Dorian Gray watched his servant, Victor. He wondered if Victor looked behind the screen (a large piece of furniture used to hide things). Victor stood still and waited for orders. Dorian Gray looked at Victor in a mirror. Victor’s face looked like a quiet mask. Dorian Gray was not afraid, but he was very careful.
Dorian Gray spoke very slowly. He told Victor to find the housekeeper, Mrs. Leaf. He also told Victor to find a frame-maker (a person who makes wooden borders for pictures). Dorian Gray wanted the frame-maker to send two men to the house. Victor left the room. Dorian Gray thought Victor looked at the screen, but he was not sure.
Mrs. Leaf came into the library. She was an old woman with wrinkled hands. Dorian Gray asked her for the key to the old schoolroom. Mrs. Leaf was surprised. she said the room was full of dust and cobwebs. She said the room was not clean for him.
Dorian Gray did not want the room to be clean. He only wanted the key. Mrs. Leaf said the room was closed for five years. It was closed since the death of Dorian Gray's grandfather. Dorian Gray felt a little pain. He had very bad memories of his grandfather. He told Mrs. Leaf to give him the key.
Mrs. Leaf found the key on her big ring of keys. She asked if Dorian Gray wanted to live in that old room. Dorian Gray said no. He was a little angry. He told Mrs. Leaf to leave. The old woman smiled and left the room.
Dorian Gray put the key in his pocket. He looked for something to cover the painting. He saw a large, purple coverlet (a beautiful, heavy cloth used to cover a bed). His grandfather found this cloth in a convent (a house where religious women live). It was very old and had gold decorations.
Dorian Gray used the purple cloth to wrap the horrible picture. He thought about his sins. He thought his sins were like worms. They would eat the beauty of the painting. They would make the face on the canvas look shameful. But the painting would stay alive. It would always be there.
Dorian Gray felt a shudder (a quick shake of the body because of fear). He thought about Basil Hallward. Maybe Basil Hallward could help him. Basil Hallward was a good man. But Dorian Gray thought it was too late now. He could not change the past. He was afraid of his own future.
Dorian Gray went behind the screen. He looked at the face on the canvas. It looked very cruel. The blue eyes and yellow hair were the same, but the expression was horrible. The painting was like his own soul. It judged him. He quickly covered the picture with the purple cloth.
A servant knocked on the door. Victor told Dorian Gray that the men were there. Dorian Gray wanted to send Victor away. He did not want Victor to see the painting. Dorian Gray wrote a quick note to Lord Henry Wotton. He told Victor to take the note and wait for an answer.
Then, Mr. Hubbard came into the room. He was a famous frame-maker. He was a small man with red hair. He liked Dorian Gray because Dorian Gray was very charming. Mr. Hubbard brought a new frame for a picture. He said it was very beautiful and old.
Dorian Gray thanked Mr. Hubbard. But he told Mr. Hubbard that he did not need a frame today. He asked for help to move a heavy picture. He wanted to move it to the top of the house. Mr. Hubbard said he was happy to help.
Mr. Hubbard and his assistant took the picture. They did not remove the purple cloth. The picture was very heavy. They walked out of the library and up the wide stairs. Dorian Gray followed them. Sometimes he helped them carry the big load.
They reached the top of the house. Dorian Gray unlocked the door of the old schoolroom. He did not enter this room for four years. He used this room when he was a child. It was a very large room. His grandfather, Lord Kelso, built it many years ago.
Lord Kelso hated Dorian Gray. He wanted to keep the boy far away. Dorian Gray saw his old books. He saw a tapestry (a large cloth with pictures sewn on it) on the wall. He remembered his lonely childhood. He felt sad because he was a pure boy then. Now, he was hiding a dark secret in this same room.
This room was the best place to hide the painting. Only Dorian Gray had the key. No one could see the face on the canvas. The face could become ugly and dirty, but it was safe. Dorian Gray would keep his youth. He hoped that maybe his soul would become good again one day.
Then he looked at the painting again. He knew the truth. The picture would grow old. It would have wrinkles and yellow eyes. It would look like his grandfather. Dorian Gray felt tired. He told the men to put the picture against the wall.
Mr. Hubbard asked to see the painting. Dorian Gray became very nervous. He was ready to jump on the man. He told Mr. Hubbard that the painting was not interesting. Mr. Hubbard said goodbye and walked downstairs. Dorian Gray locked the door. He felt safe now.
Dorian Gray went back to the library. It was five o’clock. He drank some tea. He saw a book with a yellow cover. It was a gift from Lord Henry Wotton. He also saw a newspaper. He read a story about the inquest (a meeting to find the cause of a death).
The newspaper said that Sibyl Vane died by accident. Dorian Gray felt angry. He did not like ugly stories. He thought Lord Henry Wotton was stupid to send the newspaper. He was not afraid of the police. He did not kill the girl.
Dorian Gray began to read the yellow book. It was very strange. It was about a man from Paris. This man tried to experience every sin in the world. The book did not have a plot, but the words were beautiful. It was like a dream.
Dorian Gray read the book for many hours. He did not see the sun go down. The sky became dark. His servant told him it was very late. Dorian Gray went to his bedroom and dressed for dinner. He put the yellow book next to his bed.
It was almost nine o’clock when he reached his club. Lord Henry Wotton was there. Dorian Gray said he was sorry for being late. He said the book was fascinating (extremely interesting). He forgot the time because of the book. Lord Henry Wotton smiled. They went to eat dinner.