Incoherently here and there, thinking how soon the flames would

spread up Peachtree Street and burn this house, how soon the

Yankees would be rushing in upon her, where she would run, what she

would do. All the fiends of hell seemed screaming in her ears and

her brain swirled with confusion and panic so overpowering she

clung to the window sill for support.

"I must think," she told herself over and over. "I must think."

But thoughts eluded her, darting in and out of her mind like

frightened humming birds. As she stood hanging to the sill, a

deafening explosion burst on her ears, louder than any cannon she

had ever heard. The sky was rent with gigantic flame. Then other

explosions. The earth shook and the glass in the panes above her

head shivered and came down around her.

The world became an inferno of noise and flame and trembling earth

as one explosion followed another in earsplitting succession.

Torrents of sparks shot to the sky and descended slowly, lazily,

through blood-colored clouds of smoke. She thought she heard a

feeble call from the next room but she paid it no heed. She had no

time for Melanie now. No time for anything except a fear that

licked through her veins as swiftly as the flames she saw. She was

a child and mad with fright and she wanted to bury her head in her

mother's lap and shut out this sight. If she were only home! Home

with Mother.

Through the nerve-shivering sounds, she heard another sound, that

of fear-sped feet coming up the stairs three at a time, heard a

Voice yelping like a lost hound. Prissy broke into the room and,

flying to Scarlett, clutched her arm in a grip that seemed to pinch

out pieces of flesh.

"The Yankees--" cried Scarlett.

"No'm, its our gempmums!" yelled Prissy between breaths, digging

her nails deeper into Scarlett's arm. "Dey's buhnin' de foun'ry

an' de ahmy supply depots an' de wa'houses an', fo' Gawd, Miss

Scarlett, dey done set off dem sebenty freight cahs of cannon balls

an' gunpowder an', Jesus, we's all gwine ter buhn up!"

She began yelping again shrilly and pinched Scarlett so hard she

cried out in pain and fury and shook off her hand.

The Yankees hadn't come yet! There was still time to get away!

She rallied her frightened forces together.

"If I don't get a hold on myself," she thought, "I'll be squalling

like a scalded cat!" and the sight of Prissy's abject terror helped

steady her. She took her by the shoulders and shook her.

"Shut up that racket and talk sense. The Yankees haven't come, you

fool! Did you see Captain Butler? What did he say? Is he

coming?"

Prissy ceased her yelling but her teeth chattered.

"Yas'm, ah finely foun' him. In a bahroom, lak you told me. He--"

"Never mind where you found him. Is he coming? Did you tell him

to bring his horse?"

"Lawd, Miss Scarlett, he say our gempmums done tuck his hawse an'

cah'ige fer a amberlance."

"Dear God in Heaven!"

"But he comin'--"

"What did he say?"

Prissy had recovered her breath and a small measure of control but

her eyes still rolled.

"Well'm, lak you tole me, Ah foun' him in a bahroom. Ah stood

outside an' yell fer him an' he come out. An' terreckly he see me

an' Ah starts tell him, de sojers tech off a sto' house down

Decatur Street an' it flame up an' he say Come on an' he grab me

an' we runs ter Fibe Points an' he say den: What now? Talk fas'.

An' Ah say you say, Cap'n Butler, come quick an' bring yo' hawse

an' cah'ige. Miss Melly done had a chile an' you is bustin' ter

get outer town. An' he say: Where all she studyin' 'bout goin'?

An' Ah say: Ah doan know, suh, but you is boun' ter go fo' de

Yankees gits hyah an' wants him ter go wid you. An' he laugh an'

say dey done tuck his hawse."

Scarlett's heart went leaden as the last hope left her. Fool that

she was, why hadn't she thought that the retreating army would

naturally take every vehicle and animal left in the city? For a

moment she was too stunned to hear what Prissy was saying but she

pulled herself together to hear the rest of the story.

"An' den he say, Tell Miss Scarlett ter res' easy. Ah'll steal her

a hawse outer de ahmy crall effen dey's ary one lef. An' he say,

Ah done stole hawses befo' dis night. Tell her Ah git her a hawse

effen Ah gits shot fer it. Den he laugh agin an' say, Cut an' run

home. An' befo' Ah gits started Ker-bboom! Off goes a noise an'

Ah lak ter drap in mah tracks an' he tell me twain't nuthin' but de

ammernition our gempmums blown' up so's de Yankees don't git it

an'--"

"He is coming? He's going to bring a horse?"

"So he say."

She drew a long breath of relief. If there was any way of getting

a horse, Rhett Butler would get one. A smart man, Rhett. She

would forgive him anything if he got them out of this mess.

Escape! And with Rhett she would have no fear. Rhett would

protect them. Thank God for Rhett! With safety in view she turned

practical.

"Wake Wade up and dress him and pack some clothes for all of us.

Put them in the small trunk. And don't tell Miss Mellie we're

going. Not yet. But wrap the baby in a couple of thick towels and

be sure and pack his clothes."

Prissy still clung to her skirts and hardly anything showed in her

eyes except the whites. Scarlett gave her a shove and loosened her

grip.

"Hurry," she cried, and Prissy went off like a rabbit.

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.