You told Harry exactly the same thing." He stopped suddenly, and a gleam of light came into his eyes.He remembered that Lord Henry had said to him once, half seriously and half in jest, "If you want to have a strange quarter of an hour, get Basil to tell you why he won't exhibit your picture.
He told me why he wouldn't, and it was a revelation to me." Yes, perhaps Basil, too, had his secret.He would ask him and try.
"Basil," he said, coming over quite close and looking him straight in the face, "we have each of us a secret.Let me know yours, and I shall tell you mine.What was your reason for refusing to exhibit my picture?"The painter shuddered in spite of himself."Dorian, if I told you, you might like me less than you do, and you would certainly laugh at me.I could not bear your doing either of those two things.If you wish me never to look at your picture again, I am content.I have always you to look at.If you wish the best work I have ever done to be hidden from the world, I am satisfied.Your friendship is dearer to me than any fame or reputation.""No, Basil, you must tell me," insisted Dorian Gray."I think I have a right to know." His feeling of terror had passed away, and curiosity had taken its place.He was determined to find out Basil Hallward's mystery.
"Let us sit down, Dorian," said the painter, looking troubled.
"Let us sit down.And just answer me one question.Have you noticed in the picture something curious?--something that probably at first did not strike you, but that revealed itself to you suddenly?""Basil!" cried the lad, clutching the arms of his chair with trembling hands and gazing at him with wild startled eyes.
"I see you did.Don't speak.Wait till you hear what I have to say.Dorian, from the moment I met you, your personality had the most extraordinary influence over me.I was dominated, soul, brain, and power, by you.You became to me the visible incarnation of that unseen ideal whose memory haunts us artists like an exquisite dream.I worshipped you.I grew jealous of every one to whom you spoke.I wanted to have you all to myself.I was only happy when I was with you.When you were away from me, you were still present in my art....Of course, I never let you know anything about this.