| 3:06a |
@@@@@"I'm not going to make a scene She went to
@@@@@"I'm not going to make a scene She went to the
sideboard and poured herself some coffee, watching him in the mirrorMaybe then he'd stayHe was standing, his watch
open in his hand"There are some people I have
to
see while I'm hereI'm going to be very busy until summer, so I'll
drop the word that I'm going to South America on businessNo one
will
gossip about my absence for so longMost people in Atlanta don't
even
know where South America isYou see, my dear, I'm keeping my
promise
to preserve the purity of your reputation Rhett grinned malevolently,
closed the watch and tucked it in its pocket
"Why don't you go on to South America and get lost there forever!"
When the door closed behind him, Scarlett's hand reached for the
decanter of brandyWhy had she carried on like that? That wasn't
how
she felt at allHe'd always done that to her, goaded her into saying
things she didn't meanShe should have known better than to fly off
the handle that wayBut he shouldn't have taunted me about my
reputationHow could he have found out that I'm outcast? She'd
never
been so unhappy in her whole lifeLater Scarlett was ashamed of
herselfDrinking in the morning! Only low-life drunks did such a
thingThings weren't so bad, really, she told herselfAt least she
knew now when Rhett would be coming backIt was much too far in
the
future, but it was definiteNow she wouldn't waste time wondering if
today might be the day or the day after that
February opened with a surprising warm spell that called forth
premature leaves on trees and filled the air with the scent of waking
earth"Open all the windows," Scarlett told the servants, "and let
the mustiness ou |