamlateheissuretobefurious,andIcouldn’thaveasceneinthisbonnet。Itisfartoofragile。Aharshwordwouldruinit。No,Imustgo,dearAgatha。Good-bye,LordHenry,youarequitedelightfulanddreadfullydemoralizing。IamsureIdon’tknowwhattosayaboutyourviews。Youmustcomeanddinewithussomenight。Tuesday?AreyoudisengagedTuesday?

  ForyouIwouldthrowoveranybody,Duchess,saidLordHenrywithabow。

  Ah!thatisverynice,andverywrongofyou,shecried。somindyoucome。andshesweptoutoftheroom,followedbyLadyAgathaandtheotherladies。

  WhenLordHenryhadsatdownagain,Mr。Erskinemovedround,andtakingachairclosetohim,placedhishanduponhisarm。

  Youtalkbooksaway,hesaid。whydon’tyouwriteone?

  Iamtoofondofreadingbookstocaretowritethem,Mr。Erskine。

  Ishouldliketowriteanovelcertainly,anovelthatwouldbeaslovelyasaPersiancarpetandasunreal。ButthereisnoliterarypublicinEnglandforanythingexceptnewspapers,primers,andencyclopaedias。OfallpeopleintheworldtheEnglishhavetheleastsenseofthebeautyofliterature。

  Ifearyouareright,answeredMr。Erskine。Imyselfusedtohaveliteraryambitions,butIgavethemuplongago。Andnow,mydearyoungfriend,ifyouwillallowmetocallyouso,mayIaskifyoureallymeantallthatyousaidtousatlunch?

  IquiteforgetwhatIsaid,smiledLordHenry。Wasitallverybad?

  Verybadindeed。InfactIconsideryouextremelydangerous,andifanythinghappenstoourgoodduchess,weshallalllookonyouasbeingprimarilyresponsible。ButIshouldliketotalktoyouaboutlife。

  ThegenerationintowhichIwasbornwastedious。Someday,whenyouaretiredofLondon,comedowntoTreadleyandexpoundtomeyourphilosophyofpleasureoversomeadmirableBurgundyIamfortunateenoughtopossess。

  Ishallbecharmed。AvisittoTreadleywouldbeagreatprivilege。

  Ithasaperfecthost,andaperfectlibrary。

  Youwillcompleteit,answeredtheoldgentlemanwithacourteousbow。AndnowImustbidgood-byetoyourexcellentaunt。IamdueattheAthenaeum。Itisthehourwhenwesleepthere。

  Allofyou,Mr。Erskine?

  Fortyofus,infortyarm-chairs。WearepractisingforanEnglishAcademyofLetters。

  LordHenrylaughedandrose。Iamgoingtothepark,hecried。

  Ashewaspassingoutofthedoor,DorianGraytouchedhimonthearm。Letmecomewithyou,hemurmured。

  ButIthoughtyouhadpromisedBasilHallwardtogoandseehim,

  answeredLordHenry。

  Iwouldsoonercomewithyou。yes,IfeelImustcomewithyou。

  Doletme。Andyouwillpromisetotalktomeallthetime?Noonetalkssowonderfullyasyoudo。

  Ah!Ihavetalkedquiteenoughforto-day,saidLordHenry,smiling。AllIwantnowistolookatlife。Youmaycomeandlookatitwithme,ifyoucareto。

  ThePictureofDorianGray:Chapter4Chapter4Oneafternoon,amonthlater,DorianGraywasreclininginaluxuriousarm-chair,inthelittlelibraryofLordHenry’shouseinMayfair。Itwas,initsway,averycharmingroom,withitshighpanelledwainscotingofolive-stainedoak,itscream-colouredfriezeandceilingofraisedplasterwork,anditsbrickdustfeltcarpetstrewnwithsilk,long-fringedPersianrugs。

  OnatinysatinwoodtablestoodastatuettebyClodion,andbesideitlayacopyofLesCentNouvelles,boundforMargaretofValoisbyClovisEveandpowderedwiththegiltdaisiesthatQueenhadselectedforherdevice。Somelargebluechinajarsandparrot-tulipswererangedonthemantelshelf,andthroughthesmallleadedpanesofthewindowstreamedtheapricot-colouredlightofasummerdayinLondon。

  LordHenryhadnotyetcomein。Hewasalwayslateonprinciple,hisprinciplebeingthatpunctualityisthethiefoftime。Sotheladwaslookingrathersulky,aswithlistlessfingersheturnedoverthepagesofanelaboratelyillustratededitionofManonLescautthathehadfoundinoneofthebook-cases。TheformalmonotonoustickingoftheLouisQuatorzeclockannoyedhim。Onceortwicehethoughtofgoingaway。

  Atlastheheardastepoutside,andthedooropened。Howlateyouare,Harry!hemurmured。

  IamafraiditisnotHarry,Mr。Gray,answeredashrillvoice。

  Heglancedquicklyroundandrosetohisfeet。Ibegyourpardon。

  Ithought——

  Youthoughtitwasmyhusband。Itisonlyhiswife。Youmustletmeintroducemyself。Iknowyouquitewellbyyourphotographs。Ithinkmyhusbandhasgotseventeenofthem。

  Notseventeen,LadyHenry?

  Well,eighteen,then。AndIsawyouwithhimtheothernightattheopera。Shelaughednervouslyasshespoke,andwatchedhimwithhervagueforget-me-noteyes。Shewasacuriouswoman,whosedressesalwayslookedasiftheyhadbeendesignedinarageandputoninatempest。

  Shewasusuallyinlovewithsomebody,and,asherpassionwasneverreturned,shehadkeptallherillusions。Shetriedtolookpicturesque,butonlysucceededinbeinguntidy。HernamewasVictoria,andshehadaperfectmaniaforgoingtochurch。

  ThatwasatLohengrin,LadyHenry,Ithink?

  Yes。itwasatdearLohengrin。IlikeWagner’smusicbetterthananybody’s。Itissoloudthatonecantalkthewholetimewithoutotherpeoplehearingwhatonesays。Thatisagreatadvantage,don’tyouthinkso,Mr。Gray?

  Thesamenervousstaccatolaughbrokefromherthinlips,andherfingersbegantoplaywithalongtortoise-shellpaper-knife。

  Doriansmiledandshookhishead:IamafraidIdon’tthinkso,LadyHenry。Inevertalkduringmusic——atleast,duringgoodmusic。Ifonehearsbadmusic,itisone’sdutytodrownitinconversation。

  Ah!thatisoneofHarry’sviews,isn’tit,Mr。Gray?IalwayshearHarry’sviewsfromhisfriends。ItistheonlywayIgettoknowofthem。ButyoumustnotthinkIdon’tlikegoodmusic。Iadoreit,butI

  amafraidofit。Itmakesmetooromantic。Ihavesimplyworshippedpianists——

  twoatatime,sometimes,Harrytellsme。Idon’tknowwhatitisaboutthem。Perhapsitisthattheyareforeigners。Theyallare,ain’tthey?

  EventhosethatareborninEnglandbecomeforeignersafteratime,don’tthey?Itissocleverofthem,andsuchacomplimenttoart。Makesitquitecosmopolitan,doesn’tit?Youhaveneverbeentoanyofmyparties,haveyou,Mr。Gray?Youmustcome。Ican’taffordorchids,butIsharenoexpenseinforeigners。Theymakeone’sroomslooksopicturesque。ButhereisHarry!

  Harry,Icameintolookforyou,toaskyousomething——Iforgetwhatitwas——andIfoundMr。Grayhere。Wehavehadsuchapleasantchataboutmusic。Wehavequitethesameideas。No。Ithinkourideasarequitedifferent。

  Buthehasbeenmostpleasant。IamsogladI’veseenhim。

  Iamcharmed,mylove,quitecharmed,saidLordHenry,elevatinghisdark,crescent-shapedeyebrowsandlookingatthembothwithanamusedsmile。SosorryIamlate,Dorian。IwenttolookafterapieceofoldbrocadeinWardourStreetandhadtobargainforhoursforit。Nowadayspeopleknowthepriceofeverythingandthevalueofnothing。

  IamafraidImustbegoing,exclaimedLadyHenry,breakinganawkwardsilencewithhersillysuddenlaugh。Ihavepromisedtodrivewiththeduchess。Good-bye,Mr。Gray。Good-bye,Harry。Youarediningout,Isuppose?SoamI。PerhapsIshallseeyouatLadyThornbury’s。

  Idaresay,mydear,saidLordHenry,shuttingthedoorbehindheras,lookinglikeabirdofparadisethathadbeenoutallnightintherain,sheflittedoutoftheroom,leavingafaintodouroffrangipanni。

  Thenhelitacigaretteandflunghimselfdownonthesofa。

  Nevermarryawomanwithstraw-colouredhair,Dorian,hesaidafterafewpuffs。

  Why,Harry?

  Becausetheyaresosentimental。

  ButIlikesentimentalpeople。

  Nevermarryatall,Dorian。Menmarrybecausetheyaretired。

  women,becausetheyarecurious:botharedisappointed。

  Idon’tthinkIamlikelytomarry,Harry。Iamtoomuchinlove。

  Thatisoneofyouraphorisms。Iamputtingitintopractice,asIdoeverythingthatyousay。

  Whoareyouinlovewith?askedLordHenryafterapause。

  Withanactress,saidDorianGray,blushing。

  LordHenryshruggedhisshoulders。Thatisarathercommonplaced&eacute。but。

  Youwouldnotsaysoifyousawher,Harry。

  Whoisshe?

  HernameisSibylVane。

  Neverheardofher。

  Noonehas。Peoplewillsomeday,however。Sheisagenius。

  Mydearboy,nowomanisagenius。Womenareadecorativesex。

  Theyneverhaveanythingtosay,buttheysayitcharmingly。Womenrepresentthetriumphofmatterovermind,justasmenrepresentthetriumphofmindovermorals。

  Harry,howcanyou?

  MydearDorian,itisquitetrue。Iamanalysingwomenatpresent,soIoughttoknow。ThesubjectisnotsoabstruseasIthoughtitwas。

  Ifindthat,ultimately,thereareonlytwokindsofwomen,theplainandthecoloured。Theplainwomenareveryuseful。Ifyouwanttogainareputationforrespectability,youhavemerelytotakethemdowntosupper。Theotherwomenareverycharming。Theycommitonemistake,however。Theypaintinordertotryandlookyoung。Ourgrandmotherspaintedinordertotryandtalkbrilliantly。Rougeandespritusedtogotogether。Thatisallovernow。Aslongasawomancanlooktenyearsyoungerthanherowndaughter,sheisperfectlysatisfied。Asforconversation,thereareonlyfivewomeninLondonworthtalkingto,andtwoofthesecan’tbeadmittedintodecentsociety。However,tellmeaboutyourgenius。Howlonghaveyouknownher?

  Ah!Harry,yourviewsterrifyme。

  Nevermindthat。Howlonghaveyouknownher?

  Aboutthreeweeks。

  Andwheredidyoucomeacrossher?

  Iwilltellyou,Harry,butyoumustn’tbeunsympatheticaboutit。Afterall,itneverwouldhavehappenedifIhadnotmetyou。Youfilledmewithawilddesiretoknoweverythingaboutlife。FordaysafterImetyou,somethingseemedtothrobinmyveins。AsIloungedinthepark,orstrolleddownPiccadilly,Iusedtolookateveryonewhopassedmeandwonder,withamadcuriosity,whatsortoflivestheyled。Someofthemfascinatedme。Othersfilledmewithterror。Therewasanexquisitepoisonintheair。Ihadapassionforsensations……Well,oneeveningaboutseveno’clock,Ideterminedtogooutinsearchofsomeadventure。IfeltthatthisgreymonstrousLondonofours,withitsmyriadsofpeople,itssordidsinners,anditssplendidsins,asyouoncephrasedit,musthavesomethinginstoreforme。Ifanciedathousandthings。Themeredangergavemeasenseofdelight。Irememberedwhatyouhadsaidtomeonthatwonderfuleveningwhenwefirstdinedtogether,aboutthesearchforbeautybeingtherealsecretoflife。Idon’tknowwhatIexpected,butIwentoutandwanderedeastward,soonlosingmywayinalabyrinthofgrimystreetsandblackgrasslesssquares。Abouthalf-pasteightIpassedbyanabsurdlittletheatre,withgreatflaringgas-jetsandgaudyplay-bills。AhideousJew,inthemostamazingwaistcoatIeverbeheldinmylife,wasstandingattheentrance,smokingavilecigar。Hehadgreasyringlets,andanenormousdiamondblazedinthecentreofasoiledshirt。’Haveabox,myLord?’hesaid,whenhesawme,andhetookoffhishatwithanairofgorgeousservility。

  Therewassomethingabouthim,Harry,thatamusedme。Hewassuchamonster。

  Youwilllaughatme,Iknow,butIreallywentinandpaidawholeguineaforthestage-box。TothepresentdayIcan’tmakeoutwhyIdidso。andyetifIhadn’t——mydearHarry,ifIhadn’t——Ishouldhavemissedthegreatestromanceofmylife。Iseeyouarelaughing。Itishorridofyou!

  Iamnotlaughing,Dorian。atleastIamnotlaughingatyou。

  Butyoushouldnotsaythegreatestromanceofyourlife。Youshouldsaythefirstromanceofyourlife。Youwillalwaysbeloved,andyouwillalwaysbeinlovewithlove。Agrandepassionistheprivilegeofpeoplewhohavenothingtodo。Thatistheoneuseoftheidleclassesofacountry。

  Don’tbeafraid。Thereareexquisitethingsinstoreforyou。Thisismerelythebeginning。

  Doyouthinkmynaturesoshallow?criedDorianGrayangrily。

  No。Ithinkyournaturesodeep。

  Howdoyoumean?

  Mydearboy,thepeoplewholoveonlyonceintheirlivesarereallytheshallowpeople。Whattheycalltheirloyalty,andtheirfidelity,Icalleitherthelethargyofcustomortheirlackofimagination。Faithfulnessistotheemotionallifewhatconsistencyistothelifeoftheintellect——simplyaconfessionoffailure。Faithfulness!Imustanalyseitsomeday。Thepassionforpropertyisinit。Therearemanythingsthatwewouldthrowawayifwewerenotafraidthatothersmightpickthemup。ButIdon’twanttointerruptyou。Goonwithyourstory。

  Well,Ifoundmyselfseatedinahorridlittleprivatebox,withavulgardrop-scenestaringmeintheface。Ilookedoutfrombehindthecurtainandsurveyedthehouse。Itwasatawdryaffair,allCupidsandcornucopias,likeathird-ratewedding-cake。Thegalleryandpitwerefairlyfull,butthetworowsofdingystallswerequiteempty,andtherewashardlyapersoninwhatIsupposetheycalledthedress-circle。Womenwentaboutwithorangesandginger-beer,andtherewasaterribleconsumptionofnutsgoingon。

  ItmusthavebeenjustlikethepalmydaysoftheBritishdrama。

  Justlike,Ishouldfancy,andverydepressing。IbegantowonderwhatonearthIshoulddowhenIcaughtsightoftheplay-bill。Whatdoyouthinktheplaywas,Harry?

  IshouldthinkTheIdiotBoy,orDumbbutInnocent。Ourfathersusedtolikethatsortofpiece,Ibelieve。ThelongerIlive,Dorian,themorekeenlyIfeelthatwhateverwasgoodenoughforourfathersisnotgoodenoughforus。Inart,asinpolitics,lesgrandp&egrave。resonttoujourstort。

  Thisplaywasgoodenoughforus,Harry。ItwasRomeoandJuliet。

  ImustadmitthatIwasratherannoyedattheideaofseeingShakespearedoneinsuchawretchedholeofaplace。Still,Ifeltinterested,inasortofway。Atanyrate,Ideterminedtowaitforthefirstact。Therewasadreadfulorchestra,presidedoverbyayoungHebrewwhosatatacrackedpiano,thatnearlydrovemeaway,butatlastthedrop-scenewasdrawnupandtheplaybegan。Romeowasastoutelderlygentleman,withcorkedeyebrows,ahuskytragedyvoice,andafigurelikeabeer-barrel。

  Mercutiowasalmostasbad。Hewasplayedbythelow-comedian,whohadintroducedgagsofhisownandwasonmostfriendlytermswiththepit。

  Theywerebothasgrotesqueasthescenery,andthatlookedasifithadcomeoutofacountry-booth。ButJuliet!Harry,imagineagirl,hardlyseventeenyearsofage,withalittle,flowerlikeface,asmallGreekheadwithplaitedcoilsofdark-brownhair,eyesthatwerevioletwellsofpassion,lipsthatwerelikethepetalsofarose。ShewastheloveliestthingI

  hadeverseeninmylife。Yousaidtomeoncethatpathosleftyouunmoved,butthatbeauty,merebeauty,couldfillyoureyeswithtears。Itellyou,Harry,Icouldhardlyseethisgirlforthemistoftearsthatcameacrossme。Andhervoice——Ineverheardsuchavoice。Itwasverylowatfirst,withdeepmellownotesthatseemedtofallsinglyuponone’sear。Thenitbecamealittlelouder,andsoundedlikeafluteoradistanthautboy。

  Inthegarden-sceneithadallthetremulousecstasythatonehearsjustbeforedawnwhennightingalesaresinging。Thereweremoments,lateron,whenithadthewildpassionofviolins。Youknowhowavoicecanstirone。YourvoiceandthevoiceofSibylVanearetwothingsthatIshallneverforget。WhenIclosemyeyes,Ihearthem,andeachofthemsayssomethingdifferent。Idon’tknowwhichtofollow。WhyshouldInotloveher?Harry,Idoloveher。Sheiseverythingtomeinlife。NightafternightIgotoseeherplay。OneeveningsheisRosalind,andthenexteveningsheisImogen。IhaveseenherdieinthegloomofanItaliantomb,suckingthepoisonfromherlover’slips。IhavewatchedherwanderingthroughtheforestofArden,disguisedasaprettyboyinhoseanddoubletanddaintycap。Shehasbeenmad,andhascomeintothepresenceofaguiltyking,andgivenhimruetowearandbitterherbstotasteof。Shehasbeeninnocent,andtheblackhandsofjealousyhavecrushedherreedlikethroat。

  Ihaveseenherineveryageandineverycostume。Ordinarywomenneverappealtoone’simagination。Theyarelimitedtotheircentury。Noglamourevertransfiguresthem。Oneknowstheirmindsaseasilyasoneknowstheirbonnets。Onecanalwaysfindthem。Thereisnomysteryinanyofthem。

  Theyrideintheparkinthemorningandchatterattea-partiesintheafternoon。Theyhavetheirstereotypedsmileandtheirfashionablemanner。

  Theyarequiteobvious。Butanactress!Howdifferentanactressis!Harry!

  whydidn’tyoutellmethattheonlythingworthlovingisanactress?

  BecauseIhavelovedsomanyofthem,Dorian。

  Oh,yes,horridpeoplewithdyedhairandpaintedfaces。

  Don’trundowndyedhairandpaintedfaces。Thereisanextraordinarycharminthem,sometimes,saidLordHenry。

  IwishnowIhadnottoldyouaboutSibylVane。

  Youcouldnothavehelpedtellingme,Dorian。Allthroughyourlifeyouwilltellmeeverythingyoudo。

  Yes,Harry,Ibelievethatistrue。Icannothelptellingyouthings。Youhaveacuriousinfluenceoverme。IfIeverdidacrime,I

  wouldcomeandconfessittoyou。Youwouldunderstandme。

  Peoplelikeyou——thewilfulsunbeamsoflife——don’tcommitcrimes,Dorian。ButIammuchobligedforthecompliment,allthesame。Andnowtellme——reachmethematches,likeagoodboy——thanks——whatareyouractualrelationswithSibylVane?

  DorianGrayleapedtohisfeet,withflushedcheeksandburningeyes。Harry!SibylVaneissacred!

  Itisonlythesacredthingsthatareworthtouching,Dorian,

  saidLordHenry,withastrangetouchofpathosinhisvoice。Butwhyshouldyoubeannoyed?Isupposeshewillbelongtoyousomeday。Whenoneisinlove,onealwaysbeginsbydeceivingone’sself,andonealwaysendsbydeceivingothers。Thatiswhattheworldcallsaromance。Youknowher,atanyrate,Isuppose?

  OfcourseIknowher。OnthefirstnightIwasatthetheatre,thehorridoldJewcameroundtotheboxaftertheperformancewasoverandofferedtotakemebehindthescenesandintroducemetoher。Iwasfuriouswithhim,andtoldhimthatJuliethadbeendeadforhundredsofyearsandthatherbodywaslyinginamarbletombinVerona。Ithink,fromhisblanklookofamazement,thathewasundertheimpressionthatIhadtakentoomuchchampagne,orsomething。

  Iamnotsurprised。

  ThenheaskedmeifIwroteforanyofthenewspapers。ItoldhimIneverevenreadthem。Heseemedterriblydisappointedatthat,andconfidedtomethatallthedramaticcriticswereinaconspiracyagainsthim,andthattheywereeveryoneofthemtobebought。

  Ishouldnotwonderifhewasquiterightthere。But,ontheotherhand,judgingfromtheirappearance,mostofthemcannotbeatallexpensive。

  Well,heseemedtothinktheywerebeyondhismeans,laughedDorian。Bythistime,however,thelightswerebeingputoutinthetheatre,andIhadtogo。Hewantedmetotrysomecigarsthathestronglyrecommended。

  Ideclined。Thenextnight,ofcourse,Iarrivedattheplaceagain。Whenhesawme,hemademealowbowandassuredmethatIwasamunificentpatronofart。Hewasamostoffensivebrute,thoughhehadanextraordinarypassionforShakespeare。Hetoldmeonce,withanairofpride,thathisfivebankruptcieswereentirelydueto’TheBard,’asheinsistedoncallinghim。Heseemedtothinkitadistinction。

  Itwasadistinction,mydearDorian——agreatdistinction。Mostpeoplebecomebankruptthroughhavinginvestedtooheavilyintheproseoflife。Tohaveruinedone’sselfoverpoetryisanhonour。ButwhendidyoufirstspeaktoMissSibylVane?

  Thethirdnight。ShehadbeenplayingRosalind。Icouldnothelpgoinground。Ihadthrownhersomeflowers,andshehadlookedatme——atleastIfanciedthatshehad。TheoldJewwaspersistent。Heseemeddeterminedtotakemebehind,soIconsented。Itwascuriousmynotwantingtoknowher,wasn’tit?

  No。Idon’tthinkso。

  MydearHarry,why?

  Iwilltellyousomeothertime。NowIwanttoknowaboutthegirl。

  Sibyl?Oh,shewassoshyandsogentle。Thereissomethingofachildabouther。HereyesopenedwideinexquisitewonderwhenItoldherwhatIthoughtofherperformance,andsheseemedquiteunconsciousofherpower。Ithinkwewerebothrathernervous。TheoldJewstoodgrinningatthedoorwayofthedustygreenroom,makingelaboratespeechesaboutusboth,whilewestoodlookingateachotherlikechildren。Hewouldinsistoncallingme’MyLord,’soIhadtoassureSibylthatIwasnotanythingofthekind。Shesaidquitesimplytome,’Youlookmorelikeaprince。

  ImustcallyouPrinceCharming。’

  Uponmyword,Dorian,MissSibylknowshowtopaycompliments。

  Youdon’tunderstandher,Harry。Sheregardedmemerelyasapersoninaplay。Sheknowsnothingoflife。Sheliveswithhermother,afadedtiredwomanwhoplayedLadyCapuletinasortofmagentadressing-wrapperonthefirstnight,andlooksasifshehadseenbetterdays。

  Iknowthatlook。Itdepressesme,murmuredLordHenry,examininghisrings。

  TheJewwantedtotellmeherhistory,butIsaiditdidnotinterestme。

  Youwerequiteright。Thereisalwayssomethinginfinitelymeanaboutotherpeople’stragedies。

  SibylistheonlythingIcareabout。Whatisittomewhereshecamefrom?Fromherlittleheadtoherlittlefeet,sheisabsolutelyandentirelydivine。EverynightofmylifeIgotoseeheract,andeverynightsheismoremarvellous。

  Thatisthereason,Isuppose,thatyouneverdinewithmenow。

  Ithoughtyoumusthavesomecuriousromanceonhand。Youhave。butitisnotquitewhatIexpected。

  MydearHarry,weeitherlunchorsuptogethereveryday,andIhavebeentotheoperawithyouseveraltimes,saidDorian,openinghisblueeyesinwonder。

  Youalwayscomedreadfullylate。

  Well,Ican’thelpgoingtoseeSibylplay,hecried,evenifitisonlyforasingleact。Igethungryforherpresence。andwhenIthinkofthewonderfulsoulthatishiddenawayinthatlittleivorybody,Iamfilledwithawe。

  Youcandinewithmeto-night,Dorian,can’tyou?

  Heshookhishead。To-nightsheisImogen,heanswered,andto-morrownightshewillbeJuliet。

  WhenissheSibylVane?

  Never。

  Icongratulateyou。

  Howhorridyouare!Sheisallthegreatheroinesoftheworldinone。Sheismorethananindividual。Youlaugh,butItellyoushehasgenius。Iloveher,andImustmakeherloveme。You,whoknowallthesecretsoflife,tellmehowtocharmSibylVanetoloveme!IwanttomakeRomeojealous。Iwantthedeadloversoftheworldtohearourlaughterandgrowsad。Iwantabreathofourpassiontostirtheirdustintoconsciousness,towaketheirashesintopain。MyGod,Harry,howIworshipher!Hewaswalkingupanddowntheroomashespoke。Hecticspotsofredburnedonhischeeks。Hewasterriblyexcited。

  LordHenrywatchedhimwithasubtlesenseofpleasure。HowdifferenthewasnowfromtheshyfrightenedboyhehadmetinBasilHallward’sstudio!

  Hisnaturehaddevelopedlikeaflower,hadborneblossomsofscarletflame。

  Outofitssecrethiding-placehadcrepthissoul,anddesirehadcometomeetitontheway。

  Andwhatdoyouproposetodo?saidLordHenryatlast。

  IwantyouandBasiltocomewithmesomenightandseeheract。

  Ihavenottheslightestfearoftheresult。Youarecertaintoacknowledgehergenius。ThenwemustgetheroutoftheJew’shands。Sheisboundtohimforthreeyears——atleastfortwoyearsandeightmonths——fromthepresenttime。Ishallhavetopayhimsomething,ofcourse。Whenallthatissettled,IshalltakeaWestEndtheatreandbringheroutproperly。

  Shewillmaketheworldasmadasshehasmademe。

  Thatwouldbeimpossible,mydearboy。

  Yes,shewill。Shehasnotmerelyart,consummateart-instinct,inher,butshehaspersonalityalso。andyouhaveoftentoldmethatitispersonalities,notprinciples,thatmovetheage。

  Well,whatnightshallwego?

  Letmesee。To-dayisTuesday。Letusfixto-morrow。SheplaysJulietto-morrow。

  Allright。TheBristolateighto’clock。andIwillgetBasil。

  Noteight,Harry,please。Half-pastsix。Wemustbetherebeforethecurtainrises。Youmustseeherinthefirstact,whereshemeetsRomeo。

  Half-pastsix!Whatanhour!Itwillbelikehavingameat-tea,orreadinganEnglishnovel。Itmustbeseven。Nogentlemandinesbeforeseven。ShallyouseeBasilbetweenthisandthen?OrshallIwritetohim?

  DearBasil!Ihavenotlaideyesonhimforaweek。Itisratherhorridofme,ashehassentmemyportraitinthemostwonderfulframe,speciallydesignedbyhimself,and,thoughIamalittlejealousofthepictureforbeingawholemonthyoungerthanIam,ImustadmitthatI

  delightinit。Perhapsyouhadbetterwritetohim。Idon’twanttoseehimalone。Hesaysthingsthatannoyme。Hegivesmegoodadvice。

  LordHenrysmiled。Peopleareveryfondofgivingawaywhattheyneedmostthemselves。ItiswhatIcallthedepthofgenerosity。

  Oh,Basilisthebestoffellows,butheseemstometobejustabitofaPhilistine。SinceIhaveknownyou,Harry,Ihavediscoveredthat。

  Basil,mydearboy,putseverythingthatischarminginhimintohiswork。Theconsequenceisthathehasnothingleftforlifebuthisprejudices,hisprinciples,andhiscommonsense。TheonlyartistsIhaveeverknownwhoarepersonallydelightfularebadartists。Goodartistsexistsimplyinwhattheymake,andconsequentlyareperfectlyuninterestinginwhattheyare。Agreatpoet,areallygreatpoet,isthemostunpoeticalofallcreatures。Butinferiorpoetsareabsolutelyfascinating。Theworsetheirrhymesare,themorepicturesquetheylook。Themerefactofhavingpublishedabookofsecond-ratesonnetsmakesamanquiteirresistible。

  Helivesthepoetrythathecannotwrite。Theotherswritethepoetrythattheydarenotrealize。

  Iwonderisthatreallyso,Harry?saidDorianGray,puttingsomeperfumeonhishandkerchiefoutofalarge,gold-toppedbottlethatstoodonthetable。Itmustbe,ifyousayit。AndnowIamoff。Imogeniswaitingforme。Don’tforgetaboutto-morrow。Good-bye。

  Ashelefttheroom,LordHenry’sheavyeyelidsdrooped,andhebegantothink。CertainlyfewpeoplehadeverinterestedhimsomuchasDorianGray,andyetthelad’smadadorationofsomeoneelsecausedhimnottheslightestpangofannoyanceorjealousy。Hewaspleasedbyit。

  Itmadehimamoreinterestingstudy。Hehadbeenalwaysenthralledbythemethodsofnaturalscience,buttheordinarysubject-matterofthatsciencehadseemedtohimtrivialandofnoimport。Andsohehadbegunbyvivisectinghimself,ashehadendedbyvivisectingothers。Humanlife——thatappearedtohimtheonethingworthinvestigating。Comparedtoittherewasnothingelseofanyvalue。Itwastruethatasonewatchedlifeinitscuriouscrucibleofpainandpleasure,onecouldnotwearoverone’sfaceamaskofglass,norkeepthesulphurousfumesfromtroublingthebrainandmakingtheimaginationturbidwithmonstrousfanciesandmisshapendreams。Therewerepoisonssosubtlethattoknowtheirpropertiesonehadtosickenofthem。Thereweremaladiessostrangethatonehadtopassthroughthemifonesoughttounderstandtheirnature。And,yet,whatagreatrewardonereceived!Howwonderfulthewholeworldbecametoone!

  Tonotethecurioushardlogicofpassion,andtheemotionalcolouredlifeoftheintellect——toobservewheretheymet,andwheretheyseparated,atwhatpointtheywereinunison,andatwhatpointtheywereatdiscord——therewasadelightinthat!Whatmatterwhatthecostwas?Onecouldneverpaytoohighapriceforanysensation。

  Hewasconscious——andthethoughtbroughtagleamofpleasureintohisbrownagateeyes——thatitwasthroughcertainwordsofhis,musicalwordssaidwithmusicalutterance,thatDorianGray’ssoulhadturnedtothiswhitegirlandbowedinworshipbeforeher。Toalargeextenttheladwashisowncreation。Hehadmadehimpremature。Thatwassomething。

  Ordinarypeoplewaitedtilllifedisclosedtothemitssecrets,buttothefew,totheelect,themysteriesoflifewererevealedbeforetheveilwasdrawnaway。Sometimesthiswastheeffectofart,andchieflyoftheartofliterature,whichdealtimmediatelywiththepassionsandtheintellect。

  Butnowandthenacomplexpersonalitytooktheplaceandassumedtheofficeofart,wasindeed,initsway,arealworkofart,lifehavingitselaboratemasterpieces,justaspoetryhas,orsculpture,orpainting。

  Yes,theladwaspremature。Hewasgatheringhisharvestwhileitwasyetspring。Thepulseandpassionofyouthwereinhim,buthewasbecomingself-conscious。Itwasdelightfultowatchhim。Withhisbeautifulface,andhisbeautifulsoul,hewasathingtowonderat。Itwasnomatterhowitallended,orwasdestinedtoend。Hewaslikeoneofthosegraciousfiguresinapageantoraplay,whosejoysseemtoberemotefromone,butwhosesorrowsstirone’ssenseofbeauty,andwhosewoundsarelikeredroses。

  Soulandbody,bodyandsoul——howmysterioustheywere!Therewasanimalisminthesoul,andthebodyhaditsmomentsofspirituality。

  Thesensescouldrefine,andtheintellectcoulddegrade。Whocouldsaywherethefleshlyimpulseceased,orthepsychicalimpulsebegan?Howshallowwerethearbitrarydefinitionsofordinarypsychologists!Andyethowdifficulttodecidebetweentheclaimsofthevariousschools!Wasthesoulashadowseatedinthehouseofsin?Orwasthebodyreallyinthesoul,asGiordanoBrunothought?Theseparationofspiritfrommatterwasamystery,andtheunionofspiritwithmatterwasamysteryalso。

  Hebegantowonderwhetherwecouldevermakepsychologysoabsoluteasciencethateachlittlespringoflifewouldberevealedtous。Asitwas,wealwaysmisunderstoodourselvesandrarelyunderstoodothers。Experiencewasofnoethicalvalue。Itwasmerelythenamemengavetotheirmistakes。

  Moralistshad,asarule,regardeditasamodeofwarning,hadclaimedforitacertainethicalefficacyintheformationofcharacter,hadpraiseditassomethingthattaughtuswhattofollowandshoweduswhattoavoid。

  Buttherewasnomotivepowerinexperience。Itwasaslittleofanactivecauseasconscienceitself。Allthatitreallydemonstratedwasthatourfuturewouldbethesameasourpast,andthatthesinwehaddoneonce,andwithloathing,wewoulddomanytimes,andwithjoy。

  Itwascleartohimthattheexperimentalmethodwastheonlymethodbywhichonecouldarriveatanyscientificanalysisofthepassions。

  andcertainlyDorianGraywasasubjectmadetohishand,andseemedtopromiserichandfruitfulresults。HissuddenmadloveforSibylVanewasapsychologicalphenomenonofnosmallinterest。Therewasnodoubtthatcuriosityhadmuchtodowithit,curiosityandthedesirefornewexperiences,yetitwasnotasimple,butratheraverycomplexpassion。Whattherewasinitofthepurelysensuousinstinctofboyhoodhadbeentransformedbytheworkingsoftheimagination,changedintosomethingthatseemedtotheladhimselftoberemotefromsense,andwasforthatveryreasonallthemoredangerous。Itwasthepassionsaboutwhoseoriginwedeceivedourselvesthattyrannizedmoststronglyoverus。Ourweakestmotiveswerethoseofwhosenaturewewereconscious。Itoftenhappenedthatwhenwethoughtwewereexperimentingonotherswewerereallyexperimentingonourselves。

  WhileLordHenrysatdreamingonthesethings,aknockcametothedoor,andhisvaletenteredandremindedhimitwastimetodressfordinner。Hegotupandlookedoutintothestreet。Thesunsethadsmittenintoscarletgoldtheupperwindowsofthehousesopposite。Thepanesglowedlikeplatesofheatedmetal。Theskyabovewaslikeafadedrose。Hethoughtofhisfriend’syoungfiery-colouredlifeandwonderedhowitwasallgoingtoend。

  Whenhearrivedhome,abouthalf-pasttwelveo’clock,hesawatelegramlyingonthehalltable。HeopeneditandfounditwasfromDorianGray。ItwastotellhimthathewasengagedtobemarriedtoSibylVane。

  ThePictureofDorianGray:Chapter5Chapter5Mother,Mother,Iamsohappy!whisperedthegirl,buryingherfaceinthelapofthefaded,tired-lookingwomanwho,withbackturnedtotheshrillintrusivelight,wassittingintheonearm-chairthattheirdingysitting-roomcontained。Iamsohappy!sherepeated,andyoumustbehappy,too!

  Mrs。Vanewincedandputherthin,bismuth-whitenedhandsonherdaughter’shead。Happy!sheechoed,Iamonlyhappy,Sibyl,whenIseeyouact。Youmustnotthinkofanythingbutyouracting。Mr。Isaacshasbeenverygoodtous,andweowehimmoney。

  Thegirllookedupandpouted。Money,Mother?shecried,whatdoesmoneymatter?Loveismorethanmoney。

  Mr。IsaacshasadvancedusfiftypoundstopayoffourdebtsandtogetaproperoutfitforJames。Youmustnotforgetthat,Sibyl。

  Fiftypoundsisaverylargesum。Mr。Isaacshasbeenmostconsiderate。

  Heisnotagentleman,Mother,andIhatethewayhetalkstome,saidthegirl,risingtoherfeetandgoingovertothewindow。

  Idon’tknowhowwecouldmanagewithouthim,answeredtheelderwomanquerulously。

  SibylVanetossedherheadandlaughed。Wedon’twanthimanymore,Mother。PrinceCharmingruleslifeforusnow。Thenshepaused。

  Aroseshookinherbloodandshadowedhercheeks。Quickbreathpartedthepetalsofherlips。Theytrembled。Somesouthernwindofpassionsweptoverherandstirredthedaintyfoldsofherdress。Ilovehim,shesaidsimply。

  Foolishchild!foolishchild!wastheparrot-phraseflunginanswer。Thewavingofcrooked,false-jewelledfingersgavegrotesquenesstothewords。

  Thegirllaughedagain。Thejoyofacagedbirdwasinhervoice。

  Hereyescaughtthemelodyandechoeditinradiance,thenclosedforamoment,asthoughtohidetheirsecret。Whentheyopened,themistofadreamhadpassedacrossthem。

  Thin-lippedwisdomspokeatherfromthewornchair,hintedatprudence,quotedfromthatbookofcowardicewhoseauthorapesthenameofcommonsense。Shedidnotlisten。Shewasfreeinherprisonofpassion。

  Herprince,PrinceCharming,waswithher。Shehadcalledonmemorytoremakehim。Shehadsenthersoultosearchforhim,andithadbroughthimback。Hiskissburnedagainuponhermouth。Hereyelidswerewarmwithhisbreath。

  Thenwisdomaltereditsmethodandspokeofespialanddiscovery。

  Thisyoungmanmightberich。Ifso,marriageshouldbethoughtof。Againsttheshellofherearbrokethewavesofworldlycunning。Thearrowsofcraftshotbyher。Shesawthethinlipsmoving,andsmiled。

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