Inter de house an' not even speak ter Miss Scarlett or Miss Pitty

or any of de ladies as wuz callin', but he fly up de steps an'

th'ow open de do' of his room an' den he yell for me. W'en Ah

comes runnin' as fas' as Ah kin, he wuz stan'in' by de baid an' it

wuz so dahk in de room Ah couldn' sceercely see him, kase de

shutters wuz done drawed.

"An' he say ter me, right fierce lak: 'Open dem shutters. It's

dahk in hyah.' An' Ah fling dem open an' he look at me an', fo'

Gawd, Miss Melly, mah knees 'bout give way, kase he look so

strange. Den he say: 'Bring lights. Bring lots of lights. An'

keep dem buhnin'. An' doan draw no shades an' no shutters. Doan

you know Miss Bonnie's 'fraid of de dahk?'"

Melanie's horror struck eyes met Mammy's and Mammy nodded ominously.

"Dat's whut he say. 'Miss Bonnie's 'fraid of de dahk.'"

Mammy shivvered.

"W'en Ah gits him a dozen candles, he say 'Git!' An' den he lock

de do' an' dar he set wid Lil Miss, an' he din' open de do' fer

Miss Scarlett even w'en she beat an' hollered ter him. An' dat's

de way it been fer two days. He woan say nuthin' 'bout de fune'l,

an' in de mawnin' he lock de do' an' git on his hawse an' go off

ter town. An' he come back at sundown drunk an' lock hisseff in

agin, an' he ain' et nuthin' or slept none. An' now his ma, Ole

Miss Butler, she come frum Cha'ston fer de fune'l an' Miss Suellen

an' Mist' Will, dey come frum Tara, but Mist' Rhett woan talk ter

none of dem. Oh, Miss Melly, it been awful! An' it's gwine be

wuss, an' folks gwine talk sumpin' scan'lous.

"An' den, dis evenin'," Mammy paused and again wiped her nose on

her hand. "Dis evenin' Miss Scarleft ketch him in de upstairs hall

w'en he come in, an' she go in de room wid him an' she say: 'De

fune'l set fer termorrer mawnin'.' An' he say: 'Do dat an' Ah

kills you termorrer.'"

"Oh, he must have lost his mind!"

"Yas'm. An' den dey talks kinder low an' Ah doan hear all whut dey

say, 'cept he say agin 'bout Miss Bonnie bein' sceered of de dahk

an' de grabe pow'ful dahk. An' affer aw'ile, Miss Scarlett say:

'You is a fine one ter tek on so, affer killin' her ter please yo'

pride.' An' he say: 'Ain' you got no mercy?' An' she say: 'No.

An' Ah ain' got no chile, needer. An' Ah'm wo'out wid de way you

been ackin' sence Bonnie wuz kilt. You is a scan'al ter de town.

You been drunk all de time an' ef you doan think Ah knows whar you

been spendin' yo' days, you is a fool. Ah knows you been down ter

dat creeter's house, dat Belle Watling.'"

"Oh, Mammy, no!"

"Yas'm. Dat whut she said. An', Miss Melly, it's de truff.

Niggers knows a heap of things quicker dan w'ite folks, an' Ah

knowed dat's whar he been but Ah ain' said nuthin' 'bout it. An'

he doan deny it. He say: 'Yas'm, dat's whar Ah been an' you neen

tek on, kase you doan give a damn. A bawdy house is a haben of

refuge affer dis house of hell. An' Belle is got one of de worl's

kines' hearts. She doan th'ow it up ter me dat Ah done kilt mah

chile.'"

"Oh," cried Melanie, stricken to the heart.

Her own life was so pleasant, so sheltered, so wrapped about with

people who loved her, so full of kindness that what Mammy told her

was almost beyond comprehension or belief. Yet there crawled into

her mind a memory, a picture which she hastily put from her, as she

would put from her the thought of another's nudity. Rhett had

spoken of Belle Watling the day he cried with his head on her

knees. But he loved Scarlett. She could not have been mistaken

that day. And of course, Scarlett loved him. What had come

between them? How could a husband and a wife cut each other to

pieces with such sharp knives?

Mammy took up her story heavily.

"Affer a w'ile, Miss Scarlett come outer de room, w'ite as a sheet

but her jaw set, an' she see me stan'in' dar an' she say: 'De

fune'l be termorrer, Mammy.' An' she pass me by lak a ghos'. Den

mah heart tuhn over, kase whut Miss Scarlett say, she mean. An'

whut Mist' Rhett say, he mean too. An' he say he kill her ef she

do dat. Ah wuz plumb 'stracted, Miss Melly, kase Ah done had

sumpin' on mah conscience all de time an' it weighin' me down.

Miss Melly, it wuz me as sceered Lil Miss of de dahk."

"Oh, but Mammy, it doesn't matter--not now."

"Yas'm, it do. Dat whut de whole trouble. An' it come ter me Ah

better tell Mist' Rhett even ef he kill me, kase it on mah

conscience. So Ah slip in de do' real quick, fo' he kin lock it,

an' Ah say: 'Mist' Rhett, Ah's come ter confess.' An' he swung

roun' on me lak a crazy man an' say: 'Git!' An', fo' Gawd, Ah

ain' never been so sceered! But Ah say: 'Please, suh, Mist'

Rhett, let me tell you. It's 'bout ter kill me. It wuz me as

sceered Lil Miss of de dahk.' An' den, Miss Melly, Ah put mah haid

down an' waited fer him ter hit me. But he din' say nuthin'. An'

An say: 'Ah din' mean no hahm. But, Mist' Rhett, dat chile din'

have no caution an' she wuzn' sceered of nuthin'. An' she wuz

allus gittin' outer baid affer eve'ybody sleep an runnin' roun' de

house barefoot. An' it worrit me, kase Ah 'fraid she hu't herseff.

So Ah tells her dar's ghos'es an' buggerboos in de dahk.'

"An' den--Miss Melly, you know whut he done? His face got right

gentle lak an' he come ter me an' put his han' on mah arm. Dat's

de fust time he ever done dat. An' he say: 'She wuz so brave,

wuzn' she? 'Cept fer de dahk, she wuzn' sceered of nuthin'.' An'

wen Ah bust out cryin' he say: 'Now, Mammy,' an' he pat me. 'Now,

Mammy, doan you cahy on so. Ah's glad you tole me. Ah knows you

love Miss Bonnie an' kase you love her, it doan matter. It's whut

de heart is dat matter.' Well'm dat kinder cheered me up, so Ah