Alan Campbell was once a very good friend of Dorian’s. They had met at a party. Alan was a chemist but he played the piano very well, and his interest in music attracted Dorian. They went to the opera together and Alan thought, like many others, that Dorian was a wonderful man who always did exciting things. Then, one day, they stopped seeing each other. No one knew why, but they noticed that Alan always left the room when Dorian entered. Alan became sad and depressed. He stopped playing music and going to parties, and he spent most of his time alone in his laboratory doing experiments.
Dorian Gray looked at the picture. Suddenly he felt that he hated Basil Hallward. He hated the man sitting at the table more than he hated anything in his life.
A flash of hatred ran through Dorian’s body. He looked at the picture and it was as if the picture told him what to do.
He looked wildly around. Something shone on top of the painted cupboard that faced him. His eye fell on it. He knew what it was. It was a knife that he had brought up, some days before, to cut a piece of cord, and had forgotten to take away with him. He moved slowly towards it, passing Hallward as he did so. He took the knife in his hand and turned around. Hallward moved in his chair. He rushed at him, and stuck the knife into his neck again and again
Dorian had been happy for many years. He had enjoyed his life. He had not cared about other people. Dorian had done the things Harry had told him to do.
Dorian had become selfish and irresponsible. He did not care about the consequences of his behaviour, because he always looked young and beautiful. He lost many friends, and there were many people who hated him, but there were also those who thought he was some kind of modern hero. He was rich and handsome, and the wild stories people told about him seemed exciting, if they were true.
“No one has. People will some day, though. She is a genius.”
“My dear boy, no woman is a genius. Women never have anything to say, but they say it charmingly
Dorian Gray spent every day of the next three weeks with Lord Henry. They had lunch together and went to parties. And Dorian was influenced by Lord Henry more and more. When Dorian was alone, he was always looking for pleasurable things to do.
Never marry at all, Dorian. Men marry because they are tired; women, because they are curious: both are disappointed.”
