Dorian Gray grew sick with fear. ‘I never knew her. I’ve never heard of her. You’re crazy.’ he cried. Suddenly he had an idea. ‘How long ago did your sister die?’ He asked. ‘Eighteen years ago,’ James Vane replied. ‘Why do you ask me?’ ‘Eighteen years,’ laughed Dorian Gray. ‘Take me to the light and look at my face.’ James Vane stared at Dorian. Then he pushed him towards the light, and in the light he saw the face of a boy of twenty. This man was too young. He was not the man who destroyed his sister’s life. ‘My God!’ He cried. ‘I nearly murdered you!’ ‘Go home and put that gun away before you get into trouble,’ said Dorian. And he walked quickly away. James Vane stared after him in horror. Then a woman’s hand touched his arm. ‘Why didn’t you kill him?’ she asked. ‘He’s evil.’ ‘He’s not the man that I’m looking for,’ answered the sailor. ‘The man who I want must be nearly forty now. That man is only a boy.’ ‘A boy?’ The woman laughed. Her voice was hard. ‘It’s eighteen years since I met Prince Charming. And his pretty face hasn’t changed in all that time. It’s true, I promise you.’ James Vane ran to the corner of the road, but Dorian Gray had disappeared.
