At half-past twelve next day Lord Henry Wotton strolled from Curzon Street over to the Albany to call

on his uncle, Lord ermor, a !enial if somewhat rou!h-mannered old bachelor, whom the outside world called selfish because it derived no particular benefit from him, but who was considered !enerous by Society as he fed the people who amused him" His father had been our ambassador at #adrid when $sabella was youn!, and %rim unthou!ht of, but had retired from the &iplomatic Service in a capricious moment of annoyance at not bein! offered the 'mbassy at %aris, a post to which he considered that he was entitled by reason of his birth, his indolence, the !ood 'n!lish of his dispatches, and his inordinate passion for pleasure" (he son, who had been his father)s secretary, had resi!ned alon! with his chief, somewhat foolishly as was thou!ht at the time, and on succeedin! some months later to the title, had set himself to the serious study of the !reat aristocratic art of doin! absolutely nothin!" He had two lar!e town houses, but preferred to live in chambers, as it was less trouble, and too* most of his meals at his club" He paid some attention to the mana!ement of his collieries in the #idland counties, excusin! himself for this taint of industry on the !round that the one advanta!e of havin! coal was that it enabled a !entleman to afford the decency of burnin! wood on his own hearth" $n politics he was a (ory, except when the (ories were in office, durin! which period he roundly abused them for bein! a pac* of +adicals" He was a hero to his valet, who bullied him, and a terror to most of his relations, whom he bullied in turn" ,nly 'n!land could have produced him, and he always said that the country was !oin! to the do!s" His principles were out of date, but there was a !ood deal to be said for his pre-udices" When Lord Henry entered the room, he found his uncle sittin! in a rou!h shootin! coat, smo*in! a cheroot, and !rumblin! over The Times .Well, Harry/, said the old !entleman, .what brin!s you out so early0 .$ thou!ht you dandies never !ot up till two, and were not visible till five/" .%ure family affection, $ assure you, 1ncle 2eor!e" $ want to !et somethin! out of you"/ .#oney, $ suppose/, said Lord ermor, ma*in! a wry face" .Well, sit down and tell me all about it" 3oun! people, nowadays, ima!ine that money is everythin!"/ .3es/, murmured Lord Henry, settlin! his button-hole in his coat4 .and when they !row older they *now it/" .5ut $ don)t want money" $t is only people who pay their bills who want that, 1ncle 2eor!e, and $ never pay mine" Credit is the capital of a youn!er son, and one lives charmin!ly upon it" 5esides, $ always deal with &artmoor)s tradesmen, and conse6uently they never bother me" What $ want is information4 not useful information, of course4 useless information"/ /Well, $ can tell you anythin! that is in an 'n!lish 5lue-boo*, Harry, althou!h those fellows nowadays write a lot of nonsense" When $ was in the &iplomatic, thin!s were much better" 5ut $ hear they let them in now by examination" What can you expect0 'xaminations, sir, are pure humbu! from be!innin! to end" $f a man is a !entleman, he *nows 6uite enou!h, and if he is not a !entleman, whatever he *nows is bad for him/"

.#r" &orian 2ray does not belon! to 5lue-boo*s, 1ncle 2eor!e/, said Lord Henry lan!uidly" .#r" &orian 2ray0 Who is he0/ as*ed Lord ermor, *nittin! his bushy white eyebrows" .(hat is what $ have come to learn, 1ncle 2eor!e" ,r rather, $ *now who he is" He is the last Lord 7elso8s !randson" His mother was a &evereux4 Lady #ar!aret &evereux" $ want you to tell me about his mother" What was she li*e0 Whom did she marry0 3ou have *nown nearly everybody in your time, so you mi!ht have *nown her" $ am very much interested in #r" 2ray at present" $ have only -ust met him/" .7elso)s !randson9/ echoed the old !entleman" .7elso)s !randson9 """ ,f course """ $ *new his mother intimately" $ believe $ was at her christenin!" She was an extraordinarily beautiful !irl, #ar!aret &evereux4 and made all the men frantic by runnin! away with a penniless youn! fellow4 a mere nobody, sir, a subaltern in a foot re!iment, or somethin! of that *ind" Certainly" $ remember the whole thin! as if it happened yesterday" (he poor chap was *illed in a duel at Spa, a few months after the marria!e" (here was an u!ly story about it" (hey said 7elso !ot some rascal adventurer, some 5el!ian brute, to insult his son-in-law in public4 paid him, sir, to do it, paid him4 and that the fellow spitted his man as if he had been a pi!eon" (he thin! was hushed up, but, e!ad, 7elso ate his chop alone at the club for some time afterwards" He brou!ht his dau!hter bac* with him, $ was told, and she never spo*e to him a!ain" ,h, yes4 it was a bad business" (he !irl died too4 died within a year" So she left a son, did she0 $ had for!otten that" What sort of boy is he0 $f he is li*e his mother he must be a !ood-loo*in! chap/" :,scar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray;