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minmarn
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Gone_with_the_wind

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He knew! She lay shaking, unable to speak. She heard him fumble
in the dark, strike a match and the room sprang into light. He
walked over to the bed and looked down at her. She saw that he was
in evening clothes.
"Get up," he said and there was nothing in his voice. "We are
going to the reception. You will have to hurry."
"Oh, Rhett, I can't. You see--"
"I can see. Get up."
"Rhett, did Archie dare--"
"Archie dared. A very brave man, Archie."
"You should have killed him for telling lies--"
"I have a strange way of not killing people who tell the truth.
There's no time to argue now. Get up."
She sat up, hugging her wrapper close to her, her eyes searching
his face. It was dark and impassive.
"I won't go, Rhett. I can't until this--misunderstanding is
cleared up."
"If you don't show your face tonight, you'll never be able to show
it in this town as long as you live. And while I may endure a
trollop for a wife, I won't endure a coward. You are going
tonight, even if everyone, from Alex Stephens down, cuts you and
Mrs. Wilkes asks us to leave the house."
"Rhett, let me explain."
"I don't want to hear. There isn't time. Get on your clothes."
"They misunderstood--India and Mrs. Elsing and Archie. And they
hate me so. India hates me so much that she'd even tell lies about
her own brother to make me appear in a bad light. If you'll only
let me explain--"
Oh, Mother of God, she thought in agony, suppose he says: "Pray do
explain!" What can I say? How can I explain?
"They'll have told everybody lies. I can't go tonight."
"You will go," he said, "if I have to drag you by the neck and
plant my boot on your ever so charming bottom every step of the
way."
There was a cold glitter in his eyes as he jerked her to her feet.
He picked up her stays and threw them at her.
"Put them on. I'll lace you. Oh yes, I know all about lacing.
No, I won't call Mammy to help you and have you lock the door and
skulk here like the coward you are."
"I'm not a coward," she cried, stung out of her fear. "I--"
"Oh, spare me your saga about shooting Yankees and facing Sherman's
army. You're a coward--among other things. If not for your own
sake, you are going tonight for Bonnie's sake. How could you
further ruin her chances? Put on your stays, quick."
Hastily she slipped off her wrapper and stood clad only in her
chemise. If only he would look at her and see how nice she looked
in her chemise, perhaps that frightening look would leave his face.
After all, he hadn't seen her in her chemise for ever and ever so
long. But he did not look. He was in her closet, going through
her dresses swiftly. He fumbled and drew out her new jade-green
watered-silk dress. It was cut low over the bosom and the skirt
was draped back over an enormous bustle and on the bustle was a
huge bunch of pink velvet roses.
"Wear that," he said, tossing it on the bed and coming toward her.
"No modest, matronly dove grays and lilacs tonight. Your flag must
be nailed to the mast, for obviously you'd run it down if it
wasn't. And plenty of rouge. I'm sure the woman the Pharisees
took in adultery didn't look half so pale. Turn around."
He took the strings of the stays in his hands and jerked them so
hard that she cried out, frightened, humiliated, embarrassed at
such an untoward performance.
"Hurts, does it?" He laughed shortly and she could not see his
face. "Pity it isn't around your neck."
Melanie's house blazed lights from every room and they could hear
the music far up the street. As they drew up in front, the
pleasant exciting sounds of many people enjoying themselves floated
out. The house was packed with guests. They overflowed on
verandas and many were sitting on benches in the dim lantern-hung
yard.
I can't go in--I can't, thought Scarlett, sitting in the carriage,
gripping her balled-up handkerchief. I can't. I won't. I will
jump out and run away, somewhere, back home to Tara. Why did Rhett
force me to come here? What will people do? What will Melanie do?
What will she look like? Oh, I can't face her. I will run away.