Her hand dropped to a little table beside her. She picked up the bowl and hurled it viciously across the room toward the fireplace. It splintered with a little crash against the marble mantelpiece.
«This», said a voice from the depths of the sofa, «is too much».
Rhett Butler rose from the sofa where he had been lying and made her a bow. He had heard everything!
«Sir», she said, «you are no gentleman!»
«An apt observation», he answered airily. «And, you, Miss, are no lady».
She walked out of the room and banged the heavy door behind her.
She went up the stairs swiftly. The she stopped and saw Charles. When he saw her, he hurried toward her. Charles stared at her.
«I’m so clumsy», he said. «I forgot how delicate ladies are. I’m sorry. Shall we sit on the bench?»
She nodded and he carefully handed her down.
«He has a lot of money», she was thinking. «And he hasn’t any parents to bother me and he lives in Atlanta. And if I marry him right away, it will show Ashley that I don’t care… that I was only flirting with him. And it will kill Honey. And it will hurt Melanie, because she loves Charles so much. And it would hurt Stu and Brent…»
«I can’t decide now whether to go with Mr. Wade Hampton’s South Carolina Legion or with the Atlanta Gate City Guard», said Charles…
She said, «Oh» and their eyes met.
«Will you wait for me, Miss Scarlett?»
«I don’t want to wait», she said.
«Can you possibly love me?»
She said nothing.
«You will marry me soon, Miss Scarlett?»
«Um», she said.
«When may I speak to your father?»
«The sooner the better».
He leaped up and looked down at her radiantly. The white house will never be her house now. Ashley will never marry her. Oh, Ashley, Ashley! What have I done? She loved Ashley and she knew she loved him.
Chapter V
Within two weeks Scarlett had become a wife, and within two months more she was a widow. But, to her dismay, motherhood soon followed. Two weeks! So short an engagement was impossible in times of peace. But the South was aflame with war.
Charles was impatient to be off to South Carolina to join Wade Hampton’s Legion. The South was intoxicated with enthusiasm and excitement. Every young man hastened to enlist, hastened to marry his sweetheart before he rushed off to Virginia to fight the Yankees. There were dozens of war weddings in the County.
Scarlett was clad in Ellen’s wedding dress and veil. Gerald was happy that his daughter was marrying both money and a fine name. Ashley was standing at the bottom of the steps with Melanie’s arm through his. When she saw the look on his face, she thought: «This can’t be real. It can’t be. It’s a nightmare. I mustn’t think of it now. I’ll think later, when I can’t see his eyes».
It was all very dreamlike, the passage through the aisle of smiling people, Charles’ face, the congratulations, the kissing and the dancing… all, all like a dream. Even the feel of Ashley’s kiss upon her cheek, even Melanie’s soft whisper, «Now, we’re really and truly sisters», were unreal.
As Cherles hesitatingly approached the bed Scarlett spoke in a hoarse whisper:
«I’ll scream out loud if you come near me. I will! Get away from me!»
So Charles Hamilton spent his wedding night in an armchair in the corner. Her own wedding had been nightmarish, but Ashley’s wedding was even worse. Melanie Hamilton became Melanie Wilkes. Ashley had said he loved her, but what separated them?
Oh, how she regretted it all. That night Charles had emerged shyly from the dressing room, and she burst into tears[8]. A week after the wedding Charles left to join Colonel Wade Hampton, and two weeks later Ashley and the Troop departed.
In those two weeks, Scarlett never saw Ashley alone, never had a private word with him. Melanie said: «You must kiss Scarlett, Ashley. She’s my sister now», and Ashley bent and touched her cheek with cold lips.
«You will come to Atlanta and visit me and Aunt Pittypat, won’t you? Oh, darling, we want to know Charlie’s wife better», exclaimed Melanie.
Five weeks passed during which letters, shy, ecstatic, loving, came from Charles in South Carolina telling of his love, his plans for the future when the war was over. In the seventh week, there came a telegram from Colonel Hampton himself, and then a letter. Charles had died ignominiously and swiftly of pneumonia.
In due time, Charles’ son was born. He was called Wade. Scarlett felt little affection for the child. She had not wanted him. She was dazed and sick. Her boredom was acute and ever present. All of the interesting young men were gone. Only the older men, the cripples and the women were left. She was a widow and her heart was in the grave. Everyone expected her to act accordingly. This irritated her. A widow had to wear hideous black dresses, no flower or ribbon or lace or even jewelry. Widows can never chatter vivaciously or laugh aloud. Even when they smiled, it must be a sad, tragic smile.
How stupid of them to say that now she had something to live for! She had very little interest in Wade and sometimes it was difficult to remember that he was actually hers. And Ashley! She hated Twelve Oaks now. Ashley!
So Scarlett’s trunk was packed with her mourning clothes and off she went to Atlanta with Wade Hampton and his nurse Prissy. She did not want to go to Atlanta. Aunt Pitty was the silliest of old ladies.
Chapter VI
The train carried Scarlett northward. Scarlett stood on the lower step of the train, a pale pretty figure in her black mourning dress.
«This is Miss Scarlett, isn’ it? I am Peter, Miss Pitty’s coachman. Don’t step down in that mud», the coachman ordered severely.
Scarlett looked at Prissy and sighed. Prissy was not the best of nurses. Where are the fat old arms of Mammy? But Mammy was at Tara. Wade’s face went purple with his squalling, Scarlett snapped crossly:
«Give him that sugar-tit[9] in your pocket, Priss. I know he’s hungry, but I can’t do anything about that now».
Atlanta was humming like a beehive. In Atlanta, there were machine factories which were manufacturing war materials. Trains roared in and out of the town at all hours.
«I’ll like it here[10]», thought Scarlett. «It’s so alive and exciting!»
Scarlett’s eye was caught by a figure on the sidewalk in a brightly colored dress. She saw a tall handsome woman with a bold face and a mass of red hair.
«Uncle Peter, who is she?» Scarlett whispered.
«Her name is Belle Watling», said Uncle Peter. «Miss Scarlett, you’ll see a lot of strange folks in this town».
As they passed a green house, a little black girl on the front steps cried, «She has come!», and Dr. Meade and his wife and little thirteen-year-old Phil emerged. After shaking her hand, the doctor announced Scarlett’s work in a hospital committee.
«What are hospital committees?» Scarlett asked.
«We have nursing committees for different hospitals», Mrs. Meade said. «We nurse the men and help the doctors and make bandages and clothes».
The carriage slipped and slid down the muddy road and Scarlett leaned back on the cushions and smiled. Atlanta was very pleasant.
Scarlett saw the red brick and slate roof of Miss Pittypat’s house. It was almost the last house on the north side of town.
Scarlett