“Conscience and cowardice are really the same things, Basil.  Conscience is the trade-name of the firm.  That is all.”

“I don’t believe that, Harry.  However, whatever was my motive,—­ and it may have been pride, for I used to be very proud,—­I certainly struggled to the door.  There, of course, I stumbled against Lady Brandon.  ‘You are not going to run away so soon, Mr. Hallward?’ she screamed out.  You know her shrill horrid voice?”

“Yes; she is a peacock in everything but beauty,” said Lord Henry, pulling the daisy to bits with his long, nervous fingers.

“I could not get rid of her.  She brought me up to Royalties, and people with Stars and Garters, and elderly ladies with gigantic tiaras and hooked noses.  She spoke of me as her dearest friend.  I had only met her once before, but she took it into her head to lionize me.  I believe some picture of mine had made a great success at the time, at least had been chattered about in the penny newspapers, which is the nineteenth-century standard of immortality.  Suddenly I found myself face to face with the young man whose personality had so strangely stirred me.  We were quite close, almost touching.  Our eyes met again.  It was mad of me, but I asked Lady Brandon to introduce me to him.  Perhaps it was not so mad, after all.  It was simply inevitable.  We would have spoken to each other without any introduction.  I am sure of that.  Dorian told me so afterwards.  He, too, felt that we were destined to know each other.”

“And how did Lady Brandon describe this wonderful young man?  I know she goes in for giving a rapid precis of all her guests.  I remember her bringing me up to a most truculent and red-faced old gentleman covered all over with orders and ribbons, and hissing into my ear, in a tragic whisper which must have been perfectly audible to everybody in the room, something like ’Sir Humpty Dumpty—­you know—­Afghan frontier—­Russian intrigues:  very successful man—­wife killed by an elephant—­quite inconsolable—­wants to marry a beautiful American widow—­everybody does nowadays—­hates Mr. Gladstone—­but very much interested in beetles:  ask him what he thinks of Schouvaloff.’  I simply fled.  I like to find out people for myself.  But poor Lady Brandon treats her guests exactly as an auctioneer treats his goods.  She either explains them entirely away, or tells one everything about them except what one wants to know.  But what did she say about Mr. Dorian Gray?”

[8] “Oh, she murmured, ’Charming boy—­poor dear mother and I quite inseparable—­engaged to be married to the same man—­I mean married on the same day—­how very silly of me!  Quite forget what he does—­ afraid he—­doesn’t do anything—­oh, yes, plays the piano—­or is it the violin, dear Mr. Gray?’ We could neither of us help laughing, and we became friends at once.”

“Laughter is not a bad beginning for a friendship, and it is the best ending for one,” said Lord Henry, plucking another daisy.