Self’s one arm wrapped her body tightly. His other hand was entangled in her flimsy garment at the breast. His face, also turned toward the door, shuddered with an absorbed, strange look between hope and hopelessness.
John Cabot stood on the threshold, held by astonishment. He had heard that high prices oft times were exacted of shopgirls, as of aspirants for the stage. But this situation would have seemed incredible except that there it was before his eyes. He felt a demand for initiative.
In that scant moment of hesitation, the pros and cons of the issue, as concerned himself, flashed through his mind. The principles in this behind-the-scenes passion play were not of his class, or so Catherine would have said. Both were total strangers to him, therefore their relationship not his affair. More or less undesirable notoriety must result from interference—the inevitable complement? to the Cabot millions.
However, just as he knew himself not to be a number of things which Catherine would have wished him to be, he was one thing in particular which she did not wish him to be. There had been many times when, frankly, he had congratulated himself on having been a human being long before a multi-millionaire.
Through the space which he had vacated in the doorway flocked a covey of fashion’s vultures. His audience formed as he crossed the room and laid a golf-hardened grip upon Seff’s shoulder. There was an instant of resistance. Then he tore the man away from the cowering girl.
Almost was he tripped to a fall. Glancing down, he noted a silken swirl upon the floor. His first act, after throwing aside the drink-maddened roué, was to gather up the negligee last shown outside and lay it about the model’s shoulders.
He faced around to meet Seff’s thick-lipped threats.
“Wha—what do you mean? You’ll answer to me for your interference and before you’re a minute older.”
The shopman chopped out at him recklessly, landing several blows.
Taller than Seff by half a head, superbly fit in comparison, John stood as if stricken by sudden inability. His eyes were upon the scandalized throng that had crowded into the room, rather than his opponent. He protected himself in a confused, inadequate way from a succession of attacks. The while he was considering a plan to spare the girl odium and involve her tormentor.