I'm sorry to have involved him and the others in such a--a-- But I had to think fast when I rode away from here and that was the only plan that occurred to me.
I knew my word would be accepted because I have so many friends among the Yankee officers.
They do me the dubious honor of thinking me almost one of them because they know my--shall we call it my 'unpopularity'?--among my townsmen.
And you see, I was playing poker in Belle's bar earlier in the evening.
There are a dozen Yankee soldiers who can testify to that.
And Belle and her girls will gladly lie themselves black in the face and say Mr. Wilkes and the others were--upstairs all evening.
And the Yankees will believe them.
Yankees are queer that way.
It won't occur to them that women of--their profession are capable of intense loyalty or patriotism.
The Yankees wouldn't take the word of a single nice Atlanta lady as to the whereabouts of the men who were supposed to be at the meeting tonight but they will take the word of--fancy ladies.
And I think that between the word of honor of a Scallawag and a dozen fancy ladies, we may have a chance of getting the men off."
There was a sardonic grin on his face at the last words but it faded as Melanie turned up to him a face that blazed with gratitude.
"Captain Butler, you are so smart!
I wouldn't have cared if you'd said they were in hell itself tonight, if it saves them!
For I know and every one else who matters knows that my husband was never in a dreadful place like that!"
"Well--" began Rhett awkwardly, "as a matter of fact, he was at Belle's tonight."
Melanie drew herself up coldly.
"You can never make me believe such a lie!"
"Please, Miss Melly! Let me explain!
When I got out to the old Sullivan place tonight, I found Mr. Wilkes wounded and with him were Hugh Elsing and Dr. Meade and old man Merriwether--"
"Not the old gentleman!" cried Scarlett.
"Men are never too old to be fools.
And your Uncle Henry--"
"Oh, mercy!" cried Aunt Pitty.
"The others had scattered after the brush with the troops and the crowd that stuck together had come to the Sullivan place to hide their robes in the chimney and to see how badly Mr. Wilkes was hurt.
But for his wound, they'd be headed for Texas by now--all of them--but he couldn't ride far and they wouldn't leave him.
It was necessary to prove that they had been somewhere instead of where they had been, and so I took them by back ways to Belle Watling's."
"Oh--I see.
I do beg your pardon for my rudeness, Captain Butler.
I see now it was necessary to take them there but-- Oh, Captain Butler, people must have seen you going in!"
"No one saw us.
We went in through a private back entrance that opens on the railroad tracks.
It's always dark and locked."
"Then how--?"
"I have a key," said Rhett laconically, and his eyes met Melanie's evenly.
As the full impact of the meaning smote her, Melanie became so embarrassed that she fumbled with the bandage until it slid off the wound entirely.
"I did not mean to pry--" she said in a muffled voice, her white face reddening, as she hastily pressed the towel back into place.
"I regret having to tell a lady such a thing."
"Then it's true!" thought Scarlett with an odd pang.
"Then he does live with that dreadful Watling creature!
He does own her house!"
"I saw Belle and explained to her.
We gave her a list of the men who were out tonight and she and her girls will testify that they were all in her house tonight.
Then to make our exit more conspicuous, she called the two desperadoes who keep order at her place and had us dragged downstairs, fighting, and through the barroom and thrown out into the street as brawling drunks who were disturbing the place."
He grinned reminiscently.
"Dr. Meade did not make a very convincing drunk.
It hurt his dignity to even be in such a place.
But your Uncle Henry and old man Merriwether were excellent.
The stage lost two great actors when they did not take up the drama.
They seemed to enjoy the affair.