The next morning Dorian wrote two letters. He put one of them into his pocket and he gave the other to his servant. "Take this to Mr. Campbell’s house at once," he said. While Dorian waited he picked up a book and tried to read. But after a time the book fell from his hands. "Perhaps, Alan Campbell was out of England. Perhaps, he would refuse to come. He was a very clever scientist and five years ago he and Dorian had been good friends. But now Alan never smiled when he met Dorian. Each minute seemed an hour to Dorian, but at last the door opened. Dorian smiled. "Alan," he said, "Thank you for coming." "I never wanted to enter your house again. But your letter said it was the question of life and death," said Alan Campbell. His voice was hard and cold. "Yes, Alan, it is. Please, sit down." Across the table the two men’s eyes met. Dorian was silent for a moment, then very quietly he said, "Alan, in a locked room upstairs there is a dead body. I want you to destroy it. There must be nothing left. I know you can do this."
"I don’t want to know your terrible secrets. I refuse to help you," Campbell replied.
"But you must, Alan. You are the only person who can help me." Dorian smiled sadly. He took a piece of paper, wrote something on it and pushed it across the table to Campbell. As Campbell read the piece of paper his face went white. He looked at Dorian with hate and fear in his eyes. "I’m so sorry for you, Alan," said Dorian gently. "I’ve already written a letter. And if you don’t help me, I’ll have to send it. But I think that you will help me." Campbell put his face in his hands and was silent for a long time. Dorian waited. "I’ll need some things from my house," Campbell said at last. Dorian sent his servant to fetch the things that Campbell needed and the two men waited silently. When the servant returned Dorian took the scientist upstairs to the locked room. As they entered Dorian remembered that the portrait was uncovered. He turned to cover it and stopped, and stared in horror. One of the hands in the picture was red with blood. For Dorian this was more terrible than the body in the room. With shaking hands he quickly covered the picture.
"Leave me now," ordered Campbell. Five hours later Campbell came back downstairs. "I’ve done what you’ve asked me to do," he said, "and now, good-bye, I never want to see you again."
When Alan Campbell had left Dorian went upstairs. There was a terrible smell in the room but the dead body had gone.