"The truth at last.
Talking love and thinking money.
How truly feminine!
Do you need the money badly?"
"Oh, ye-- Well, not so terribly but I could use it."
"Three hundred dollars.
That's a vast amount of money.
What do you want it for?"
"To pay taxes on Tara."
"So you want to borrow some money.
Well, since you're so businesslike, I'll be businesslike too.
What collateral will you give me?"
"What what?"
"Collateral.
Security on my investment.
Of course, I don't want to lose all that money."
His voice was deceptively smooth, almost silky, but she did not notice. Maybe everything would turn out nicely after all.
"My earrings."
"I'm not interested in earrings."
"I'll give you a mortgage on Tara."
"Now just what would I do with a farm?"
"Well, you could--you could--it's a good plantation. And you wouldn't lose.
I'd pay you back out of next year's cotton."
"I'm not so sure."
He tilted back in his chair and stuck his hands in his pockets.
"Cotton prices are dropping.
Times are so hard and money's so tight."
"Oh, Rhett, you are teasing me!
You know you have millions!"
There was a warm dancing malice in his eyes as he surveyed her.
"So everything is going nicely and you don't need the money very badly.
Well, I'm glad to hear that.
I like to know that all is well with old friends."
"Oh, Rhett, for God's sake . . ." she began desperately, her courage and control breaking.
"Do lower your voice.
You don't want the Yankees to hear you, I hope.
Did anyone ever tell you you had eyes like a cat--a cat in the dark?"
"Rhett, don't!
I'll tell you everything.
I do need the money so badly.
I--I lied about everything being all right.
Everything's as wrong as it could be.
Father is--is--he's not himself.
He's been queer ever since Mother died and he can't help me any. He's just like a child.
And we haven't a single field hand to work the cotton and there's so many to feed, thirteen of us.
And the taxes-- they are so high.
Rhett, I'll tell you everything.
For over a year we've been just this side of starvation.
Oh, you don't know!
You can't know!