The Picture of Dorian Gray Page #8

No, of course not. Please sit down, Allen.

I'll tell you why I sent for you.

Allen, in a locked room

at the top of this house,

a room to which no one

but myself has access,

a dead man is lying across a table.

He's been dead for 10 hours.

Who he is, why he died, how he died,

are matters that do not concern you.

-What you must do is...

-There's no need for you to go on, Dorian.

Your horrible secrets don't interest me.

They'll have to interest you.

You are the one man

who is able to save me.

You are scientific, Allen.

I have seen your name

recently in scientific reviews,

in connection with certain

curious experiments.

What has that to do with you?

What you have got to do is

to destroy the thing that is upstairs.

Destroy it so that not a vestige is left.

Nobody saw this person

come into the house.

He is supposed to be in Paris.

When he is missed,

not a trace of him must be found here.

You must change him

and everything that belongs to him,

including his coat and his traveling bag,

which I have locked up in this room,

into a handful of ashes.

You must be insane

to suppose I'd lift a finger to help you.

-It was suicide, Allen.

-What drove him to it?

You won't do this for me?

How can you ask me, of all men,

to mix myself up in this horror?

Allen, it was murder. I killed him.

He was responsible for the ruin of my life.

He didn't intend it,

but the result was the same.

You are certain to be caught.

No man commits a crime

without doing something stupid.

-I'll have no part of it.

-We were friends once, Allen.

I regret that.

Don't you understand that

if you don't help me, I'm lost?

-They will hang me for what I have done.

-Let them.

-You refuse?

-Yes.

-I entreat you.

-It's useless.

I'm sorry, Allen.

You leave me no alternative.

I've written a letter. Here it is.

You see the address.

If you don't help me, I must send it.

If you don't help me, I will send it.

You know what the result will be.

-The thing is quite simple, Allen.

-It would kill her.

I didn't think you would want

her name involved in such a scandal.

-I cannot do it!

-You have no choice.

I shall have to go home and

get some things from the laboratory.

You've saved my life.

Dorian dined that evening

with Lady Narborough,

who had what Lord Henry described as

the remains of

a really remarkable ugliness.

You left early last night, Dorian.

Did you go straight home

or did you go to the club?

Why are you so inquisitive, Harry?

I came in at 12:
30.

If you want any corroborative evidence,

you can ask my man.

Remember your promise, Lord Henry.

There are two hours unaccounted for,

Dorian,

I suspect will bear investigation.

Or perhaps they will not.

You've hardly touched

my beautiful dinner, Lord Henry.

I believe you're in love.

I haven't been in love for a week.

Not since Madame de Farrol left town.

Madame de Farrol?

She's a wonderful woman,

Lady Narborough.

When her third husband died,

her hair turned quite gold from grief!

What's her fourth husband like?

Husbands of beautiful women

belong to the criminal classes.

I'm not surprised that the world says

you're extremely wicked.

What world says that, Lady Narborough?

It can only be the next world.

This world and Harry are on

excellent terms.

Everyone I know says he's wicked.

It's monstrous the way people go about

nowadays

saying things behind one's back

that are absolutely and entirely true.

Women love us for our defects.

If we have enough of them,

they'll forgive us anything,

-even our intellects.

-Very true.

At any rate, no one'll ever persuade me

that Mr. Gray is wicked.

And I shall never forgive him

for remaining a bachelor.

Don't you think we ought to

find a wife for Mr. Gray, Lord Henry?

I'm always telling him so.

I shall go through Debrett carefully tonight

and draw out a list of all the eligible

young ladies.

-With their ages?

-Only slightly edited.

I want it to be a suitable alliance.

I want you both to be happy.

I shall save you

the trouble of looking, Lady Narborough.

I have already chosen her,

if she will have me.

-I don't believe it.

-Gladys, darling. Will you marry me?

Of course I will, darling.

This is the only marriage

I've ever approved of.

-How terribly exciting.

-By Jove, that is a stunner!

-I'm so happy for you.

-I congratulate you both.

For months the mysterious disappearance

of Basil Hallward

was the sensation of London.

You don't mind if I go on with my work,

while we talk?

-Not at all.

-It's a matter of some urgency.

Tell me what you discovered in France.

We discovered nothing, nothing at all.

We hunted up everyone

even remotely acquainted with my uncle,

but not one had seen him

or heard from him.

The Paris police don't believe he ever

arrived in France.

And here, at Scotland Yard, we're equally

convinced he did leave London.

The man in the gray ulster who

boarded the train at Victoria Station

was undoubtedly Basil Hallward.

What are we to do now?

You're both young.

I understand you're engaged to marry.

Go on with your own lives peacefully.

Believe me, that's the best course.

I promise you, Scotland Yard will not

forget Basil Hallward.

I thought it might be good for Gladys

to go away for a while, out of London.

It would be.

I'm going to my country place

at Selby tomorrow.

I've persuaded Gladys to join me there

-with some friends on Thursday.

-Good.

The others are coming for the pheasant

shooting.

We'd be delighted

if you'd join us, Sir Robert.

Oh, I'm afraid I can't get away.

But I'm glad you're going.

The diversion will do you good.

Thank you, Sir Robert.

You've been very kind.

Not at all.

Mr. Gray?

Are you acquainted with

a young man named Allen Campbell?

Why, yes.

At one time we were great friends.

It's been a long time since I've seen him.

Why do you ask?

I've just received a very tragic notice.

This morning, Allen Campbell

died by his own hand.

-Why on earth should Allen Campbell...

-Why, indeed.

I thought you might give me a clue.

He had everything to live for.

He was just beginning to

achieve a name for himself in science.

He left no note or letter,

no explanation of any sort?

None. Whatever drove him to it,

he took the secret with him.

How little we really know

of what goes on inside a man.

Yes.

You've been sad all evening.

ls it Allen Campbell?

-Perhaps.

-I'm sorry.

Let's be married soon, in a fortnight.

A simple wedding

with only our closest friends.

A fortnight? You call that soon?

Good night, darling.

I'll come to Selby on the Thursday

afternoon train with Janet.

I'll be at the station.

Allen Campbell.

Would Allen's blood

be on the painting now?

There were other roads to forgetfulness

than the one that Allen took.

-Where to, sir?

-Bluegate Fields.

Yes, sir.

One day we shall be awakened

with suffering and dismay

to the realization that

the soul is not a superstition.

Nor the spirit of man, a material substance

Rate this script:5.0 / 2 votes