The Picture of Dorian Gray

-looking woman who, with back turned to the shrill intrusive light, was sitting in the one arm-chair

ppy!" she echoed, "I am only happy, Sibyl, when I see you act. You must not think of

y, Mother?" she cried, "what does mo

get a proper outfit for James. You must not forget that, Sibyl. Fif

the way he talks to me," said the girl, ris

anage without him," answered

n she paused. A rose shook in her blood and shadowed her cheeks. Quick breath parted the petals of her lips. They trembl

rase flung in answer. The waving of crooked, fals

ht the melody and echoed it in radiance, then closed for a moment, as though to

ense. She did not listen. She was free in her prison of passion. Her prince, Prince Charming, was with her. She had called on memory to remake him

ich. If so, marriage should be thought of. Against the shell of her ear broke the waves of

e him. I love him because he is like what love himself should be. But what does he see in me? I am not worthy of him. And yet-why, I cannot tell

to her, flung her arms round her neck, and kissed her. "Forgive me, Mother. I know it pains you to talk about our father. But it only pai

n know his name. The whole thing is most inconvenient, and really, when James is going away to Australia, and I have so

Mother, let

ith rough brown hair came into the room. He was thick-set of figure, and his hands and feet were large and somewhat clumsy in movement. He was not so finely bred as his sister. One would hardly have guessed the c

s for me, Sibyl, I think," said th

she cried. "You are a dreadful old bear."

you to come out with me for a walk, Sibyl. I don't suppose I sha

dress, with a sigh, and beginning to patch it. She felt a little disappointed that he had no

Mother?

I believe there is no society of any kind in the Colonies-nothing that I would call socie

anything about that. I should like to make some mon

d you were going to say good-bye to some of your friends-to Tom Hardy, who gave you that hideous pipe, or Ned Langton, who makes

wered, frowning. "Only sw

whispered, stroking t

be too long dressing." She danced out of the door. One could hear

mes. Then he turned to the still figure in the

der if he suspected anything. The silence, for he made no other observation, became intolerable to her. She began to complain. Women defend themselves by attacking, just as they attack by sudden and strange surrenders. "I hope you will be co

e right. I have chosen my own life. All I say is, watch over Sibyl

very strangely. Of cou

o the theatre and goes behind to talk t

e many bouquets at one time. That was when acting was really understood. As for Sibyl, I do not know at present whether her attachment is serious or not. But there is no dou

s name, though," s

e. "He has not yet revealed his real name. I think it is quit

atch over Sibyl, Mother,"

he should not contract an alliance with him. I trust he is one of the aristocracy. He has all the appearance of it, I must say. It might be

indow-pane with his coarse fingers. He had just turned rou

h are!" she cried. "

es. Good-bye, Mother; I will have my dinner at five o'clock. E

e answered with a bow

d adopted with her, and there was something

Her flowerlike lips touched the wi

Vane, looking up to the ceiling i

other impatiently. He hate

passersby glanced in wonder at the sullen heavy youth who, in coarse, ill-fitting clothes, was in the

ooped up in a horrid ship, with the hoarse, hump-backed waves trying to get in, and a black wind blowing the masts down and tearing the sails into long screaming ribands! He was to leave the vessel at Melbourne, bid a polite good-bye to the captain, and go off at once to the gold-fields. Before a week was over he was to come across a large nugget of pure gold, the largest nugget that had ever been discovered, and bring it down to the coast in a waggon guarded by six mounted policemen. The bushrangers were to attack them three times, and be defeated with immense slaughter. Or, no. He was not to go to the gold-fields at all. They were horrid places, where men got intoxicated, and shot each other in bar-rooms, and used bad language. He was to be a nice she

her and made no answer. He w

. He was a gentleman, and he hated him for that, hated him through some curious race-instinct for which he could not account, and which for that reason was all the more dominant within him. He was conscious also of th

theatre, a whispered sneer that had reached his ears one night as he waited at the stage-door, had set loose a train of horrible thoughts. He remembered it

im," cried Sibyl, "and I am making the most del

you want

d boy and not forget us," s

are more likely to forget me t

at do you mean,

ho is he? Why have you not told m

. "You must not say anythi

name," answered the lad. "Who

and I am to play Juliet. Oh! how I shall play it! Fancy, Jim, to be in love and play Juliet! To have him sitting there! To play for his delight! I am afraid I may frighten the company, frighten or enthrall them. To be in love is to surpass one's self. Poor dreadful Mr. Isaacs will be shouting 'genius' to his loafers at the bar. He has preached me as a dogma; to-night he will announce

eman," said th

ed musically. "What

s to ens

the thought

u to bewar

rship him; to know h

u are mad

sulky. Surely you should be glad to think that, though you are going away, you leave me happier than I have ever been before. Life has been hard for us both, terribly h

ke throbbing rings of fire. A white dust-tremulous cloud of orris-root it seemed-hung in t

ss counters. Sibyl felt oppressed. She could not communicate her joy. A faint smile curving that sullen mouth was all the echo she could win. After some

er feet. "There

said Ji

he answered, looking

ut. I must see him!" he exclaimed; but at that moment the Duke of Berwick's four-in-hand

ed Sibyl sadly. "I w

is a God in heaven, if he ever doe

They cut the air like a dagger. The people round b

e followed her doggedly as she passed through

im. "You are foolish, Jim, utterly foolish; a bad-tempered boy, that is all. How can you say such horrible things? You don't know what you ar

n't understand how to look after you. I wish now that I was not going to Australia at all. I

d to be so fond of acting in. I am not going to quarrel with you. I have seen him, and oh! to see

ove him, I suppose,"

him for ever

d h

ever,

ad be

laughed and put her hand on

lock, and Sibyl had to lie down for a couple of hours before acting. Jim insisted that she should do so. He said that he would

who, as it seemed to him, had come between them. Yet, when her arms were flung round his neck, and her fingers strayed

own to his meagre meal. The flies buzzed round the table and crawled over the stained cloth. Through the rumble of o

s he suspected. Leaden with fear, his mother watched him. Words dropped mechanically from her lips. A tattered lace handkerchief twitched in her fingers. When th

ered vaguely about the room. She made no answer. "Tell me the

ded, had come at last, and yet she felt no terror. Indeed, in some measure it was a disappointment to her. The vulgar directness of the

wondering at the har

rel then!" cried the la

f he had lived, he would have made provision for us. Don't speak against him,

ed, "but don't let Sibyl.... It is a gentleman, isn't it, who is i

woman. Her head drooped. She wiped her eyes with shaking

her," he said, "but I could not help it. I must go now. Good-bye. Don't forget that you will have only one child now to look after,

e, but he cut her short. Trunks had to be carried down and mufflers looked for. The lodging-house drudge bustled in and out. There was the bargaining with the cabman. The moment was lost in vulgar details. It was with a renewed feeling of disappointment that she waved the tattered lace handkerchief from the window, as her son drove away. She was c