It would be vulgar to ask people their age." "Where did you first meet Parker ?" "I invited Taylor to Kettner's[14] on the occasion of my birthday, and told him to bring what friends he liked.

He brought Parker and his brother." "Did you know Parker was a gentleman's servant out of work, and his brother a groom ?" "No; I did not." "But you did know that Parker was not a literary character or an artist, and that culture was not his strong point ?" "I did." "What was there in common between you and Charlie Parker ?" "I like people who are young, bright, happy, careless and original.

I do not like them sensible, and I do not like them old; I don't like social distinctions of any kind, and the mere fact of youth is so wonderful to me that I would sooner talk to a young man for half an hour than be cross examined by an elderly Q.C." Everyone smiled at this retort.
"Had you chambers in St.James's Place ?" "Yes, from October, '93, to April, '94." "Did Charlie Parker go and have tea with you there ?" "Yes." "Did you give him money ?" "I gave him three or four pounds because he said he was hard up." "What did he give you in return ?" "Nothing." "Did you give Charlie Parker a silver cigarette case at Christmas ?" "I did." "Did you visit him one night at 12:30 at Park Walk, Chelsea ?" "I did not." "Did you write him any beautiful prose-poems ?" "I don't think so." "Did you know that Charlie Parker had enlisted in the Army ?" "I have heard so." "When you heard that Taylor was arrested what did you do ?" "I was greatly distressed and wrote to tell him so." "When did you first meet Fred Atkins ?" "In October or November, '92." "Did he tell you that he was employed by a firm of bookmakers ?" "He may have done." "Not a literary man or an artist, was he ?" "No." "What age was he ?" "Nineteen or twenty." "Did you ask him to dinner at Kettner's ?" "I think I met him at a dinner at Kettner's." "Was Taylor at the dinner ?" "He may have been." "Did you meet him afterwards ?" "I did." "Did you call him 'Fred' and let him call you 'Oscar' ?" "Yes." "Did you go to Paris with him ?" "Yes." "Did you give him money ?" "Yes." "Was there ever any impropriety between you ?" "No." "When did you first meet Ernest Scarfe ?" "In December, 1893." "Who introduced him to you ?" "Taylor." "Scarfe was out of work, was he not ?" "He may have been." "Did Taylor bring Scarfe to you at St.James's Place ?" "Yes." "Did you give Scarfe a cigarette case ?" "Yes: it was my custom to give cigarette cases to people I liked." "When did you first meet Mavor ?" "In '93." "Did you give him money or a cigarette case ?" "A cigarette case." "Did you know Walter Grainger ?"...

and so on till the very air in the court seemed peopled with spectres.
On the whole Oscar bore the cross-examination very well; but he made one appalling slip.
Mr.Carson was pressing him as to his relations with the boy Grainger, who had been employed in Lord Alfred Douglas' rooms in Oxford.
"Did you ever kiss him ?" he asked.
Oscar answered carelessly, "Oh, dear, no.

He was a peculiarly plain boy.