At nine o’clock the next morning, the servant came into the room. The servant brought a cup of chocolate. Dorian Gray was sleeping peacefully. He looked like a young boy.
The servant touched Dorian on the shoulder. Dorian woke up and smiled. He did not have any bad dreams. He felt happy because he was young. Then he remembered the night before.
Dorian remembered the blood. He remembered that he killed Basil Hallward. He felt a lot of hatred for the dead man. He knew the body was still in the room upstairs. He tried not to think about it.
Dorian got out of bed. He chose his clothes very carefully. He picked a beautiful necktie and a gold pin. He spent a long time eating his breakfast. He read his letters and talked to the servant.
Dorian wrote two letters. He put one letter in his pocket. He gave the other letter to the servant. He told the servant to go to the house of Alan. He told the servant to find Alan immediately.
Dorian was alone now. He began to draw pictures on a piece of paper. He drew flowers and buildings. Then he drew human faces. Every face looked like Basil. Dorian felt very nervous.
He took a book from the shelf. He tried to read it to forget his fear. The book was about the city of Venice. It described the beautiful water and the pink buildings. Dorian remembered a time he went to Venice with Basil.
Dorian sighed and put the book down. He started to feel a lot of terror. He wondered if Alan was in London. He needed Alan to help him. Every minute was very important.
Alan and Dorian were great friends five years ago. They were always together. Then their friendship ended suddenly. Now, Alan hated Dorian. He did not want to see Dorian.
Alan was a very clever man. He was a scientist. He spent all day in his laboratory. He studied chemistry. He was also a very good musician.
Dorian waited and looked at the clock. He walked up and down the room. He felt like a bird in a cage. His hands were very cold. He was afraid of the future.
Finally, the servant entered the room. The servant said that Alan was there. Dorian felt better. He told the servant to bring Alan into the room. Dorian was not afraid now.
Alan walked into the room. He looked very serious and pale. He did not want to be there. He kept his hands in his pockets. He did not say hello to Dorian.
Dorian told Alan to sit down. He said it was a matter of life and death. Alan’s voice was hard and cold. He told Dorian that he did not want to hear his secrets.
Dorian spoke very quietly. He told Alan that a dead man was upstairs. He said the man died ten hours ago. Dorian said he did not want to explain why the man died. He told Alan to listen.
Dorian asked Alan for his help. He reminded Alan that he was a scientist. He said Alan knew how to destroy things with chemicals. He told Alan to turn the body into ashes.
Alan said that Dorian was mad. He refused to help Dorian. He did not want to lose his good name. Dorian said that the man committed suicide. Alan still said no.
Then Dorian told the truth. He said he killed the man. He said Basil made him suffer. Alan was shocked. He said he would not tell the police, but he would not help.
Dorian asked Alan to think about his situation. He said that if the police found the body, he would die. He said they would hang him. He asked Alan to help because they were friends once.
Alan refused again. Dorian looked at him with pity. Dorian wrote something on a piece of paper. He showed the paper to Alan. Alan became very white. He felt sick.
Dorian knew a terrible secret about Alan. He said he would send a letter with this secret if Alan did not help. Alan had no choice. He had to help Dorian to save himself.
Alan told Dorian he needed things from his laboratory. Dorian did not let him leave the house. Dorian told him to write a note. The servant went to get the things from the laboratory.
Dorian and Alan waited for twenty minutes. They did not speak. A fly moved around the room. The clock made a loud sound. Alan told Dorian that he was a bad man.
The servant returned with a large box. Inside the box were many bottles and wires. Dorian told the servant to go to another town. He told him to buy some orchids. He wanted the servant to be away for five hours.
Dorian and Alan went upstairs. Dorian opened the door of the secret room. He saw the face of the portrait in the sunlight. He saw blood on the hand in the painting. He felt a lot of horror.
Dorian did not look at the dead man in the chair. He quickly covered the portrait with a purple cloth. He heard Alan bring the heavy box into the room. Alan told Dorian to leave.
Dorian went downstairs. He heard Alan lock the door. Dorian waited for many hours. At seven o’clock, Alan came back to the library. He was very pale.
Alan said he finished the work. He told Dorian that they must never see each other again. Then Alan left the house. Dorian went upstairs to the room.
The room smelled of nitric acid. The smell was very strong. Dorian looked at the chair by the table. The body of Basil was gone.