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"My dear Harry, my dear Basil, you must both congratulate me!"

said the lad, throwing off his evening cape with its satin-lined

wings and shaking each of his friends by the hand in turn. "I

have never been so happy. Of course, it is sudden-all really

delightful things are. And yet it seems to me to be the one thing

I have been looking for all my life." He was flushed with

excitement and pleasure, and looked extraordinarily handsome.

"I hope you will always be very happy, Dorian," said Hallward,

"but I don't quite forgive you for not having let me know of your

engagement. You let Harry know."

"And I don't forgive you for being late for dinner," broke in

Lord Henry, putting his hand on the lad's shoulder and smiling as

he spoke. "Come, let us sit down and try what the new chef here

is like, and then you will tell us how it all came about."