Hello there and welcome to Down to Sleep, the podcast of softly spoken stories to help you get a good night's rest.

I have been loving this book. I think it is my favorite book that we've read on the podcast so far.

We've been continuing to read it here and there since episode two all the way back at the second episode.

If you would like to hear the whole thing,

then join our Sleepy Book Club at patreon.com slash down to sleep, where for a few dollars,

you can support the podcast and get a bonus episode every single week, and every main episode

is about twice as long. That's patreon.com slash down to sleep. Thank you so much for joining me

tonight. I hope that you've had a wonderful weekend and are looking forward to a great month ahead of

you. Let's go ahead and get you nice and comfortable, tuck you in, and we'll begin from Chapter 8 of the

Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. It was long past noon when he awoke. His valet had crept several

times on tiptoe into the room to see if he was stirring and had wondered what

made his young master sleep so late. Finally his bell sounded. Victor came in softly with a cup

of tea in a pile of letters on a small tray of old china and drew back the olive satin curtains with their

shimmering blue lining that hung in front of three tall windows.

Monsieur has slept well this morning, he said, smiling.

What o'clock is it, Victor? asked Dorian Gray, drowsily. One hour and a quarter,

monsieur. How late it was, he sat up, having sipped some tea turned over his letters. One of them

was from Lord Henry, and had been brought by hand that morning.

He hesitated for a moment, and then put it aside.

The others he opened listlessly.

They contained the usual collection of cards, invitations to dinner,

tickets for private views, programs of charity concerts and the like, all that

...