飘
ett saw a bonnet and put it on hurriedly; tying the ribbons under her chin。 It was Melanie’s black mourning bonnet and it did not fit Scarlett’s head but she could not recall where she had put her own bonnet。
She went out of the house and down the front steps; carrying the lamp and trying to keep the saber from banging against her legs。 Melanie lay full length in the back of the wagon; and; beside her; were Wade and the towel…swathed baby。 Prissy climbed in and took the baby in her arms。
The wagon was very small and the boards about the sides very low。 The wheels leaned inward as if their first revolution would make them come off。 She took one look at the horse and her heart sank。 He was a small emaciated animal and he stood with his head dispiritedly low; almost between his forelegs。 His back was raw with sores and harness galls and he breathed as no sound horse should。
“Not much of an animal; is it?” grinned Rhett。 “Looks like he’ll die in the shafts。 But he’s the best I could do。 Some day I’ll tell you with embellishments just where and how I stole him and how narrowly I missed getting shot。 Nothing but my devotion to you would make me; at this stage of my career; turn horse thief—and thief of such a horse。 Let me help you in。”
He took the lamp from her and set it on the ground。 The front seat was only a narrow plank across the sides of the wagon。 Rhett picked Scarlett up bodily and swung her to it。 How wonderful to be a man and as strong as Rhett; she thought; tucking her wide skirts about her。 With Rhett beside her; she did not fear anything; neither the fire nor the noise nor the Yankees。
He climbed onto the seat beside her and picked up the reins。
“Oh; wait!” she cried。 “I forgot to lock the front door。”
He burst into a roar of laughter and slapped the reins upon the horse’s back。
“What are you laughing at?”
“At you—locking the Yankees out;” he said and the horse started off; slowly; reluctantly。 The lamp on the sidewalk burned on; making a tiny yellow circle of light which grew smaller and smaller as they moved away。
Rhett turned the horse’s slow feet westward from Peachtree and the wobbling wagon jounced into the rutty lane with a violence that wrenched an abruptly stilled moan from Melanie。 Dark trees interlaced above their heads; dark silent houses loomed up on either side and the white palings of fences gleamed faintly like a row of tombstones。 The narrow street was a dim tunnel; but faintly through the thick leafy ceiling the hideous red glow of the sky penetrated and shadows chased one another down the dark way like mad ghosts。 The smell of smoke came stronger and stronger; and on the wings of the hot breeze came a pandemonium of sound from the center of town; yells; the dull rumbling of heavy army wagons and the steady tramp of marching feet。 As Rhett jerked the horse’s head and turned him into another street; another deafening explosion tore the air and a monstrous skyrocket of flame and smoke shot up in the west。
That must be the last of the ammunition trains;” Rhett said calmly。 “Why didn’t they get them out this morning; the fools! There was plenty of time。 Well; too bad for us。 I thought by circling around the center of town; we might avoid the fire and that drunken mob on Decatur Street and get through to the southwest part of town without any danger。 But we’ve got to cross Marietta Street somewhere and that explosion was near Marietta Street or I miss my guess。”
“Must—must we go through the fire?” Scarlett quavered。
“Not if we hurry;” said Rhett and; springing from the wagon; he disappeared into the darkness of a yard。 When he returned he had a small limb of a tree in his hand and he laid it mercilessly across the horse’s galled back。 The animal broke into a shambling trot; his breath panting and labored; and the wagon swayed forward with a jolt that threw them about like popcorn in a popper。 The baby wailed; and Prissy and Wade cried out as they bruised themselves against the sides of the wagon。 But from Melanie there was no sound。
As they neared Marietta Street; the trees thinned out and the tall flames roaring up above the buildings threw street and houses into a glare of light brighter than day; casting monstrous shadows that twisted as wildly as torn sails flapping in a gale on a sinking ship。
Scarlett’s teeth chattered but so great was her terror she was not even aware of it。 She was cold and she shivered; even though the heat of the flames was already hot against their faces。 This was hell and she was in it and; if she could only have conquered her shaking knees; she would have leaped from the wagon and run screaming back the dark road they had come; back to the refuge of Miss Pittypat’s house。 She shrank closer to Rhett; took his arm in fingers that trembled and looked up at him for words; for comfort; for something reassuring。 In the unholy crimson glow that bathed them; his dark profile stood out as clearly as the head on an ancient coin; beautiful; cruel and decadent。 At her touch he turned to her; his eyes gleaming with a light as frightening as the fire。 To Scarlett; he seemed as exhilarated and contemptuous as if he got strong pleasure from the situation; as if he welcomed the inferno they were approaching。
“Here;” he said; laying a hand on one of the long…barreled pistols in his belt。 “If anyone; black or white; comes up on your side of the wagon and tries to lay hand on the horse; shoot him and we’ll ask questions later。 But for God’s sake; don’t shoot the nag in your excitement。”
“I—I have a pistol;” she whispered; clutching the weapon in her lap; perfectly certain that if death stared her in the face; she would be too frightened to pull the trigger。
“You have? Where did you get it?”
“It’s Charles’。”
“Charles?”
“Yes; Charles—my husband。”
“Did you ever really have a husband; my dear?” he whispered and laughed softly。
If he would only be serious! If he would only hurry!
“How do you suppose I got my boy?” she cried fiercely。
“Oh; there are other ways than husbands—”
“Will you hush and hurry?”
But he drew rein abruptly; almost at Marietta Street; in the shadow of a warehouse not yet touched by the flames。
“Hurry!” It was the only word in her mind。 Hurry! Hurry!
“Soldiers;” he said。
The detachment came down Marietta Street; between the burning buildings; walking at route step; tiredly; rifles held any way; heads down; too weary to hurry; too weary to care if timbers were crashing to right and left and smoke billowing about them。 They were all ragged; so ragged that between officers and men there were no distinguishing insignia except here and there a torn hat brim pinned up with a wreathed “C。S。A。” Many were barefooted and here and there a dirty bandage wrapped a head or arm。 They went past; looking neither to left nor right; so silent that had it not been for the steady tramp of feet they might all have been ghosts。
“Take a good look at them;” came Rhett’s gibing voice; “so you can tell your grandchildren you saw the rear guard of the Glorious Cause in retreat。”
Suddenly she hated him; hated him with a strength that momentarily overpowered her fear; made it seem petty and small。 She knew her safety and that of the others in the back of the wagon depended on him and him alone; but she hated him for his sneering at those ragged ranks。 She thought of Charles who was dead and Ashley who might be dead and all the gay and gallant young men who were rotting in shallow graves and she forgot that she; too; had once thought them fools。 She could not speak; but hatred and disgust burned in her eyes as she stared at him fiercely。
As the last of the soldiers were passing; a small figure in the rear rank; his rifle butt dragging the ground; wavered; stopped and stared after the others with a dirty face so dulled by fatigue he looked like a sleepwalker。 He was as small as Scarlett; so small his rifle was almost as tall as he was; and his grime…smeared face was unbearded。 Sixteen at the most; thought Scarlett irrelevantly; must be one of the Home Guard or a runaway schoolboy。
As she watched; the boy’s knees buckled slowly and he went down in the dust。 Without a word; two men fell out of the last rank and walked back to him。 One; a tall spare man with a black beard that hung to his belt; silently handed his own rifle and that of the boy to the other。 Then; stooping; he jerked the boy to his shoulders with an ease that looked like sleight of hand。 He started off slowly after the retreating column; his shoulders bowed under the weight; while the boy; weak; infuriated like a child teased by its elders; screamed out: Put me down; damn you! Put me down! I can walk!”
The bearded man said nothing and plodded on out of sight around the bend of the road。
Rhett sat still; the reins lax in his hands; looking after them; a curious moody look on his swarthy face。 Then; there was a crash of falling timbers near by and Scarlett saw a thin tongue of flame lick up over the roof of the warehouse in whose sheltering shadow they sat。 Then pennons and battle flags of flame flared triumphantly to the sky above them。 Smoke burnt her nostrils and Wade and Pr
页面: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257