Page 445 sur 490

"I am afraid so," rejoined Lord Henry. "He got the whole charge

of shot in his chest. He must have died almost instantaneously.

Come; let us go home."

They walked side by side in the direction of the avenue for

nearly fifty yards without speaking. Then Dorian looked at Lord

Henry and said, with a heavy sigh, "It is a bad omen, Harry, a

very bad omen."

"What is?" asked Lord Henry. "Oh! this accident, I suppose. My

dear fellow, it can't be helped. It was the man's own fault. Why

did he get in front of the guns? Besides, it is nothing to us. It

is rather awkward for Geoffrey, of course. It does not do to

pepper beaters. It makes people think that one is a wild shot.

And Geoffrey is not; he shoots very straight. But there is no use

talking about the matter."

Dorian shook his head. "It is a bad omen, Harry. I feel as if

something horrible were going to happen to some of us. To myself,

perhaps," he added, passing his hand over his eyes, with a

gesture of pain.