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Scarlett向阿希里表白的精彩一段：
She closed the door except for a crack and tried to make her heart beat more slowly. She tried to remember just exactly what she had planned last night to say to Ash¬ley, but she couldn』t recall anything. Had she thought up something and forgotten it—or had she only planned that Ashley should say something to her? She couldn』t remem¬ber, and a sudden cold fright fell upon her. If her heart would only stop pounding in her ears, perhaps she could think of what to say. But the quick thudding only in¬creased as she heard him call a final farewell and walk into the front hall.
All she could think of was that she loved him—every¬thing about him, from the proud lift of his gold head to his slender dark boots, loved his laughter even when it mystified her, loved his bewildering silences. Oh, if only he would walk in on her now and take her in his arms, so she would be spared the need of saying anything. He must love her—」Perhaps if I prayed—」 She squeezed her eyes tightly and began gabbling to herself 「Hail Mary, full of grace—」
「Why, Scarlett!」 said Ashley』s voice, breaking in through the roaring in her ears and throwing her into utter confusion. He stood in the hall peering at her through the partly opened door, a quizzical smile on his face.
「Who are you hiding from—Charles or the Tarletons?」
She gulped. So he had noticed how the men had swarmed about her! How unutterably dear he was standing there with his eyes twinkling, all unaware of her excite¬ment. She could not speak, but she put out a hand and drew him into the room. He entered, puzzled but interest¬ed. There was a tenseness about her, a glow in her eyes that he had never seen before, and even in the dim light he could see the rosy flush on her cheeks. Automatically be closed the door behind him and took her hand.
「What is it?」 he said, almost in a whisper.
At the touch of his hand, she began to tremble. It was going to happen now, just as she had dreamed it. A thou¬sand incoherent thoughts shot through her mind, and she could not catch a single one to mold into a word. She could only shake and look up into his face. Why didn』t he speak?
「What is it?」 he repeated. 「A secret to tell me?」
Suddenly she found her tongue and just as suddenly all the years of Ellen』s teachings fell away, and the forthright Irish blood of Gerald spoke from his daughter』s lips.
「Yes—a secret I love you.」
For an instance there was a silence so acute it seemed that neither of them even breathed. Then the trembling fell away from her, as happiness and pride surged through her. Why hadn』t she done this before? How much simpler than all the ladylike maneuverings she had been taught. And then her eyes sought his.
There was a look of consternation in them, of incredu¬lity and something more—what was it? Yes, Gerald had looked that way the day his pet hunter had broken his leg and he had had to shoot him. Why did she have to think of that now? Such a silly thought. And why did Ashley look so oddly and say nothing? Then something like a well-trained mask came down over his face and he smiled gallantly.
「Isn』t it enough that you』ve collected every other man』s heart here today?」 he said, with the old, teasing, caressing note in his voice. 「Do you want to make it unanimous? Well, you』ve always had my heart, you know. You cut your teeth on it.」
Something was wrong—all wrong! This was not the way she had planned it. Through the mad tearing of ideas round and round in her brain, one was beginning to take form. Somehow—for some reason—Ashley was acting as if he thought she was just flirting with him. But he knew differently. She knew he did.
「Ashley—Ashley—tell me—you must—oh, don』t tease me now! Have I your heart? Oh, my dear, I lo—」
His hand went across her lips, swiftly. The mask was gone.
「You must not say these things, Scarlett! You mustn』t. You don』t mean them. You』ll hate yourself for saying them, and you』ll hate me for hearing them!」
She jerked her head away. A hot swift current was run¬ning through her.
「I couldn』t ever hate you. I tell you I love you and I know you must care about me because—」 She stopped. Never before had she seen so much misery in anyone』s face. 「Ashley, do you care—you do, don』t you?」
「Yes,」 he said dully. 「I care.」
If he had said he loathed her, she could not have been more frightened. She plucked at his sleeve, speechless.
「Scarlett,」 he said, 「can』t we go away and forget that we have ever said these things?」
「No,」 she whispered. 「I can』t. What do you mean? Don』t you want to—to marry me?」
He replied, I』m going to marry Melanie.」
Somehow she found that she was sitting on the low vel¬vet chair and Ashley, on the hassock at her feet, was hold¬ing both her hands in his, in a hard grip. He was saying things—things that made no sense. Her mind was quite blank, quite empty of all the thoughts that had surged through it only a moment before, and his words made no more impression than rain on glass. They fell on unhearing ears, words that were swift and tender and full of pity, like a father speaking to a hurt child.
The sound of Melanie』s name caught in her consciousness and she looked into his crystal-gray eyes. She saw in them the old remoteness that had always baffled her—and a look of self-hatred.
「Father is to announce the engagement tonight. We are to be married soon. I should have told you, but I thought you knew. I thought everyone knew—had known for years. I never dreamed that you— You』ve so many beaux. I thought Stuart—」
Life and feeling and comprehension were beginning to flow back into her.
「But you just said you cared for me.」
His warm hands hurt hers.
「My dear, must you make me say things that will hurt you?」
Her silence pressed him on.
「How can I make you see these things, my dear. You who are so young and unthinking that you do not know what marriage means.」
「I know I love you.」
「Love isn』t enough to make a successful marriage when two people are as different as we are. You would want all of a man, Scarlett, his body, his heart, his soul, his thoughts. And if you did not have them, you would be miserable. And I couldn』t give you all of me. I couldn』t give all of me to anyone. And I would not want an of your mind and your soul. And you would be hurt, and then you would come to hate me—how bitterly! You would hate the books I read and the music I loved, be¬cause they took me away from you even for a moment And I—perhaps I—」
「Do you love her?」
「She is like me, part of my blood, and we understand each other. Scarlett! Scarlett! Can』t I make you see that a marriage can』t go on in any sort of peace unless the two people are alike?」
Some one else had said that: 「Like must marry like or there』ll be no happiness.」 Who was it? It seemed a million years since she had heard that, but it still did not make sense.
「But you said you cared.」
「I shouldn』t have said it.」
Somewhere in her brain, a slow fire rose and rage began to blot out everything else.
「Well, having been cad enough to say it—」
His face went white.
「I was a cad to say it, as I』m going to marry Melanie. I did you a wrong and Melanie a greater one. I should not have said it, for I knew you wouldn』t understand. How could I help caring for you—you who have all the passion for life that I have not? You who can love and hate with a violence impossible to me? Why you are as elemental as fire and wind and wild things and I—」
She thought of Melanie and saw suddenly her quiet brown eyes with their far-off look, her placid little hands in their black lace mitts, her gentle silences. And then her rage broke, the same rage that drove Gerald to murder and other Irish ancestors to misdeeds that cost them their necks. There was nothing in her now of the well-bred Robillards who could bear with white silence anything the world might cast.
「Why don』t you say it, you coward! You』re afraid to marry me! You』d rather live with that stupid little fool who can』t open her mouth except to say 『Yes』 or 『No』 and raise a passel of mealy-mouthed brats just like her! Why—」
「You must not say these things about Melanie!」
「 『I mustn』t』 be damned to you! Who are you to tell me I mustn』t? You coward, you cad, you— You made me believe you were going to marry me—」
「Be fair,」 his voice pleaded. 「Did I ever—」
She did not want to be fair, although she knew what he said was true. He had never once crossed the borders of friendliness with her and, when she thought of this fresh anger rose, the anger of hurt pride and feminine vanity. She had run after him and he would have none of her. He preferred a whey-faced little fool like Melanie to her. Oh, far better that she had followed Ellen and Mammy』s pre¬cepts and never, never revealed that she even liked him—better anything than to be faced with this scorching shame!
She sprang to her feet, her hands clenched and he rose towering over her. his face full of the mute misery of one forced to face realities when realities are agonies.
「I shall hate you till I die, you cad—you lowdown—lowdown—」 What was the word she wanted? She could not think of any word bad enough.
「Scarlett—please—」
He put out his hand toward her and, as he did, she slapped him across the face with all the strength she had. The noise cracked like a whip in the still room and suddenly her rage was gone, and there was desolation in her heart.
The red mark of her hand showed plainly on his white tired face. He said nothing, but lifted her limp hand to his lips and kissed it. Then he was gone before she could speak again, closing the door softly behind him. |
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