minmarn/Gone_with_the_wind · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 75
furiously as though handling a rapier in a duel.

Had Scarlett been possessed of such an anger, she would have been
stamping both feet and roaring like Gerald in his finest days,
calling on God to witness the accursed duplicity and knavishness of
mankind and uttering blood-curdling threats of retaliation. But
only by the flashing needle and the delicate brows drawn down
toward her nose did Melanie indicate that she was inwardly
seething. Her voice was cool and her words were more close clipped
than usual. But the forceful words she uttered were foreign to
Melanie who seldom voiced an opinion at all and never an unkind
word. Scarlett realized suddenly that the Wilkeses and the
Hamiltons were capable of furies equal to and surpassing those of
the O'Haras.

"I've gotten mighty tired of hearing people criticize you,
darling," Melanie said, "and this is the last straw and I'm going
to do something about it. All this has happened because people are
jealous of you, because you are so smart and successful. You've
succeeded where lots of men, even, have failed. Now, don't be
vexed with me, dear, for saying that. I don't mean you've ever
been unwomanly or unsexed yourself, as lots of folks have said.
Because you haven't. People just don't understand you and people
can't bear for women to be smart. But your smartness and your
success don't give people the right to say that you and Ashley--
Stars above!"

The soft vehemence of this last ejaculation would have been, upon a
man's lips, profanity of no uncertain meaning. Scarlett stared at
her, alarmed by so unprecedented an outburst.

"And for them to come to me with the filthy lies they'd concocted--
Archie, India, Mrs. Elsing! How did they dare? Of course, Mrs.
Elsing didn't come here. No, indeed, she didn't have the courage.
But she's always hated you, darling, because you were more popular
than Fanny. And she was so incensed at your demoting Hugh from the
management of the mill. But you were quite right in demoting him.
He's just a piddling, do-less, good-for-nothing!" Swiftly Melanie
dismissed the playmate of her childhood and the beau of her teen
years. "I blame myself about Archie. I shouldn't have given the
old scoundrel shelter. Everyone told me so but I wouldn't listen.
He didn't like you, dear, because of the convicts, but who is he to
criticize you? A murderer, and the murderer of a woman, too! And
after all I've done for him, he comes to me and tells me-- I
shouldn't have been a bit sorry if Ashley had shot him. Well, I
packed him off with a large flea in his ear, I can tell you! And
he's left town.

"And as for India, the vile thing! Darling, I couldn't help
noticing from the first time I saw you two together that she was
jealous of you and hated you, because you were so much prettier and
had so many beaux. And she hated you especially about Stuart
Tarleton. And she's brooded about Stuart so much that--well, I
hate to say it about Ashley's sister but I think her mind has
broken with thinking so much! There's no other explanation for her
action. . . . I told her never to put foot in this house again and
that if I heard her breathe so vile an insinuation I would--I would
call her a liar in public!"

Melanie stopped speaking and abruptly the anger left her face and
sorrow swamped it. Melanie had all that passionate clan loyalty
peculiar to Georgians and the thought of a family quarrel tore her
heart. She faltered for a moment. But Scarlett was dearest,
Scarlett came first in her heart, and she went on loyally:

"She's always been jealous because I loved you best, dear. She'll
never come in this house again and I'll never put foot under any
roof that receives her. Ashley agrees with me, but it's just about
broken his heart that his own sister should tell such a--"

At the mention of Ashley's name, Scarlett's overwrought nerves gave
way and she burst into tears. Would she never stop stabbing him to
the heart? Her only thought had been to make him happy and safe
but at every turn she seemed to hurt him. She had wrecked his
life, broken his pride and self-respect, shattered that inner
peace, that calm based on integrity. And now she had alienated him
from the sister he loved so dearly. To save her own reputation and
his wife's happiness, India had to be sacrificed, forced into the
light of a lying, half-crazed, jealous old maid--India who was
absolutely justified in every suspicion she had ever harbored and
every accusing word she had uttered. Whenever Ashley looked into
India's eyes, he would see the truth shining there, truth and
reproach and the cold contempt of which the Wilkeses were masters.

Knowing how Ashley valued honor above his life, Scarlett knew he
must be writhing. He, like Scarlett, was forced to shelter behind
Melanie's skirts. While Scarlett realized the necessity for this
and knew that the blame for his false position lay mostly at her
own door, still--still-- Womanlike she would have respected Ashley
more, had he shot Archie and admitted everything to Melanie and the
world. She knew she was being unfair but she was too miserable to
care for such fine points. Some of Rhett's taunting words of
contempt came back to her and she wondered if indeed Ashley had
played the manly part in this mess. And, for the first time, some
of the bright glow which had enveloped him since the first day she
fell in love with him began to fade imperceptibly. The tarnish of
shame and guilt that enveloped her spread to him as well.
Resolutely she tried to fight off this thought but it only made her
cry harder.

furiously as though handling a rapier in a duel.

Had Scarlett been possessed of such an anger, she would have been

stamping both feet and roaring like Gerald in his finest days,

calling on God to witness the accursed duplicity and knavishness of

mankind and uttering blood-curdling threats of retaliation. But

only by the flashing needle and the delicate brows drawn down

toward her nose did Melanie indicate that she was inwardly

seething. Her voice was cool and her words were more close clipped

than usual. But the forceful words she uttered were foreign to

Melanie who seldom voiced an opinion at all and never an unkind

word. Scarlett realized suddenly that the Wilkeses and the

Hamiltons were capable of furies equal to and surpassing those of

the O'Haras.

"I've gotten mighty tired of hearing people criticize you,

darling," Melanie said, "and this is the last straw and I'm going

to do something about it. All this has happened because people are

jealous of you, because you are so smart and successful. You've

succeeded where lots of men, even, have failed. Now, don't be

vexed with me, dear, for saying that. I don't mean you've ever

been unwomanly or unsexed yourself, as lots of folks have said.

Because you haven't. People just don't understand you and people

can't bear for women to be smart. But your smartness and your

success don't give people the right to say that you and Ashley--

Stars above!"

The soft vehemence of this last ejaculation would have been, upon a

man's lips, profanity of no uncertain meaning. Scarlett stared at

her, alarmed by so unprecedented an outburst.

"And for them to come to me with the filthy lies they'd concocted--

Archie, India, Mrs. Elsing! How did they dare? Of course, Mrs.

Elsing didn't come here. No, indeed, she didn't have the courage.

But she's always hated you, darling, because you were more popular

than Fanny. And she was so incensed at your demoting Hugh from the

management of the mill. But you were quite right in demoting him.

He's just a piddling, do-less, good-for-nothing!" Swiftly Melanie

dismissed the playmate of her childhood and the beau of her teen

years. "I blame myself about Archie. I shouldn't have given the

old scoundrel shelter. Everyone told me so but I wouldn't listen.

He didn't like you, dear, because of the convicts, but who is he to

criticize you? A murderer, and the murderer of a woman, too! And

after all I've done for him, he comes to me and tells me-- I

shouldn't have been a bit sorry if Ashley had shot him. Well, I

packed him off with a large flea in his ear, I can tell you! And

he's left town.

"And as for India, the vile thing! Darling, I couldn't help

noticing from the first time I saw you two together that she was

jealous of you and hated you, because you were so much prettier and

had so many beaux. And she hated you especially about Stuart

Tarleton. And she's brooded about Stuart so much that--well, I

hate to say it about Ashley's sister but I think her mind has

broken with thinking so much! There's no other explanation for her

action. . . . I told her never to put foot in this house again and

that if I heard her breathe so vile an insinuation I would--I would

call her a liar in public!"

Melanie stopped speaking and abruptly the anger left her face and

sorrow swamped it. Melanie had all that passionate clan loyalty

peculiar to Georgians and the thought of a family quarrel tore her

heart. She faltered for a moment. But Scarlett was dearest,

Scarlett came first in her heart, and she went on loyally:

"She's always been jealous because I loved you best, dear. She'll

never come in this house again and I'll never put foot under any

roof that receives her. Ashley agrees with me, but it's just about

broken his heart that his own sister should tell such a--"

At the mention of Ashley's name, Scarlett's overwrought nerves gave

way and she burst into tears. Would she never stop stabbing him to

the heart? Her only thought had been to make him happy and safe

but at every turn she seemed to hurt him. She had wrecked his

life, broken his pride and self-respect, shattered that inner

peace, that calm based on integrity. And now she had alienated him

from the sister he loved so dearly. To save her own reputation and

his wife's happiness, India had to be sacrificed, forced into the

light of a lying, half-crazed, jealous old maid--India who was

absolutely justified in every suspicion she had ever harbored and

every accusing word she had uttered. Whenever Ashley looked into

India's eyes, he would see the truth shining there, truth and

reproach and the cold contempt of which the Wilkeses were masters.

Knowing how Ashley valued honor above his life, Scarlett knew he

must be writhing. He, like Scarlett, was forced to shelter behind

Melanie's skirts. While Scarlett realized the necessity for this

and knew that the blame for his false position lay mostly at her

own door, still--still-- Womanlike she would have respected Ashley

more, had he shot Archie and admitted everything to Melanie and the

world. She knew she was being unfair but she was too miserable to

care for such fine points. Some of Rhett's taunting words of

contempt came back to her and she wondered if indeed Ashley had

played the manly part in this mess. And, for the first time, some

of the bright glow which had enveloped him since the first day she

fell in love with him began to fade imperceptibly. The tarnish of

shame and guilt that enveloped her spread to him as well.

Resolutely she tried to fight off this thought but it only made her

cry harder.