minmarn/Gone_with_the_wind · Datasets at Hugging Face

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"Don't! Don't!" cried Melanie, dropping her tatting and flinging
herself onto the sofa and drawing Scarlett's head down onto her
shoulder. "I shouldn't have talked about it all and distressed you
so. I know how dreadfully you must feel and we'll never mention it
again. No, not to each other or to anybody. It'll be as though it
never happened. But," she added with quiet venom, "I'm going to
show India and Mrs. Elsing what's what. They needn't think they
can spread lies about my husband and my sister-in-law. I'm going
to fix it so neither of them can hold up their heads in Atlanta.
And anybody who believes them or receives them is my enemy."

Scarlett, looking sorrowfully down the long vista of years to come,
knew that she was the cause of a feud that would split the town and
the family for generations.



Melanie was as good as her word. She never again mentioned the
subject to Scarlett or to Ashley. Nor, for that matter, would she
discuss it with anyone. She maintained an air of cool indifference
that could speedily change to icy formality if anyone even dared
hint about the matter. During the weeks that followed her surprise
party, while Rhett was mysteriously absent and the town in a
frenzied state of gossip, excitement and partisanship, she gave no
quarter to Scarlett's detractors, whether they were her old friends
or her blood kin. She did not speak, she acted.

She stuck by Scarlett's side like a cocklebur. She made Scarlett
go to the store and the lumber yard, as usual, every morning and
she went with her. She insisted that Scarlett go driving in the
afternoons, little though Scarlett wished to expose herself to the
eager curious gaze of her fellow townspeople. And Melanie sat in
the carriage beside her. Melanie took her calling with her on
formal afternoons, gently forcing her into parlors in which
Scarlett had not sat for more than two years. And Melanie, with a
fierce "love-me-love-my-dog" look on her face, made converse with
astounded hostesses.

She made Scarlett arrive early on these afternoons and remain until
the last callers had gone, thereby depriving the ladies of the
opportunity for enjoyable group discussion and speculation, a
matter which caused some mild indignation. These calls were an
especial torment to Scarlett but she dared not refuse to go with
Melanie. She hated to sit amid crowds of women who were secretly
wondering if she had been actually taken in adultery. She hated
the knowledge that these women would not have spoken to her, had it
not been that they loved Melanie and did not want to lose her
friendship. But Scarlett knew that, having once received her, they
could not cut her thereafter.

It was characteristic of the regard in which Scarlett was held that
few people based their defense or their criticism of her on her
personal integrity. "I wouldn't put much beyond her," was the
universal attitude. Scarlett had made too many enemies to have
many champions now. Her words and her actions rankled in too many
hearts for many people to care whether this scandal hurt her or
not. But everyone cared violently about hurting Melanie or India
and the storm revolved around them, rather than Scarlett, centering
upon the one question--"Did India lie?"

Those who espoused Melanie's side pointed triumphantly to the fact
that Melanie was constantly with Scarlett these days. Would a
woman of Melanie's high principles champion the cause of a guilty
woman, especially a woman guilty with her own husband? No, indeed!
India was just a cracked old maid who hated Scarlett and lied about
her and induced Archie and Mrs. Elsing to believe her lies.

But, questioned India's adherents, if Scarlett isn't guilty, where
is Captain Butler? Why isn't he here at his wife's side, lending
her the strength of his countenance? That was an unanswerable
question and, as the weeks went by and the rumor spread that
Scarlett was pregnant, the pro-India group nodded with satisfaction.
It couldn't be Captain Butler's baby, they said. For too long the
fact of their estrangement had been public property. For too long
the town had been scandalized by the separate bedrooms.

So the gossip ran, tearing the town apart, tearing apart, too, the
close-knit clan of Hamiltons, Wilkeses, Burrs, Whitemans and
Winfields. Everyone in the family connection was forced to take
sides. There was no neutral ground. Melanie with cool dignity and
India with acid bitterness saw to that. But no matter which side
the relatives took, they all were resentful that Scarlett should
have been the cause of the family breach. None of them thought her
worth it. And no matter which side they took, the relatives
heartily deplored the fact that India had taken it upon herself to
wash the family dirty linen so publicly and involve Ashley in so
degrading a scandal. But now that she had spoken, many rushed to
her defense and took her side against Scarlett, even as others,
loving Melanie, stood by her and Scarlett.

Half of Atlanta was kin to or claimed kin with Melanie and India.
The ramifications of cousins, double cousins, cousins-in-law and
kissing cousins were so intricate and involved that no one but a
born Georgian could ever unravel them. They had always been a
clannish tribe, presenting an unbroken phalanx of overlapping
shields to the world in time of stress, no matter what their
private opinions of the conduct of individual kinsmen might be.
With the exception of the guerrilla warfare carried on by Aunt
Pitty against Uncle Henry, which had been a matter for hilarious
laughter within the family for years, there had never been an open

"Don't! Don't!" cried Melanie, dropping her tatting and flinging

herself onto the sofa and drawing Scarlett's head down onto her

shoulder. "I shouldn't have talked about it all and distressed you

so. I know how dreadfully you must feel and we'll never mention it

again. No, not to each other or to anybody. It'll be as though it

never happened. But," she added with quiet venom, "I'm going to

show India and Mrs. Elsing what's what. They needn't think they

can spread lies about my husband and my sister-in-law. I'm going

to fix it so neither of them can hold up their heads in Atlanta.

And anybody who believes them or receives them is my enemy."

Scarlett, looking sorrowfully down the long vista of years to come,

knew that she was the cause of a feud that would split the town and

the family for generations.

Melanie was as good as her word. She never again mentioned the

subject to Scarlett or to Ashley. Nor, for that matter, would she

discuss it with anyone. She maintained an air of cool indifference

that could speedily change to icy formality if anyone even dared

hint about the matter. During the weeks that followed her surprise

party, while Rhett was mysteriously absent and the town in a

frenzied state of gossip, excitement and partisanship, she gave no

quarter to Scarlett's detractors, whether they were her old friends

or her blood kin. She did not speak, she acted.

She stuck by Scarlett's side like a cocklebur. She made Scarlett

go to the store and the lumber yard, as usual, every morning and

she went with her. She insisted that Scarlett go driving in the

afternoons, little though Scarlett wished to expose herself to the

eager curious gaze of her fellow townspeople. And Melanie sat in

the carriage beside her. Melanie took her calling with her on

formal afternoons, gently forcing her into parlors in which

Scarlett had not sat for more than two years. And Melanie, with a

fierce "love-me-love-my-dog" look on her face, made converse with

astounded hostesses.

She made Scarlett arrive early on these afternoons and remain until

the last callers had gone, thereby depriving the ladies of the

opportunity for enjoyable group discussion and speculation, a

matter which caused some mild indignation. These calls were an

especial torment to Scarlett but she dared not refuse to go with

Melanie. She hated to sit amid crowds of women who were secretly

wondering if she had been actually taken in adultery. She hated

the knowledge that these women would not have spoken to her, had it

not been that they loved Melanie and did not want to lose her

friendship. But Scarlett knew that, having once received her, they

could not cut her thereafter.

It was characteristic of the regard in which Scarlett was held that

few people based their defense or their criticism of her on her

personal integrity. "I wouldn't put much beyond her," was the

universal attitude. Scarlett had made too many enemies to have

many champions now. Her words and her actions rankled in too many

hearts for many people to care whether this scandal hurt her or

not. But everyone cared violently about hurting Melanie or India

and the storm revolved around them, rather than Scarlett, centering

upon the one question--"Did India lie?"

Those who espoused Melanie's side pointed triumphantly to the fact

that Melanie was constantly with Scarlett these days. Would a

woman of Melanie's high principles champion the cause of a guilty

woman, especially a woman guilty with her own husband? No, indeed!

India was just a cracked old maid who hated Scarlett and lied about

her and induced Archie and Mrs. Elsing to believe her lies.

But, questioned India's adherents, if Scarlett isn't guilty, where

is Captain Butler? Why isn't he here at his wife's side, lending

her the strength of his countenance? That was an unanswerable

question and, as the weeks went by and the rumor spread that

Scarlett was pregnant, the pro-India group nodded with satisfaction.

It couldn't be Captain Butler's baby, they said. For too long the

fact of their estrangement had been public property. For too long

the town had been scandalized by the separate bedrooms.

So the gossip ran, tearing the town apart, tearing apart, too, the

close-knit clan of Hamiltons, Wilkeses, Burrs, Whitemans and

Winfields. Everyone in the family connection was forced to take

sides. There was no neutral ground. Melanie with cool dignity and

India with acid bitterness saw to that. But no matter which side

the relatives took, they all were resentful that Scarlett should

have been the cause of the family breach. None of them thought her

worth it. And no matter which side they took, the relatives

heartily deplored the fact that India had taken it upon herself to

wash the family dirty linen so publicly and involve Ashley in so

degrading a scandal. But now that she had spoken, many rushed to

her defense and took her side against Scarlett, even as others,

loving Melanie, stood by her and Scarlett.

Half of Atlanta was kin to or claimed kin with Melanie and India.

The ramifications of cousins, double cousins, cousins-in-law and

kissing cousins were so intricate and involved that no one but a

born Georgian could ever unravel them. They had always been a

clannish tribe, presenting an unbroken phalanx of overlapping

shields to the world in time of stress, no matter what their

private opinions of the conduct of individual kinsmen might be.

With the exception of the guerrilla warfare carried on by Aunt

Pitty against Uncle Henry, which had been a matter for hilarious

laughter within the family for years, there had never been an open