Cer 15

    t evening, at eigy, exquisitely dressed and ton-s, Dorian Gray ed, but  over esss  ones ease as . Certainly no one looking at Dorian Gray t nig ragedy as ragedy of our age. tc on God and goodness.   t felt keenly terrible pleasure of a double life.

    It y, got up rat Lord o describe as t o one of our most tedious ambassadors, and ers to some riced o tion, Frenc .

    Dorian  ;I kno;and t rig is most fortunate t you  t of at time. As it s rying to raise t I never ation  was all Narboroug. -sigaking in a ;

    s tedious. t o stay o make matters  is most unkind of ; s;Of course I go and stay er I come from  t imes, and besides, I really  knoence t is pure unadulterated country life. t up early, because to do, and go to bed early, because ttle to t. t been a scandal in time of Queen Elizabetly ter dinner. You s sit next eit by me and amuse me.quot;

    Dorian murmured a graceful compliment and looked round t ainly a tedious party. ted of Ernest ies so common in London clubs on, an overdressed y-seven, rying to get   to  disappointment no one  ful lisp and Venetian-red esss daugeristic Britis, once seen, are never remembered; and e-e joviality can atone for an entire lack of ideas.

    ill Lady Narboroug t ormolu gilt clock t spraels;ton to be so late! I sent round to  to disappoint me.quot;

    It ion t o be to some insincere apology, o feel bored.

    But at dinner  eat anyte after plate  aasted. Lady Narboroug scolding  s;an insult to poor Adolped t; and no  racted manner. From time to time tler filled  seemed to increase.

    quot;Dorian,quot; said Lord  last, as t;ter o-nige out of sorts.quot;

    quot;I believe ; cried Lady Narboroug o tell me for fear I se rigainly s;

    quot;Dear Lady Narboroug; murmured Dorian, smiling, quot;I  been in love for a , since Madame de Ferrol left to;

    quot; ; exclaimed t;I really cannot understand it.quot;

    quot;It is simply because stle girl, Lady Narboroug; said Lord ;S;

    quot;S remember my s frocks at all, Lord  I remember  Vienna ty years ago, and ée s;

    quot;Sill décolletée,quot; aking an olive in ;and ion is extraordinary. urned quite gold from grief.quot;

    quot;; cried Dorian.

    quot;It is a most romantic explanation,quot; laugess. quot;But  mean to say Ferrol is t;

    quot;Certainly, Lady Narboroug;

    quot;I dont believe a .quot;

    quot;ell, ask Mr. Gray.  intimate friends.quot;

    quot;Is it true, Mr. Gray?quot;

    quot;S; said Dorian. quot;I asked e de Navarre, ss embalmed and  old me s, because none of ts at all.quot;

    quot;Four  is trop de zèle.quot;

    quot;trop daudace, I tell ; said Dorian.

    quot;O is Ferrol like? I dont know ;

    quot;tiful o t; said Lord henry, sipping his wine.

    Lady Narboroug ;Lord  at all surprised t t you are extremely ;

    quot;But ?quot; asked Lord ing ;It can only be t  terms.quot;

    quot;Everybody I kno; cried the old lady, shaking her head.

    Lord s. quot;It is perfectly monstrous,quot;  last, quot;t no one be are absolutely and entirely true.quot;

    quot;Isnt ; cried Dorian, leaning forward in his chair.

    quot;I ; said ess, laug;But really, if you all o be in t;

    quot;You oo  is because sested   is because  ry t;

    quot;Narboroug perfect,quot; cried the old lady.

    quot;If  ; ;omen love us for our defects. If s. You o dinner again after saying t it is quite true.quot;

    quot;Of course it is true, Lord  love you for your defects,  of unfortunate bac,  t er you muc;

    quot;Fin de siècle,quot; murmured Lord henry.

    quot;Fin du globe,quot; answered ess.

    quot;I ; said Dorian ;Life is a great disappointment.quot;

    quot;A; cried Lady Narborougting on ;dont tell me t you ed life.  one kno life ed imes o be good-- you look so good. I must find you a nice  Mr. Gray s married?quot;

    quot;I am alelling ; said Lord h a bow.

    quot;ell,  look out for a suitable matct carefully to-nig a list of all t;

    quot;it; asked Dorian.

    quot;Of course, ly edited. But not be done in a  it to be  calls a suitable alliance, and I  you boto be ;

    quot; nonsense people talk about ; exclaimed Lord ;A man can be  love ;

    quot;A a cynic you are!quot; cried to Lady Ruxton. quot;You must come and dine onic, mucter t Sir Andre tell me o meet, t it to be a delig;

    quot;I like men ; ;Or do you t  a petticoat party?quot;

    quot;I fear so,quot; sood up. quot;A ton,quot; s;I didnt see you  finiste.quot;

    quot;Never mind, Lady Narboroug deal too muco limit myself, for ture.quot;

    quot;Pray dont, Lady Ruxton,quot; said Lord ;Moderation is a fatal t.quot;

    Lady Ruxton glanced at ;You must come and explain t to me some afternoon, Lord  sounds a fascinating t; s out of the room.

    quot;No stay too long over your politics and scandal,quot; cried Lady Narboroug;If you do, o squabble upstairs.quot;

    t up solemnly from t of table and came up to top. Dorian Gray c and  and sat by Lord o talk in a loud voice about tuation in t rinaire--error to tisime to time betive prefix served as an ornament of oratory. ed t. ted stupidity of termed it--y.

    A smile curved Lord urned round and looked at Dorian.

    quot;Are you better, my dear fello; ;You seemed rat of sorts at dinner.quot;

    quot;I am quite  is all.quot;

    quot;You le duce devoted to you. Sells me so Selby.quot;

    quot;So come on tiet;

    quot;Is Monmouto be too?quot;

    quot;O;

    quot; as mucoo clever for a  of clay t make t are very pretty, but t feet of clay. e porcelain feet, if you like. t fire does not destroy, it ;

    quot;; asked Dorian.

    quot;An eternity, sells me. I believe, according to t is ten years, but ten years  ernity, ime t;

    quot;Oess, Geoffrey Clouston, t. I rian.quot;

    quot;I like ; said Lord ;A great many people dont, but I find ones for being occasionally someely over-educated. ype.quot;

    quot;I dont knoo Monte Carlo ;

    quot;A a nuisance peoples people are! try and make  nig before eleven.  did you do afterraig;

    Dorian glanced at him hurriedly and frowned.

    quot;No, ;  last, quot;I did not get ill nearly t;

    quot;Did you go to t;

    quot;Yes,quot;  ;No, I dont mean t. I didnt go to t. I forget o knoo forget  time. I  my latc  o let me in. If you  any corroborative evidence on t, you can ask ;

    Lord ;My dear fello us go up to to you, Dorian. tell me  is. You are not yourself to-nig;

    quot;Dont mind me, able, and out of temper. I so-morro day. Make my excuses to Lady Narboroug go upstairs. I s go ;

    quot;All rigo-morro tea-time. t;

    quot;I ry to be t; o  terror  rangled o ioning , and ed ill. t royed. ed touchem.

    Yet it o be done. , and o  took ers of an o consume everyt t faint and sick, and  some Algerian pastilles in a pierced copper brazier, ed vinegar.

    Suddenly arted. rangely brig ood a large Florentine cabinet, made out of ebony and inlaid c as t  could fascinate and make afraid, as t   almost loat a cigarette and t a touc ill c. At last  up from t over to it, and , toucriangular dra. inctively to, dipped in, and closed on somet ely erned als and tasselled in plaited metal t. Inside e, re, tent.

    ated for some moments, rangely immobile smile upon mosperribly ,  t y minutes to tting t doors as  into his bedroom.

    As midnigriking bronze blo, crept quietly out of reet  and in a lohe driver an address.

    t;It is too far for me,quot; tered.

    quot;; said Dorian. quot;You s.quot;

    quot;All rig; ans;you ; and after  in urned ohe river.