Scarlett knew she should go in and quiet Melanie’s fear, knew Melanie must be frightened out of her senses by the thunderous noises that continued unabated and the glare that lighted the sky.
It looked and sounded like the end of the world.
But she could not bring herself to go back into that room just yet.
She ran down the stairs with some idea of packing up Miss Pittypat’s china and the little silver she had left when she refugeed to Macon.
But when she reached the dining room, her hands were shaking so badly she dropped three plates and shattered them.
She ran out onto the porch to listen and back again to the dining room and dropped the silver clattering to the floor.
Everything she touched she dropped.
In her hurry she slipped on the rag rug and fell to the floor with a jolt but leaped up so quickly she was not even aware of the pain.
Upstairs she could hear Prissy galloping about like a wild animal and the sound maddened her, for she was galloping just as aimlessly.
For the dozenth time, she ran out onto the porch but this time she did not go back to her futile packing.
She sat down.
It was just impossible to pack anything.
Impossible to do anything but sit with hammering heart and wait for Rhett.
It seemed hours before he came.
At last, far up the road, she heard the protesting screech of unoiled axles and the slow uncertain plodding of hooves.
Why didn’t he hurry?
Why didn’t he make the horse trot?
The sounds came nearer and she leaped to her feet and called Rhett’s name.
Then, she saw him dimly as he climbed down from the seat of a small wagon, heard the clicking of the gate as he came toward her.
He came into view and the light of the lamp showed him plainly.
His dress was as debonaire as if he were going to a ball, well-tailored white linen coat and trousers, embroidered gray watered-silk waistcoat and a hint of ruffle on his shirt bosom.
His wide Panama hat was set dashingly on one side of his head and in the belt of his trousers were thrust two ivory-handled, longbarreled dueling pistols. The pockets of his coat sagged heavily with ammunition.
He came up the walk with the springy stride of a savage and his fine head was carried like a pagan prince.
The dangers of the night which had driven Scarlett into panic had affected him like an intoxicant.
There was a carefully restrained ferocity in his dark face, a ruthlessness which would have frightened her had she the wits to see it.
His black eyes danced as though amused by the whole affair, as though the earth-splitting sounds and the horrid glare were merely things to frighten children.
She swayed toward him as he came up the steps, her face white, her green eyes burning.
“Good evening,” he said, in his drawling voice, as he removed his hat with a sweeping gesture.
“Fine weather we’re having.
I hear you’re going to take a trip.”
“If you make any jokes, I shall never speak to you again,” she said with quivering voice.
“Don’t tell me you are frightened!”
He pretended to be surprised and smiled in a way that made her long to push him backwards down the steep steps.
“Yes, I am!
I’m frightened to death and if you had the sense God gave a goat, you’d be frightened too.
But we haven’t got time to talk.
We must get out of here.”
“At your service, Madam.
But just where were you figuring on going?
I made the trip out here for curiosity, just to see where you were intending 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.
General Steve Lee’s cavalry is fighting a rear-guard action at Rough and Ready to hold it open long enough for the army to get away.
If you follow the army down the McDonough road, they’ll take the horse away from you and, while it’s not much of a horse, I did go to a lot of trouble stealing it.
Just where are you going?”
She stood shaking, listening to his words, hardly hearing them.
But, at his question she suddenly knew where she was going, knew that all this miserable day she had known where she was going.
The only place.