Читать книгу Gone with the Wind / Унесённые ветром. Уровень 3 - Маргарет Митчелл - Страница 18

It was all over. Melanie was not dead and the small baby boy who made noises like a young kitten was receiving his first bath at Prissy’s hands. Melanie was asleep. How could she sleep after that nightmare? Why wasn’t she dead? When it was over, Melanie whispered weakly: «Thank you». And then she went to sleep. How could she go to sleep?

Scarlett forgot everything. Her mind was a vacuum; the world was a vacuum. She heard her own breath. She heard sounds of feet upstairs and thought «May the Lord damn Prissy», before her eyes closed and something like sleep descended upon her.

«We did it, Miss Scarlett. Ma couldn’t do better».

From the shadows, Scarlett glared at her. And the Yankees wanted to free the negroes! Well, the Yankees were welcome to them.

She lay back against the pillar in silence. Scarlett heard the sound of faint voices from up the road. Soldiers! She sat up slowly and called to them.

«Oh, please!»

A shadow came to the gate.

«Are you going? Are you leaving us?»

«Yes, Ma’am. That’s what we’re doing».

«Are you… is the army really retreating?»

«Yes, Ma’am. You see, the Yankees are coming».

The Yankees are coming! She had forgotten that. Her throat suddenly contracted and she could say nothing more. The Yankees are coming! The Yankees are coming!

«The Yankees are coming!» bawled Prissy. «Oh, Miss Scarlett, they’ll kill us all! They’ll…»

«Oh, hush!»

What to do? How to escape? Suddenly she thought of Rhett Butler. She hated him, but he was strong and smart and he wasn’t afraid of the Yankees. And he was still in town. Of course, she was mad at him. But he had a horse and carriage, too. He can take them all away from this doomed place, away from the Yankees, somewhere, anywhere.

She turned to Prissy.

«You know where Captain Butler lives… at the Atlanta Hotel?»

«Yes ma’am, but…»

«Well, go there, now, as quick as you can run and tell him I want him. I want him to come quickly and bring his horse and carriage. Tell him about the baby. Tell him I want him to take us out of here. Go, now. Hurry!»

«God Almighty, Miss Scarlett! I’m scared to go in the dark! The Yankees can catch me. And if Captain Butler isn’t at the hotel?»

«Then ask where he is. Haven’t you any gumption? If he isn’t at the hotel, go to the barrooms on Decatur Street and ask for him. Go to Belle Watling’s house. You fool, don’t you see that if you don’t hurry and find him the Yankees will surely get us all?»

«Miss Scarlett!»

Scarlett pushed her.

«You can stand outside in the street and yell for him, can’t you? Or ask somebody if he’s inside. Go».

Scarlett gave her another push.

«You’ll go or I’ll sell you. You’ll never see your mother again or anybody you know. Hurry!»

«God Almighty, Miss Scarlett…»

«Run, you goose!» Scarlett cried.

She knew she should go upstairs and sit beside Melanie. Melanie is very weak. But this idea was repulsive to her. She never wanted to see that room again. She sat down on the steps in the circle of faint light.

Suddenly she saw a faint glow above the trees. It puzzled her. It grew brighter. The dark sky became pink and then dull red, and suddenly above the trees, she saw a huge tongue of flame. She jumped to her feet.

The Yankees have come! They are burning the town. The world became an inferno of noise and flame. Torrents of sparks shot to the sky and descended slowly, lazily. She had no time for Melanie now.

Prissy entered the room.

«The Yankees… «cried Scarlett.

«No ma’am, its our gentlemen!» yelled Prissy. «They are burning the depots and the factory, Miss Scarlett, Jesus, what to do?»

She began yelping again. The Yankees haven’t come yet! There is still time to get away!

Scarlett took Prissy by the shoulders and shook her.

«Shut up. The Yankees haven’t come, you fool! Did you see Captain Butler? What did he say? Is he coming?»

«Yes ma’am. But he doesn’t have a horse at the moment».

«Dear God in Heaven!»

«But he will come».

«What did he say?»

«He will find a horse somewhere and bring it here».

«He is coming? He’s going to bring a horse?»

«So he says».

A smart man, Rhett. She will forgive him everything if he gets them out of this mess. Escape! And with Rhett she will have no fear. Rhett will protect them. Thank God for Rhett!

«Wake Wade up and dress him and pack some clothes for all of us. Put them in the small trunk. And don’t tell Miss Mellie we’re going. Not yet. But wrap the baby in a couple of thick towels and pack his clothes».

Soon she saw Rhett as he came toward her. His dress was debonaire, well-tailored white linen coat and trousers, embroidered gray watered-silk waistcoat.

«Good evening», he said, in his drawling voice, as he removed his hat. «Fine weather, isn’t it? I hear you’re going to take a trip».

«If you make any jokes, I shall never speak to you again», Scarlett said.

«Don’t tell me you are frightened!» He smiled.

«Yes, I am! I’m frightened to death and you’ll be frightened too. We must get out of here».

«At your service, Madam. But where do you want to go? You can’t go north or east or south or west. The Yankees are all around. There’s just one road out of town which the Yankees haven’t got yet and the army is retreating by that road. And that road won’t be open long. If you follow the army down the McDonough road, they’ll take the horse away from you. I had a lot of trouble stealing it. Where are you going?»

«I’m going home», she said.

«Home? You mean to Tara?»

«Yes, yes! To Tara! Oh, Rhett, we must hurry!»

He looked at her.

«Tara? God Almighty, Scarlett! Don’t you know they fought all day at Jonesboro? You can’t go home! You can’t go right through the Yankee army!»

«I will go home!» she cried. «I will! I will!»

«You little fool», and his voice was swift and rough. «You can’t go that way. Our troops are retreating from Jonesboro. They’ll take the horse away from you as quickly as the Yankees will. Your only chance is to follow the troops down the McDonough road and pray that they won’t see you in the dark. You can’t go to Tara. I won’t let you go home. It’s insanity».

«I will go home!» she cried. «I will go home! You can’t stop me! I will go home! I want my mother! I’ll kill you if you try to stop me! I will go home!»

She beat on his chest with her fists and screamed again:

«I will! I will!»

«Darling», he said softly. «Don’t cry. You’ll go home, my brave little girl. Don’t cry. Now, be a good child and tell me what to do. Where is the heroic young woman who assured me she feared neither God nor man?»

He suddenly burst into laughter.

«I’m not afraid», she said.

Melanie lay quietly. Her face was deathly white.

«We are going home, to Tara», Scarlett explained rapidly. «The Yankees are coming. Rhett is going to take us. It’s the only way, Melly».

With all the speed the horse could summon, they jolted and bounced across the street. As they dashed down the street and bumped over the railroad tracks, Rhett applied the whip automatically. His face looked set and absent.

They pulled into a side street, then another, then turned and twisted from one narrow street to another. Still Rhett did not speak. The red glow in the sky was fading now and the road became dark and frightening. But he did not speak.

Scarlett thanked Heaven. It was so good to have a man beside her.

«Oh, Rhett», she whispered, «what would we do without you? I’m so glad you aren’t in the army!»

Finally Rhett turned the horse right and after a while they were on a wider, smoother road.

«We’re out of town now», said Rhett briefly, «and on the main road to Rough and Ready».

«Hurry. Don’t stop!»

«Let the animal breathe a bit». Then turning to her, he asked slowly: «Scarlett, do you still want to try to get through to Tara? It’s suicidal. Steve Lee’s cavalry and the Yankee Army are between you and Tara».

They left the wagon.

«Oh, yes! Yes! Please, Rhett, let’s hurry. The horse isn’t tired».

«Just a minute. You can’t go down to Jonesboro on this road. You can’t follow the train tracks. Do you know any other roads don’t go through Rough and Ready or Jonesboro?»

«Oh, yes», cried Scarlett in relief. «I know a wagon trace. Pa and I used to ride it. It is only a mile from Tara».

«Good. Maybe you can get through there».

«I can get through?»

«Yes, you». His voice was rough.

«But Rhett… And you?»

«No. I’m leaving you here».

She looked around wildly. Had she gone crazy? Was she not hearing right?

He was grinning now. She could just see his white teeth.

«Leaving us? Where… where are you going?»

«I am going, dear girl, with the army».

She sighed with relief and irritation. Why did he joke at this time? Rhett in the army!

«Don’t joke! Let’s get on».

«I’m not joking, my dear. Scarlett, where is your patriotism, your love for Our Glorious Cause?».

He was jeering at her and, somehow, she knew he was jeering at himself too. What was he talking about? Patriotism? It wasn’t possible that he meant what he was saying.

«Rhett, you are joking!»

She grabbed his arm. He raised her hand and kissed it arily.

«Oh, Rhett», she wailed, «how can you do this to me? Why are you leaving me?»

«Why?» he laughed jauntily. «Because, perhaps, of the sentimentality that lurks in all of us Southerners. Perhaps… perhaps because I am ashamed. Who knows? I’m off to the wars».

He kissed her and his mustache tickled her mouth. Charles had never kissed her like this. He bent her body backward and his lips traveled down her throat.

«Sweet», he whispered. «Sweet».

«Oh, you cad!» she cried. «You low-down, cowardly, nasty, stinking man!»

«Ah», he said quietly.

«They were right! Everybody was right! You aren’t a gentleman!»

«My dear girl», he said, «how inadequate».

She knew he was laughing.

«Go on! Go on now! I want you to hurry. I don’t want to ever see you again!»

«Good-bye, Scarlett».

He was gone. She could hear the sound of his feet for a while and then they died away. She came slowly back to the wagon.