# ■ 9

It was long past midday when Dorian woke up．His servant brought him tea and his letters，but he did not read them．Yesterday seemed like a bad dream，but when he went downstairs，he saw the covered picture．Should he uncover it，he wondered？Had the face in the picture really changed？Did he want to know？He lit a cigarette and thought for a while．Yes，he had to know．He lifted the cover．

There was no mistake．The portrait had really changed．He could not explain it，could not understand it．It was impossible，but it had happened．

Dorian felt sick and ashamed．He did not know what to do，or what to think．Finally，he sat down and wrote a long letter to Sybil Vane．He covered page after page with wild words of love．Then，suddenly，he heard Lord Henry's voice at the door．Dorian jumped up and covered the picture．

My dear boy，'said Lord Henry，as he came in．'I'm so sorry．But you must not think too much about her．'

Do you mean about Sybil Vane？'asked Dorian．'There's nothing to be sorry about．I want to be good，and I'm going to be happy．I shall marry Sybil Vane．I'm not going to break my promise to her．'

Marry Sybil Vane！'Lord Henry stared at Dorian．'Didn't you get my letter？'

I haven't read my letters today，'said Dorian slowly．

Lord Henry walked across the room and took Dorian's hands in his own．'Dorian，'he said quietly，'don't be frightened—my letter told you that Sybil Vane is dead．She killed herself at the theatre last night．'

No，no，that's impossible！'cried Dorian．He pulled his hands away and stared at Lord Henry with wild eyes．'This is terrible，Harry．I have murdered Sybil Vane！'

She killed herself，'said Lord Henry calmly．'You didn' t murder her．She killed herself because she loved you．It's very sad，of course，but you mustn't think too much about it．You must come and have dinner with me．'

Harry，listen．Last night I told her that I didn't want to see her again．But after I left her，I realized how cruel I had been．I decided to go back to her，to marry her．And now she is dead！Harry，what shall I do？You don't know the danger that I am in．'

My dear Dorian，said Lord Henry．'Marriage with Sybil Vane was not for you．No，no…marriages like that are never successful．The man quickly becomes unhappy and bored．Of course，he's kind to his wife．We can always be kind to people that we're not interested in．But the woman soon discovers that her husband is bored．And then she either becomes terribly unfashionable，or wears very expensive hats that another woman's husband has to pay for．'

The young man walked up and down me room．'I suppose that's true，'he said unhappily．'But Harry，I don't think that I'm cruel．Do you？'

Lord Henry smiled．He told Dorian Gray what he wanted to hear．And then he told him clever，amusing stories about the women that he himself had loved．He said that Sybil Vane's death was a beautiful end to a love story for an actress．'The girl never really lived，'he continued，'so she never really died．Don't cry for Sybil Vane．She was less real than Juliet．'

After a while Dorian Gray looked up．'You have explained me to myself，Harry，'he said slowly．'How well you know me！But we won't talk of this again．It's been a wonderful lesson for me．That's all．'

When Lord Henry had left，Dorian uncovered the picture again．He had to choose between a good life and a bad life，he thought．But then he realized that，in fact，he had already chosen．He would stay young for ever，and enjoy every wild pleasure that life could give him．The face in the picture would grow old and ugly and unkind，but he would stay beautiful for ever．He covered the picture again，and smiled．

An hour later he was at Lord Henry's house，and Lord Henry was smiling at his side．

■ 9

時間早已過了正午，多裡安才醒來。僕人端來了茶並帶來了信件，可是多裡安沒有讀這些信。昨天就像一場惡夢。下樓時，他看見了被遮蓋著的畫像。他應該掀開它嗎？他思忖道。畫像的臉真的改變了嗎？他想知道嗎？他點燃一支菸，想了一會兒。是的，他得知道，他掀開了遮著的布。

沒錯，畫像確實變了。他無法解釋，也不能明白。這是不可能的，但又的確發生了。

多裡安覺得懊喪和慚愧。他不知道該怎麼做，或者該怎麼想。最後，他坐下，給西比爾·文寫了一封長信。他一頁又一頁地寫滿了瘋狂的愛的語句。突然，他聽見了門口亨利勳爵的聲音。多裡安跳起來，蓋上了畫。

“親愛的，”亨利勳爵進來時說，“我非常抱歉，但你不該過多地想她。”

“你指的是西比爾·文嗎？”多裡安問。“沒有什麼可抱歉的。我想好好做人，我要快樂，我將娶西比爾·文，對她履行諾言。”

“娶西比爾·文！”亨利勳爵瞪著多裡安。“你沒收到我的信嗎？”

“今天我還沒有讀信。”多裡安慢慢地說。

亨利勳爵從房門處走過來，抓起多裡安的雙手。

“多裡安。”他溫和地說，“別怕——我在信裡告訴你西比爾·文已經死了，她昨天晚上在劇院裡自殺了。”

“不，不，不可能！”多裡安喊道。他抽回雙手，用發瘋的眼神瞪著亨利勳爵。“這太可怕了，哈里。是我殺死了西比爾·文！”

“她是自殺的。”亨利勳爵平靜地說，“你沒有謀殺她。她自殺是因為愛你，這當然很不幸，但你不要過多地想這件事，你必須來和我共進晚餐。”

“哈里，聽著。昨晚我告訴她我不想再見到她。但我離開她後，我意識到我是多麼的殘忍。我決定回到她身邊，娶她。現在她死了，我該怎麼辦？你不知道我面臨的危險。”

“親愛的多裡安，”亨利勳爵說，“和西比爾·文結婚不適合你。不，不……這樣的婚姻從來不會成功。男的很快變得不高興和厭倦，當然他對妻子還好，我們總會友好對待一些我們不感興趣的人。但這個女人很快發現丈夫已經厭倦了，於是她變得要麼可怕地落後於時尚，要麼戴著另一個女人的丈夫給買的昂貴的帽子。”

年輕人在房間裡來回走動。“也許你說的是真的，”他不高興地說，“但是哈里，我不認為我很殘酷，你呢？”

亨利勳爵一笑，他講了些多裡安·格雷愛聽的話，然後又講了他愛過的女人的聰明逗人的故事。他說西比爾·文的死是一名女演員愛情故事的美麗結局。他繼續說：“這個姑娘從未真正生活過，因此她也從沒真正地死。不要為西比爾·文哭泣，和朱麗葉比，她更不真實。”

過了一會兒多裡安·格雷抬起頭。“你說服了我，哈里。”他緩慢地說，“你太瞭解我了！我們別再談這事了，這是我的一個極好的教訓，到此為止吧。”

亨利勳爵走後，多裡安又掀開了畫像。他想他必須選擇過正人君子的生活還是過不道德的生活。但他意識到他實際上已經做出了選擇。他將永遠年輕，享受生活給予的每一份瘋狂的快樂。畫像中的臉將變老、變醜、變凶，但是他將永遠漂亮。他又蓋上畫像，露出了笑容。

一小時後他來到了亨利勳爵家，亨利勳爵在他旁邊微笑著。