Gone with the Wind Page #5

(Rhett Butler leaves the hall.)

MAN:

Well, that's just about what you could expect from

somebody like Rhett Butler.

Mr. O'HARA

You did everything but call him out.

CHARLES:

He refused to fight.

ASHLEY:

Not quite that Charles. He just refused to take

advantage of you.

CHARLES:

Take advantage of me?

ASHLEY:

Yes, he's one of the best shots the country, he's

proved a number of times, against steadier hands and

cooler heads than yours.

CHARLES:

Well, I'll show him.

ASHLEY:

No, no, no, please, don't go tweaking his nose

anymore. You may be needed for more important

fighting, Charles. Now if you'll excuse me, Mr.

Butler's our guest... I think I'll just show him

around.

(Ashley leaves the hall with intention of walking

Butler around the house. But before he can do this,

Scarlett calls him into a detached room.)

SCARLETT:

Ashley!

ASHLEY:

Scarlett...who are you hiding from here?...What are

you up to? Why aren't you upstairs resting with the

other girls? What is this, Scarlett? A secret?

SCARLETT:

Well, Ashley, Ashley...! love you.

ASHLEY:

Scarlett...

SCARLETT:

I love you, I do.

ASHLEY:

Well, isn't it enough that you gathered every other

man's heart today? You always had mine. You cut your

teeth on it.

SCARLETT:

Oh, don't tease me now. Have I your heart my darling?

I love you, I love you...

ASHLEY:

You mustn't say such things. You'll hate me for

hearing them.

SCARLETT:

Oh, I could never hate you and, and I know you must

care about me. Oh, you do care, don't you?

ASHLEY:

Yes, I care. Oh can't we go away and forget we ever

said these things?

SCARLETT:

But how can we do that? Don't you, don't you want to

marry me? ASHLEY

I'm going to marry Melanie.

SCARLETT:

But you can't, not if you care for me.

ASHLEY:

Oh my dear, why must you make me say things that will

hurt you? How can I make you understand? You're so

young and I'm thinking, you don't know what marriage

means.

SCARLETT:

I know I love you and I want to be your wife. You

don't love Melanie.

ASHLEY:

She's like me, Scarlett. She's part of my blood, we

understand each other.

SCARLETT:

But you love me!

ASHLEY:

How could I help loving you? You have all the passion

for life that I lack. But that kind of love isn't

enough to make a successful marriage for two people

who are as different as we are.

SCARLETT:

Why don't you say it, you coward? You're afraid to

marry me. You'd rather live with that silly little

fool who can't open her mouth except to say "yes",

no and raise a houseful of mealy-mouthed brats just

like her!

ASHLEY:

You mustn't say things like that about Melanie.

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