Page 399 of 490

Lady Ruxton glanced at him curiously. "You must come and explain

that to me some afternoon, Lord Henry. It sounds a fascinating

theory," she murmured, as she swept out of the room.

"Now, mind you don't stay too long over your politics and

scandal," cried Lady Narborough from the door. "If you do, we are

sure to squabble upstairs."

The men laughed, and Mr. Chapman got up solemnly from the foot of

the table and came up to the top. Dorian Gray changed his seat

and went and sat by Lord Henry. Mr. Chapman began to talk in a

loud voice about the situation in the House of Commons. He

guffawed at his adversaries. The word doctrinaire-word full of

terror to the British mind-reappeared from time to time between

his explosions. An alliterative prefix served as an ornament of

oratory. He hoisted the Union Jack on the pinnacles of thought.

The inherited stupidity of the race-sound English common sense he

jovially termed it-was shown to be the proper bulwark for

society.