“Ah! that is very nice, and very wrong of you,” she cried; “so mind you come”; and she swept out of the room, followed by Lady Agatha and the other ladies.

When Lord Henry had sat down again, Mr. Erskine moved round, and taking a chair close to him, placed his hand upon his arm.

“You talk books away,” he said; “why don’t you write one?”

“I am too fond of reading books to care to write them, Mr. Erskine.  I should like to write a novel certainly, a novel that would be as lovely as a Persian carpet and as unreal.  But there is no literary public in England for anything except newspapers, primers, and encyclopaedias.  Of all people in the world the English have the least sense of the beauty of literature.”

“I fear you are right,” answered Mr. Erskine.  “I myself used to have literary ambitions, but I gave them up long ago.  And now, my dear young friend, if you will allow me to call you so, may I ask if you really meant all that you said to us at lunch?”

“I quite forget what I said,” smiled Lord Henry.  “Was it all very bad?”

“Very bad indeed.  In fact I consider you extremely dangerous, and if anything happens to our good duchess, we shall all look on you as being primarily responsible.  But I should like to talk to you about life.  The generation into which I was born was tedious.  Some day, when you are tired of London, come down to Treadley and expound to me your philosophy of pleasure over some admirable Burgundy I am fortunate enough to possess.”

“I shall be charmed.  A visit to Treadley would be a great privilege.  It has a perfect host, and a perfect library.”

“You will complete it,” answered the old gentleman with a courteous bow.  “And now I must bid good-bye to your excellent aunt.  I am due at the Athenaeum.  It is the hour when we sleep there.”

“All of you, Mr. Erskine?”

“Forty of us, in forty arm-chairs.  We are practising for an English Academy of Letters.”

Lord Henry laughed and rose.  “I am going to the park,” he cried.

As he was passing out of the door, Dorian Gray touched him on the arm.  “Let me come with you,” he murmured.

“But I thought you had promised Basil Hallward to go and see him,” answered Lord Henry.

“I would sooner come with you; yes, I feel I must come with you.  Do let me.  And you will promise to talk to me all the time?  No one talks so wonderfully as you do.”

“Ah!  I have talked quite enough for to-day,” said Lord Henry, smiling.  “All I want now is to look at life.  You may come and look at it with me, if you care to.”

CHAPTER 4