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A Rewrite of the Ending (Chapter XX) of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian GrayIt was a lovely night, so warm that Dorian threw his coat over his arm, and did not even put his silk scarf round his throat. A sealed envelope fell out of his coat pocket. It was from Basil’s Gladstone bag that Dorian had rummaged through before throwing into the fire. In his recent preoccupation, Dorian had forgotten all about the envelope. He now stooped to pick up the fallen envelope and broke open its seal.
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Out fell a small watercolour portrait. An angelic face stared back at Dorian and it was of himself. Oh Basil! Why? The portrait was painted with love, Dorian could see that. His eyes glistened in the moonlight. What had he done to his good friend? Distractedly, Dorian put the portrait and the envelope back into his coat pocket, lit a cigarette, and hurried toward home.
Two young men in evening dress passed him. He heard one of them whisper to the other, “That is Dorian Gray.” He remembered how pleased he used to be when he was pointed out, or stared at, or talked about. He was tired of hearing his own name now. Suddenly, one of the young men called out to him: “Mr. Gray.” Dorian spun around.
The one who had called out to him now said, “Tell us, Mr. Gray, what is your secret?”
Dorian cried, “What secret?”
“Your secret to eternal youth. It is witchcraft, the villagers say.”
It was the first time that anyone had directly questioned his appearance and Dorian did not know what to answer. Biting his lower lip, Dorian faintly replied, “How inquiring you young men are! What good is eternal youth?”
“What good?” cried the young men. “Wild adoration from charming ladies and great admiration from seekers of truth and beauty!”
“Do not speak of what you know not!”
“You have bewitched all the women in this town, Mr. Gray. And they have suffered for it. What is your secret?”
“Are you saying that you wish for your young women to suffer?” Dorian’s eyes flashed with regret and anger. With that, he turned around and walked quickly home. Behind him, he heard the two young men yell. He thought he caught the words “Basil” and “murder.” With a shiver, Dorian stepped into his home and found his servant waiting up for him.
