Merlin Holland - Complete Works of Oscar Wilde

‘Four husbands! Upon my word that is trop de zéle. ’

‘ Trop d’audace , I tell her,’ said Dorian.

‘Oh! she is audacious enough for anything, my dear. And what is Ferrol like? I don’t know him.’

‘The husbands of very beautiful women belong to the criminal classes,’ said Lord Henry, sipping his wine.

Lady Narborough hit him with her fan. ‘Lord Henry, I am not at all surprised that the world says that you are extremely wicked.’

‘But what world says that?’ asked Lord Henry, elevating his eyebrows. ‘It can only be the next world. This world and I are on excellent terms.’

‘Everybody I know says you are very wicked,’ cried the old lady, shaking her head.

Lord Henry looked serious for some moments. ‘It is perfectly monstrous,’ he said at last, ‘the way people go about nowadays saying things against one behind one’s back that are absolutely and entirely true.’

‘Isn’t he incorrigible?’ cried Dorian, leaning forward in his chair.

‘I hope so,’ said his hostess, laughing. ‘But really if you all worship Madame de Ferrol in this ridiculous way, I shall have to marry again so as to be in the fashion.’

‘You will never marry again, Lady Narborough,’ broke in Lord Henry. ‘You were far too happy. When a woman marries again it is because she detested her first husband. When a man marries again, it is because he adored his first wife. Women try their luck; men risk theirs.’

‘Narborough wasn’t perfect,’ cried the old lady.

‘If he had been, you would not have loved him, my dear lady,’ was the rejoinder. ‘Women love us for our defects. If we have enough of them they will forgive us everything, even our intellects. You will never ask me to dinner again, after saying this, I am afraid, Lady Narborough; but it is quite true.’

‘Of course it is true, Lord Henry. If we women did not love you for your defects, where would you all be? Not one of you would ever be married. You would be a set of unfortunate bachelors. Not, however, that that would alter you much. Nowadays all the married men live like bachelors, and all the bachelors like married men.’

‘ Fin de siècle ,’ murmured Lord Henry.

‘ Fin du globe ,’ answered his hostess.

‘I wish it were fin du globe ,’ said Dorian with a sigh. ‘Life is a great disappointment.’

‘Ah, my dear,’ cried Lady Narborough, putting on her gloves, ‘don’t tell me that you have exhausted Life. When a man says that one knows that life has exhausted him. Lord Henry is very wicked, and I sometimes wish that I had been; but you are made to be good – you look so good. I must find you a nice wife. Lord Henry, don’t you think that Mr. Gray should get married?’

‘I am always telling him so, Lady Narborough,’ said Lord Henry, with a bow.

‘Well, we must look out for a suitable match for him. I shall go through Debrett carefully to-night, and draw out a list of all the eligible young ladies.’

‘With their ages, Lady Narborough?’ asked Dorian.

‘Of course, with their ages, slightly edited. But nothing must be done in a hurry. I want it to be what The Morning Post calls a suitable alliance, and I want you both to be happy.’

‘What nonsense people talk about happy marriages!’ exclaimed Lord Henry. ‘A man can be happy with any woman, as long as he does not love her.’

‘Ah! what a cynic you are!’ cried the old lady, pushing back her chair, and nodding to Lady Ruxton. ‘You must come and dine with me soon again. You are really an admirable tonic, much better than what Sir Andrew prescribes for me. You must tell me what people you would like to meet, though. I want it to be a delightful gathering.’

‘I like men who have a future, and women who have a past,’ he answered. ‘Or do you think that would make it a petticoat party?’

‘I fear so,’ she said, laughing, as she stood up. ‘A thousand pardons, my dear Lady Ruxton,’ she added. ‘I didn’t see you hadn’t finished your cigarette.’

‘Never mind, Lady Narborough. I smoke a great deal too much. I am going to limit myself for the future.’

‘Pray don’t, Lady Ruxton,’ said Lord Henry. ‘Moderation is a fatal thing. Enough is as bad as a meal. More than enough is as good as a feast.’

Lady Ruxton glanced at him curiously. ‘You must come and explain that to me some afternoon, Lord Henry. It sounds a fascinating theory,’ she murmured, as she swept out of the room.

‘Now, mind you don’t stay too long over your politics and scandal,’ cried Lady Narborough from the door. ‘If you do, we are sure to squabble upstairs.’

The men laughed, and Mr. Chapman got up solemnly from the foot of the table and came up to the top. Dorian Gray changed his seat, and went and sat by Lord Henry. Mr. Chapman began to talk in a loud voice about the situation in the House of Commons. He guffawed at his adversaries. The word doctrinaire – word full of terror to the British mind – reappeared from time to time between his explosions. An alliterative prefix served as an ornament of oratory. He hoisted the Union Jack on the pinnacles of Thought. The inherited stupidity of the race – sound English common sense he jovially termed it – was shown to be the proper bulwark for Society.

A smile curved Lord Henry’s lips, and he turned round and looked at Dorian.

‘Are you better, my dear fellow?’ he asked. ‘You seemed rather out of sorts at dinner.’

‘I am quite well, Harry. I am tired. That is all.’

‘You were charming last night. The little Duchess is quite devoted to you. She tells me she is going down to Selby.’

‘She has promised to come on the twentieth.’

‘Is Monmouth to be there too?’

‘Oh, yes, Harry.’

‘He bores me dreadfully, almost as much as he bores her. She is very clever, too clever for a woman. She lacks the indefinable charm of weakness. It is the feet of clay that makes the gold of the image precious. Her feet are very pretty, but they are not feet of clay. White porcelain feet, if you like. They have been through the fire, and what fire does not destroy, it hardens. She has had experiences.’

‘How long has she been married?’ asked Dorian.

‘An eternity, she tells me. I believe, according to the peerage, it is ten years, but ten years with Monmouth must have been like eternity, with time thrown in. Who else is coming?’

‘Oh, the Willoughbys, Lord Rugby and his wife, our hostess, Geoffrey Clouston, the usual set. I have asked Lord Grotrian.’

‘I like him,’ said Lord Henry. ‘A great many people don’t, but I find him charming. He atones for being occasionally somewhat over-dressed, by being always absolutely over-educated. He is a very modern type.’

‘I don’t know if he will be able to come, Harry. He may have to go to Monte Carlo with his father.’

‘Ah! what a nuisance people’s people are! Try and make him come. By the way, Dorian, you ran off very early last night. You left before eleven. What did you do afterwards? Did you go straight home?’

Dorian glanced at him hurriedly, and frowned. ‘No, Harry,’ he said at last. ‘I did not get home till nearly three.’

‘Did you go to the club?’

‘Yes,’ he answered. Then he bit his lip. ‘No, I don’t mean that. I didn’t go to the club. I walked about. I forget what I did…How inquisitive you are, Harry! You always want to know what one has been doing. I always want to forget what I have been doing. I came in at half-past two, if you wish to know the exact time. I had left my latch-key at home, and my servant had to let me in. If you want any corroborative evidence on the subject you can ask him.’

Lord Henry shrugged his shoulders. ‘My dear fellow, as if I cared! Let us go up to the drawing-room. No sherry, thank you, Mr. Chapman. Something has happened to you, Dorian. Tell me what it is. You are not yourself to-night.’