“Come, Lily, are you still angry with me?” asked Jimmy, quite at a loss. “When you took me by surprise that day, at Whitcomb Mansions ...”
“A lot I care for your love!” growled Lily contemptuously.
“But my friendship, Lily ...”
“Your friendship,” said Lily, “your friendship ... a rag! I’ll show you how I value your friendship!” she said, flinging a dirty towel on the floor and stamping on it in her rage.
“And that Daisy Woolly-legs!” resumed Lily, with an unspeakable expression of scorn on her face.
“What do you mean?” asked Jimmy, who did not understand.
“Giving that shop to the New Trickers!” she continued violently. “You who always used to talk of my talent! Giving a shop like that to those New Trickers, who haven’t as much talent among the six of them as I have in my little finger!... You! To treat me like that!... When I think,” cried Lily, beside herself, “when I think that Pa and Ma will be here ... with tricks stolen from me! footy rotter that you are!”
Jimmy understood that the engagement of the New Trickers exasperated Lily: a question of outraged pride, of professional jealousy. He tried to explain: she had already performed in Paris and Harrasford insisted on that. He, Jimmy, wasn’t altogether the master. The New Trickers were very clever, very original, very new ...
“And I’m only fit to throw to the dogs, eh?” cried Lily furiously. “And that rot about having performed in Paris. The Graces have performed in Paris and they’re to be at the Astrarium and why not I? Because you’re my friend, perhaps. Such a friend! When it would have been so easy for you to give me that pleasure. But no one will ever do anything to please me! Yes, strangers, gentlemen in the front boxes; but not friends like you! You always bore me a grudge for marrying Trampy.... And who knows what people say of me behind my back!... that I cut my turn ... that I do less than I might. You know what I can do, damn it! But it’s work I want, do you hear, work! I’m not what you think!... One of those ... not I! I’d rather chew glass than take any of that!”
And Lily spoke with nervous movements of the shoulder and fiery glances and she forced Jimmy to lower his eyes and she told him what she thought of him straight out, told him all her heaped-up, rankling spite, told him all she had at heart, in words round and solid enough to build a tower of Babel on!