a "proper step." This same Home
Secretary appointed his utterly incompetent brother to be a judge of the
High Court.

[10] The correspondent to whom Wilde writes and the other friend
referred to are Roman Catholics.

[11] This refers to a story which Wilde was much interested in at the
time.

[12] The proprietor of the hotel.

[13] The Sphinx is a nickname for Mrs. Leverson, author of "The Eleventh
Hour," and other witty novels.

[14] Ernest was her husband.

[15] The silver spoon is a proposed line for a play given by Ross to
Turner (Reggie).

[16] Wilde's solicitor in Regina v. Wilde.

[17] A reference to the "Vailima Letters" of Stevenson which Wilde read
when he was in prison.

[18] An architect who sent Wilde books on his release from prison.

[19] His letter to _The Daily Chronicle_ about Warder Martin and the
little children.

[20] The Ballad was finished in Naples and Alfred Douglas has since
declared that he helped Oscar Wilde to write it. I have no wish to
dispute this: Alfred Douglas' poetic gift was extraordinary, far greater
than Oscar Wilde's. The poem was conceived in prison and a good deal of
it was printed before Oscar went near Alfred Douglas and some of the
best stanzas in it are to be found in this earlier portion: no part of
the credit of it, in my opinion, belongs to Alfred Douglas. See Appendix
for Ross's opinion.

[21] Hanging in chains was called keeping sheep by moonlight.

CHAPTER XX

"Non dispetto, ma doglia."--_Dante._

Oscar Wilde did not stay long in Naples, a few brief months; the
forbidden fruit quickly turned to ashes in his mouth.

I give the following extracts from a letter he wrote to Robert Ross in
December, 1897, shortly after leaving Naples, because it describes the
second great crisis in his life and is besides the bitterest thing he
ever wrote and therefore of peculiar value:

"The facts of Naples are very bald. Bosie for four months, by
endless lies, offered me a home. He offered me love,
affection, and care, and promised that I should never want for
anything. After four months I accepted his offer, but when we
met on our way to Naples, I found he had no money, no plans,
and had forgotten all his promises. His one idea was that I
should raise the money for us both; I did so to the extent of
L120. On this Bosie lived quite happy. When it came to his
having to pay his own share he became terribly u