ou have me prevent it?"

If he could have prevented it, he would. To begin with, Jimmy realized the
bothers which it brought down upon Lily. Moreover, Jimmy, who was vaguely
uneasy himself, wondered who that ardent admirer could be. Some of
Roofer's girls thought they had recognized Trampy, from the stage, in the
front seats. What Jimmy had heard of Trampy did not inspire him with
confidence. And Trampy, it appeared, was making love to Lily. Mr. Fuchs
had met them at the corner of Oxford Street and Newman Street. The story
was quite definite.

Jimmy was astonished at the audacity of a Trampy: what could he say to
her? he asked himself, what could he propose to her? Marriage? He was
married, they said, in America. To run away with him? His scandalous life,
his habit of easy conquest made this very likely. Jimmy had seen plenty of
others, big ones who topped the bill and who did not despise a girl's
companionship--on the contrary--and six months later, a year, two years
later, left the girl in a hole, stranded, undone; mustard and game for Jim
Crow. And he grew more and more anxious on Lily's behalf: not that Lily
would come to that! Yet he had seen plenty of them, since he had
frequented the stage, plenty of Lilies who had taken to flight for
injuries often less serious than hers. He could have mentioned names: his
head was full of those who let their anger, or their folly, get the better
of them and escaped at random, and who went back to every-day
life--through the door of scandal--sometimes to meet with worse: martyrdom
of the heart, base exploitation in the name of love. Oh, he pitied them
from the bottom of his soul! No, Lily shouldn't run away: it was
impossible! But what a pity, all the same, that he could think of it! And
what chance, what meeting would settle her fate and make her--who could
say?--the companion of a loving heart, or a prey to some footy rotter? Oh,
how he would have liked to go for Trampy, to break his jaw for him, to
teach him to mind his business and leave Lily alone! And what Jimmy wanted
to do he was never far from doing! And, then, oh, if he could procure a
good position for Clifton, as an equivalent for his star and make Lily
love him, marry him: that would be better still!

This idea, perhaps, without his knowing it, dominated his present life,
doubled his power of work: to invent something! To get himself talked
about! To make money, plenty of money, become somebody! Others before him