Cer 4

    One afternoon, a monter, Dorian Gray le library of Lord  s ained oak, its cream-coloured frieze and ceiling of raised plasters brickdust felt carpet streiny satinable stood a statuette by Clodion, and beside it lay a copy of Les Cent Nouvelles, bound for Margaret of Valois by Clovis Eve and po daisies t Queen ed for -tulips elsreamed t-coloured light of a summer day in London.

    Lord  yet come in. e on principle,  punctuality is time. So tless fingers urned over tely illustrated edition of Manon Lescaut t onous ticking of torze clock annoyed wice  of going away.

    At last ep outside, and t;e you are, ; he murmured.

    quot;I am afraid it is not ; answered a shrill voice.

    o . quot;I beg your pardon. I t--quot;

    quot;You t it  me introduce myself. I knoe een of t;

    quot;Not seventeen, Lady ;

    quot;ell, eig at t; Sc-me-not eyes. S on in a tempest. Surned, s all ried to look picturesque, but only succeeded in being untidy. oria, and s mania for going to church.

    quot;t  Lo;

    quot;Yes; it  dear Loter t is so loud t one can talk time  ot one says. t is a great advantage, dont you t;

    taccato laugo play ortoise-shell paper-knife.

    Dorian smiled and s;I am afraid I dont talk during music--at least, during good music. If one  is ones duty to dro in conversation.quot;

    quot;A is one of  it, Mr. Gray? I al to kno you must not t like good music. I adore it, but I am afraid of it. It makes me too romantic. I s-- t a time, sometimes, ells me. I dont kno is about t is t t t are born in England become foreigners after a time, dont t is so clever of t to art. Makes it quite cosmopolitan, doesnt it? You o any of my parties,  come. I cant afford orc I suresque. But o look for you, to ask you somet   music. e e te different. But  pleasant. I am so glad Ive seen ;

    quot;I am ce c; said Lord ing -s t;So sorry I am late, Dorian. I  to look after a piece of old brocade in ardour Street and o bargain for . No;

    quot;I am afraid I must be going,quot; exclaimed Lady ;I o drive , I suppose? So am I. Per Lady t;

    quot;I dare say, my dear,quot; said Lord ting t  all nigted out of t odour of frangipanni. t a cigarette and flung he sofa.

    quot;Never marry a raw-coloured ; er a few puffs.

    quot;;

    quot;Because timental.quot;

    quot;But I like sentimental people.quot;

    quot;Never marry at all, Dorian. Men marry because tired; ed.quot;

    quot;I dont to marry, oo muc is one of your apting it into practice, as I do everyt you say.quot;

    quot;; asked Lord er a pause.

    quot;itress,quot; said Dorian Gray, blushing.

    Lord ;t is a rat.quot;

    quot;You  say so if you saw ;

    quot;;

    quot;;

    quot;Never ;

    quot;No one ;

    quot;My dear boy, no ive sex. to say, but t c triumpter over mind, just as men represent triump;

    quot;;

    quot;My dear Dorian, it is quite true. I am analysing  present, so I ougo kno is not so abstruse as I t it , ultimately, t to gain a reputation for respectability, you o take to supper. t one mistake,  in order to try and look young. Our grandmoted in order to try and talk brilliantly. Rouge and esprit used to go toget is all over noen years younger ter, sly satisfied. As for conversation, talking to, and t be admitted into decent society. ell me about your genius. ;

    quot;Aerrify me.

    quot;Never mind t. ;

    quot;About t;

    quot;And w;

    quot;I ell you,  you mustnt be unsympatic about it. After all, it never  you. You filled me o kno life. For days after I met you, someto trolled doo look at every one  of lives ted me. Oterror. te poison in tions. . . . ell, one evening about seven oclock, I determined to go out in searcure. I felt t trous London of ours, s myriads of people, its sordid sinners, and its splendid sins, as you once p, must ore for me. I fancied a t. I remembered  oget ty being t of life. I dont knoed, but I  out and reets and black grassless squares. About  eigtle tre,  flaring gas-jets and gaudy play-bills. A  amazing coat I ever beanding at trance, smoking a vile cigar. s, and an enormous diamond blazed in tre of a soiled s.ook off  y. t  amused me. er. You  I really  in and paid a o t day I cant make out  romance of my life. I see you are laug is ;

    quot;I am not laug least I am not laug you. But you s say test romance of your life. You s romance of your life. You o do. t is try. Dont be afraid. te tore for you. t;

    quot;Do you ture so s; cried Dorian Gray angrily.

    quot;No; I ture so deep.quot;

    quot;;

    quot;My dear boy, t ty, and ty, I call eitom or tion. Faito tional life ency is to tellect--simply a confession of failure. Fait analyse it some day. ty is in it. t  afraid t ot pick t I dont  to interrupt you. Go on ory.quot;

    quot;ell, I found myself seated in a tle private box, aring me in t from beain and surveyed t ae   talls e empty, and t I suppose t about errible consumption of nuts going on.quot;

    quot;It must  like tis;

    quot;Just like, I so  sig do you t;

    quot;I s Boy, or Dumb but Innocent. Our fato like t sort of piece, I believe. t ics, les grandpères ont toujours tort.quot;

    quot;t . I must admit t I  tcill, I felt interested, in a sort of  any rate, I determined to  for t act. tra, presided over by a young  at a cracked piano, t nearly drove me a at last tout elderly gentleman, ragedy voice, and a figure like a beer-barrel. Mercutio  as bad. roduced gags of  friendly terms . tesque as t looked as if it  of a country-boot Juliet! een years of age, tle, flo  als of a rose. S to me once t pat you unmoved, but t beauty, mere beauty, could fill your eyes ears. I tell you,  of tears t came across me. And   first, es t seemed to fall singly upon ones ear. t became a little louder, and sounded like a flute or a distant boy. In t remulous ecstasy t one  before das, later on,  I s. . I dont knoomb, sucking tc of Arden, disguised as a pretty boy in  and dainty cap. So ty king, and given o ter o taste of. S, and t. I ume. Ordinary o ones imagination. ted to tury. No glamour ever transfigures ts. One can alery in any of tter at tea-parties in ternoon. tereotyped smile and te obvious. But an actress!  an actress is!  you tell me t tress?quot;

    quot;Because I ;

    quot;Oed faces.quot;

    quot;Dont run doraordinary cimes,quot; said Lord henry.

    quot;I old you about Sibyl Vane.quot;

    quot;You could not elling me, Dorian. All tell me everyt;

    quot;Yes,  is true. I cannot elling you t to you. You and me.quot;

    quot;People like you--t commit crimes, Dorian. But I am muc, all tell me-- reacc are your actual relations ;

    Dorian Gray leaped to , ;;

    quot;It is only t are ouc; said Lord range touc;But  any rate, I suppose?quot;

    quot;Of course I knore, to ter to take me beroduce me to old  Juliet  omb in Verona. I t, t  I aken too muc;

    quot;I am not surprised.quot;

    quot;te for any of told erribly disappointed at t, and confided to me t all tic critics   to be boug;

    quot;I s  of t be at all expensive.quot;

    quot;ell, o t; laug;By time, s  out in tre, and I o go. ed me to try some cigars t rongly recommended. I declined. t nig t I  patron of art.  offensive brute, traordinary passion for Sold me once,  cies irely due to ted on calling o t a distinction.quot;

    quot;It inction, my dear Dorian--a great distinction. Most people become bankrupt ted too o ry is an  o Miss Sibyl Vane?quot;

    quot;t. S  me--at least I fancied t sent. ermined to take me beed. It  ing to kno?quot;

    quot;No; I dont t;

    quot;My dear ;

    quot;I ell you some otime. No to kno t;

    quot;Sibyl? Ole. t e  of e unconscious of ood grinning at ty greenroom, making elaborate speec us botood looking at eac on calling me My Lord, so I o assure Sibyl t I  anyte simply to me, You look more like a prince. I must call you Prince C;

    quot;Upon my s.quot;

    quot;You dont understand ired  of magenta dressing- nigter days.quot;

    quot;I kno look. It depresses me,quot; murmured Lord henry, examining his rings.

    quot;ted to tell me ory, but I said it did not interest me.quot;

    quot;You e rigely mean about otragedies.quot;

    quot;Sibyl is t.  is it to me le feet, sely and entirely divine. Every nigo see , and every nig;

    quot;t is t you never dine  you must  it is not quite ed.quot;

    quot;My dear ogeto times,quot; said Dorian, opening his blue eyes in wonder.

    quot;You ale.quot;

    quot;ell, I cant o see Sibyl play,quot; ;even if it is only for a single act. I get  is  little ivory body, I am filled ;

    quot;You can dine o-nig you?quot;

    ;to-nig; ;and to-morro;

    quot;;

    quot;Never.quot;

    quot;I congratulate you.quot;

    quot;  I tell you s make s of life, tell me o co love me! I  to make Romeo jealous. I  to er and gro a breato stir t into consciousness, to o pain. My God, ; ic spots of red burned on erribly excited.

    Lord cle sense of pleasure.  ened boy  in Basil udio! ure  flame. Out of its secret  o meet it on the way.

    quot;And o do?quot; said Lord  last.

    quot;I  you and Basil to come  and see . I  test fear of t. You are certain to ackno  of to  least for time. I so pay  is settled, I sake a est End tre and bring  properly. S;

    quot;t ;

    quot;Yes, s merely art, consummate art-instinct, in  sy also; and you en told me t it is personalities, not principles, t move t;

    quot;ell, w nig;

    quot;Let me see. to-day is tuesday. Let us fix to-morroo-morro;

    quot;All rigol at eig Basil.quot;

    quot;Not eig six. e must be tain rises. You must see  act, ;

    quot; six!  an  ea, or reading an Englis must be seven. No gentleman dines before seven. Se to ;

    quot;Dear Basil! I  laid eyes on  is rat me my portrait in t le jealous of ture for being a  t I delig. Perter e to   to see  annoy me. ;

    Lord ;People are very fond of giving a t is y.quot;

    quot;O of fello o me to be just a bit of a Pine. Since I .quot;

    quot;Basil, my dear boy, puts everyt is co   for life but ists I ful are bad artists. Good artists exist simply in ly are perfectly uninteresting in  poet, a really great poet, is t unpoetical of all creatures. But inferior poets are absolutely fascinating. turesque t of e sonnets makes a man quite irresistible. ry t  e. te try t t realize.quot;

    quot;I  really so, ; said Dorian Gray, putting some perfume on  of a large, gold-topped bottle t stood on table. quot;It must be, if you say it. And noing for me. Dont forget about to-morro;

    As  to tainly feed  tion of some one else caused  test pang of annoyance or jealousy. . It made eresting study. ural science, but t-matter of t science o rivial and of no import. And so ing ing ot appeared to igating. Compared to it t rue t as one cs curious crucible of pain and pleasure, one could not roubling tion turbid rous fancies and missle t to knoies one o sicken of trange t one o pass t to understand ture. And, yet,  reo note tional coloured life of tellect--to observe   t  t discord--t in t!  matter  oo ion.

    brougo e eyes--t it ain erance, t Dorian Grays soul urned to te girl and boent tion. ure. t ed till life disclosed to ts secrets, but to to t, teries of life imes t of art, and c of literature, ely ellect. But noy took t, s , life s elaborate masterpieces, just as poetry ure, or painting.

    Yes, ture.   spring. t  ciful face, and iful soul, o . It ter  all ended, or ined to end.  or a play, e from one, but y, and whose wounds are like red roses.

    Soul and body, body and soul--erious ts moments of spirituality. tellect could degrade. rary definitions of ordinary psycs! And yet  to decide beted in t? tion of spirit from matter ery, and t ter ery also.

    o  eactle spring of life o us. As it ood ourselves and rarely understood ot o takes. Moralists  as a mode of ain etion of cer,  as somet taug to folloo avoid. But tive po tle of an active cause as conscience itself. All t it really demonstrated  our future , and t times, and h joy.

    It o  tal met any scientific analysis of tainly Dorian Gray  made to o promise ricful results. erest. t t curiosity o do , curiosity and t it  a simple, but rat t of tinct of boyransformed by tion, co somet seemed to to be remote from sense, and  very reason all t  yrannized most strongly over us. Our  motives ure  often  ing on oting on ourselves.

    dreaming on to t entered and reminded  ime to dress for dinner.  up and looked out into treet. t ten into scarlet gold te. tes of ed metal. t of  o end.

    table.  and found it  o tell  o be married to Sibyl Vane.