Портрет Дориана Грея / The Picture of Dorian Gray

“My son, don’t say such dreadful things,” murmured Mrs. Vane.

Sibyl went to get her coat and James spoke to his mother. “I’m worried about Sibyl,” he said. “I hear a gentleman comes every night to the theatre and goes behind to talk to her. Is that right? What about that?”

“Don’t worry, James,” Mrs. Vane replied. “Young men often fall in love with actresses.”

“But you don’t know his name,” said James, angrily, “Mother, you must take care of Sibyl.”

Sibyl and James went for a walk in Hyde Park. The park was busy. There were lots of people. There were people walking and people sitting in carriages pulled by horses.

Sibyl was happy. “I think you will have a wonderful life in Australia, James. I think you will become rich…”

She stopped speaking because James was not listening to her.

“You are not listening to a word I am saying, Jim,” cried Sibyl, “and I am making the most delightful plans for your future. Do say something. What’s bothering you?”

“I heard that there is a man who comes to see you every night at the theatre. Why haven’t you told me about him? He can’t be any good for you.[43 - He can’t be any good for you. – Знакомство с ним к добру не приведёт.]”

“Jim! Why do you say such things?”

“You don’t know his name, do you?”

“Stop, Jim!” she exclaimed. “You must not say anything against him. I love him. I call him Prince Charming. I will love him for ever.”

“You don’t know his name,” James said again, angrily. “He is a rich young man, and he will not marry you.”

“He is a prince!” she cried musically. “What more do you want?”

“He wants to enslave you. Sibyl, you are mad about him.”

She laughed and took his arm.

Just then a carriage drove by. There were two women in it and a young man with curly blond hair and laughing eyes.

“Oh, look! Look, there he is! He’s in that carriage!” Sibyl shouted.

“Who?”

“Prince Charming.”

“Where? Show him to me.”

She pointed across the park at a carriage. James looked across the park. But, at that moment, another carriage suddenly passed in front of the brother and sister. James never saw Prince Charming.

“Oh dear,” said Sibyl, “I wanted you to see him.”

“I wanted to see him too,” replied her brother, “because I will kill him if he ever hurts you. Do you hear me Sybil? I’ll kill him!”

James Vane’s eyes looked red with anger. At first Sibyl was angry with her brother. But she remembered that he was sixteen years old. He was a boy. He had never been in love.

“You won’t hurt a man I love, will you, James?” she said.

“No, I won’t,” he said at last. “I won’t hurt him if you love him.”

“I will always love Prince Charming,” said Sibyl. “And he will always love me.”

So Sibyl and James were friends again. But that evening, James spoke again to their mother.

“If this young man hurts Sibyl,” said he again. “I will find him and I will kill him. I will kill him like a dog!”

“Jim, what are you saying? Come, let us go. You will be late for your boat.”

Chapter 6

“I suppose you have heard the news, Basil?” said Lord Henry the following evening. They were in the dining-room of the Bristol Hotel.

“No, Harry,” answered the artist, giving his hat and coat to the waiter. “What is it? Nothing about politics, I hope! They don’t interest me.”

“Dorian Gray is going to be married,” said Lord Henry, watching him as he spoke.

Hallward frowned. “Impossible!” he cried.

“It is perfectly true.”

“To whom?”

“To some little actress.”

“I can’t believe it. Dorian is far too sensible.[44 - Dorian is far too sensible. – Дориан не так безрассуден.]”

“Basil, whenever a man does a completely stupid thing, it is always for a good reason.”

“I hope this girl is good, Harry. I don’t want to see Dorian tied to some vile creature.”

“Oh, she is better than good – she is beautiful,” murmured Lord Henry. “Dorian says that she is beautiful and he is not often wrong about these things. Your portrait has helped him understand beauty in others. We are to see her tonight, if that boy doesn’t forget.”

“Are you serious?”

“Quite serious, Basil.”

“But how can Dorian marry an actress, Harry? It is absurd,” cried the painter, walking up and down the room, biting his lip. “Do you approve of it, Harry? You can’t approve of it, possibly.”

“I never approve, or disapprove, of anything now. You know I am not a champion of marriage. Dorian Gray falls in love with a beautiful actress who plays Juliet. He asks her to marry him. Why not? I hope that Dorian Gray marries this girl and worships her for six months. Then he can suddenly become fascinated by another woman.”

“You don’t mean a single word of that,[45 - You don’t mean a single word of that. – Ты всё это говоришь не всерьёз.] Harry! I know you don’t really want Dorian Gray’s life to be spoiled. You are much better than you pretend to be.”

Lord Henry laughed. “The reason we all like to think so well of others is because we are afraid for ourselves. But here is Dorian himself. He will tell you more than I can.”

“My dear Harry, my dear Basil, you must both congratulate me!” said the boy, throwing off his coat and shaking each of his friends’ hands. “I have never been so happy. Of course it is sudden – all the best things are. And yet it seems to me to be the one thing I have been looking for all my life.”