The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1896-11-07
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you have saved me FROM ruin, Alan.
l can not forget that, !" said Dorian, simply.
As soon as Campbell had left he went IN
stairs. There was a horrible smell Of
chemicals in the room. But the thing that
had been sitting at the table was gone.
CHAPTER XIII.
.sThere is no good telling me you are go
ing to be good. Dorian, !" cried Lord Henry,
dipping his white fingers into q red copper
bowl filled with rose water. "You are
perfect. Pray don't change"
Dorian shook his head. mo, Harry, I
have done too many dreadful things in nv
life. am not going to do any more. / be-
gan my good actions yesterday"
"Where were you yesterdays"
TN the country, Harry. was staying at
. little inn by myself"
MY dear boy, " said Lord Henry, smiling,
anybody can be good in the country. There
arc no temptations there. That is the
reason why people who live out of town are
SO uncivilized. There are only two ways,
as you know of becoming civilized. One is
being cultured, the other is being corrupt.
Country people have no opportunity of be-
ing either, so they %stagnate."
Couture and corruption" murmured
Dorian. II nave known something of both.
1t seems to me curious now that they should
ever be found together. For l ave q new
ideal, Harry. l am going to alter. I think
l have altered.n
"You have not told me yet what your good
action was. Or did you say you had lone
moro than one!n
II can tell you, Harry. 1t is not a story
l could tell to any one else. l spared some-
body. 1t ounds vain. but you understand
what I mean. She was quite beautiful, and
wonderful like Sibyl Vane. l think it was
that which first attracted me to her. You
remember Sibyl, don't your How long ago
that seems! We'll, Hetty was not one Of
our own class, of course. She was simply
q girl in q village. But I really loved her.
l am quite sure that l loved her. All dur
ing this wonderful May that we have been
having, l used to run down and see her two
or three times O week. Yesterday she met
me In q little orchard. TIL apple blossoms
kept tumbling down on her hair, and she
was laughing. We were to have gone away
together this morning at dawn. Suddenly
l determined to leave her Us fower-like as I
had found her"
~ should think the novelty of the emotion
must have given you q thrill Of real pleas
urA. Dorian" interrupted Lord Henry.
But can finish your idyl for you. You
gave her good advice, and broke her heart
That was the beginning Of your reforma-
ton"
Hurry, you are horriblel You mustn't
say these dreadful things. Hetty's heart is
not broken. OF course she cried, n all
that. But there is no disgrace upon her.
She caa live, like Perdita, in her garden"
"And weep over o faithless Florizel,n
said Lord Henry, laughing. 'My dear
Dorian, you have the most curious boyish
moods. Do you think this girl will ever be
really contented now with any one of her
rank! Isuppose she will be married some
day to a rough carter or a grinning plow-
man. Well, having met you, and loved you,
will teach her to dcspisc her husband, and
she will be wretched. From a moral point
of view I really don't think much of your
great remuneration. Even as q beginning,
it is poor. Besides, how do you know that
Hetty isn't floating at the present moment
in some m%ill-pond, with water-lilies round
her, like Ophelia?"
II can't bear this, Harryi You mock at
everything, and then suggest the most
serious tragedies. am sorry 1 told you
now. don't care what you say to me, l
know I was right in acting as l did. Poor
Hetty! As l rode past the farm this morn
ing, I saw her white face at the window,
like q spray Of jasmine. Don't let me talk
about it any more, and don't try to persuade
me that the first good action l nave done for
years, the first little bit of self-sacrifce 1
have ever known, is really a sort of sin. l
want to be better. Tell lie something
about yourself. What is going on in towni
I have not been to the club for days"
"The people are still discussing poor
Basil's disappearance"
~ should have thought they had got tired
Of that by this time" said Dorian, pouring
himself out some wine, and frowninR
slightly.
MY dear boy, they have only been talk
ing about it for six weeks, and the public
are really not equal to the mental strain of
having more than one topic every three
months. They have been very fortunate
lately. however. They nave had my divorce
case, and Alan Campbell's suicide. Now
they have got the mysterious disappearance
of an artist. Scotland yard still insists that
the man in the gray ulster who left Victoria
by the midnight train on the 7th OF Novem-
Der was poor Basil, and the French police
declare that Basil never arrived in Paris at
all. suppose in about a fortnight we will
be told that he has been seen in San Fran.
cisco. It is an odd thing, but every one
who disappears is said to be seen at San
Francisco. 1t must be a delightful city,
and possesses all the attractions Of the next
world"
What do you think has happened to
Basill" asked Dorian, holding up his Bur
Rundy against the light, and wondering
how it was that he could discuss the matter
so calmly.
81 have not the slightest idea. II Basil
chooses to hide himself it is no business of
mine. If he is dead, l don't want to think
about him. Death is the only thing that
ever ~torriaes me. 1hate It. One can sur.
vive everything nowadays except that
Death and vulgarity are the only two facts
IN the nineteenth century that one can not
explain away. Let us have our coffee In
the MUSHROOM, Dorian. You must play
Chopin 70 me. The man with whom my
wife ran away played Chopin exquisitely.
Poor Victoria! was very fond Of her. The
house is rather lonely without her"
Dorian said nothing, but rose from the
table, and passing into the next room. sat
down to the piano and let his fingers stray
across the keys. After the coffee had been
brought in, he stopped. and, looking over at
Lord Henry, said, Harry, did it ever 90
cur to you that Basil was murderedln
Lord Henry yawned. Basil had no
e%nersies, and always wore a Waterbury
watch. Why should no be murdereda He
was not clever enough to have enemies. OF
course he had q wonderful genius for paint
ing. But a man can paint like velasquez
and yet be as dull as possible. Basil was
really rather dull. He only interested me
once, and that was when he told me, years
ago. that he had a wild alteration for you"
II was very fond of BASIL" said Dorian,
with a sad look in his eyes. "But don't
people say that he was murderedT"
"Oh, some of the papers do. 1t does not
seem to be probable. I know there are
dreadful places in Paris. but Basil was not
the sort of man to have gone to them. He
had no curiosity. 1t was his chief defect.
Play mo a noc-nrne. Dorian. and, as you
play, tell ME, in a low voice, how you have
kept your youth. You must have some
secret. am only ten years older than you
are, and / am wrinkled. and bald, and
yellow. You are really wonderful, Dorian.
You have never looked more charming