[Gone with the Wind] Back to the beginning

"I thought that was none of your business."

In the end, Scarlett chose to use a cold attitude to answer Bell's words that could barely be called praise.She crossed her arms across her chest and leaned back against the wall of the carriage without looking at Bell, determined to ignore her to the end.

But Bell Watling laughed coquettishly.

"Ah, maybe," Watling said lazily, seemingly nonchalantly, "but you're a little better than I thought, or Rhett wouldn't be—"

Scarlett immediately flew over with a sharp eye.

Bell seemed to think she was more interesting, and she giggled until she couldn't breathe: "Ouch! Miss O'Hara, you are so cute-why should we play dumb? You know that Rui and I special relationship!"

"It's very clear." Scarlett replied coldly, feeling that the repressed anger in her heart was ignited again, "I don't know how your son is studying in New Orleans?"

Watling stopped smiling.

"He told you all this." She said softly, with a wry smile on her face, "Scarlett O'Hara, he really likes you very much."

Bell Watling should have come down immediately after hearing that Meili was looking for her.She was still wearing the gaudy clothes of the proprietress of the brothel, and the rouge and white powder on her face were very thick.But at this moment, there was a hint of sadness on that face that always had smile lines.Bell sniffed, and said nonchalantly: "Hey, it's really not a big deal. It's just that a woman in this business has to depreciate her value if she has a son, and besides, I don't want people to know that my son has such a—" She paused, It seemed that she was unwilling to lose her momentum in front of Scarlett.She went back to the previous topic: "To be honest, I didn't think a girl from a southern manor was suitable for Rhett."

"Thank you for worrying about him," said Scarlett grimly.

But Bell didn't care about her anymore, and she seemed to be lost in memory with her chin propped up.

"You're right, I did hate you from the start," she admitted openly, not intending to please Scarlett. "Of course, because he likes you. But I never thought you'd last— —Don't be mad, listen to me. You're young and headstrong, and he's probably more than just not willing to give up being single. I think Rhett didn't realize it a little bit, he's not good at marriage and things like that Very confident," she asserted.

"You know about my son, and you must also know about him and—in short, even if it's the 'abandoned girl' in people's mouth." Bell sneered, "He was forced to marry her, but he didn't do it, and it hurt her Rhett seems to have been kind of scared of trying to make a marriage since then, because that's how it started. But why do people have to get married? You know he could be comfortable with all kinds of girls. But Met you, and then the deadlock started. Hey, you are a bit beyond my expectation. The other day, a member of the little girl’s family came to the brothel to find someone. She was really brave enough to go to him Heart. This is very rare-but it is obvious that what you want is to get married, and I think you are really too much trouble for Rhett."

She sighed again.

"But he's happy to be with you, even though you've been pushing too hard for a while—he's really trying to work things out between you, say, difficulties? It's just that you can't change yourself. Miss O'Hara, yes Sometimes you are too self-righteous. I ask you to open your eyes and see clearly that you are not the only one who is being wronged and paying for him. In my opinion-even as a friend, I still don’t want him to be with you. .You sure don't know? Even if Jonathan Wilkerson didn't pull out this ambush and die under your gun, he wouldn't be around for long, because Rhett has been preparing to deal with him... People, sometimes very cunning and unscrupulous, sometimes very proud. He knew that Jonathan was a serious problem in your family. If he offered to help, he would have the intention of proposing to your family. So he didn't, One person did it silently. Do you think that after the death of Jonathan and Hernans, the Ku Klux Klan passed the level too easily? Because their faction, Reiter, had already prepared to deal with it. And your former timber factory business, you really didn’t realize that someone was helping you? You don’t know who Rhett helped you find, little girl,” she said earnestly. Indispensable. No one can stand behind you for so long, is it really all your fault?"

"Wait," Scarlett fidgeted ever since hearing that word, "marriage proposal? You said marriage proposal—" she didn't care to make herself appear too eager, "I've never seen him mean it before!"

Bell rolled his eyes.

"So you're a couple of idiots," she teased. "He thinks he should sort everything out before proposing, and you're upset that he doesn't have enough affection for you... Forget it, you have to understand him. If anything People can make Rhett Butler marry willingly, and the marriage must be done voluntarily. In short, there is no other reason or coercion—ah, I think he intends to break up with me again, although since the reunion in Atlanta He hasn't really been with me since then, but this time he will ask me to accept all the usual teasing and hints. He didn't take it seriously before, but now he's afraid of you thinking about it."

"So," Scarlett's focus obviously went astray, "he's still in touch with you—he's talking to you about the proposal!" Thinking of this, she was about to stand up excitedly, thinking that Butler was an idiot.Discuss with Bell about proposing to her?She was about to choke on the clever idea!

Bell giggled again.

"Don't panic, little girl." She said with a smile, "Although I don't like you, I've always been a smart person in big things. Otherwise, Rhett wouldn't be willing to ask me for help, and we wouldn't be friends today .”

"So what exactly do you want to say?" Although Scarlett's attitude was quite blunt, she was thinking about what Bell said just now... Jonathan, Hernans, and the timber factory... Thinking about it this way, everything All right.No wonder, no wonder the Ku Klux Klan didn't get a roundabout retaliation from the Yankees when they came back, no wonder she broke up a rebel-run lumber mill and no one bothered -- that's what it was!Suddenly, she couldn't help being moved in her heart.Rhett Butler had unknowingly done these things for her, and she had always thought he was the kind of person who would give her credit for every little credit!

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked finally, trying to look fierce. "I'm not going to thank you."

"Come on." Bell laughed exaggeratedly, "It's as if I can invite you to the kiln for afternoon tea, what do I want for your thank you?" She was quiet for a while, and then said: "He really likes you!" I like you, treat him better."

"Don't worry about it." Scarlett pushed back, but her tone was much softer.

At this time, Scarlett thought that Bell was going to say goodbye.But Watling spoke again:

"There is something I think I should tell you." Bell said, "You haven't seen Rhett all day, have you?"

Scarlett's heart skipped a beat suddenly.

"His father passed away last night." Bell said, "Rhett has left Atlanta overnight and rushed to Charleston."

Scarlett stood up with a bang, and felt no pain when her head hit the ceiling.

"What did you say?!"

And Bell said to himself: "Rett and his father have a bad relationship. He was kicked out of the house by his father when he was very young. Now the old man is dead. Although he is not likable, he has to go back anyway. Use Be back in a week, huh? You don't have to be too..."

Scarlett could only feel a raging fire igniting in her heart.

"He didn't tell me a word!" Scarlett almost squeezed the words through her teeth, and she growled, "Not a word, not a note! How did he take me?" What are you doing!"

Obviously this kind of thing, this kind of big thing... He actually thinks that she doesn't need to know, doesn't need to participate?

Bell looked at her sympathetically.

"But he told me." She said calmly, without showing off in her tone, but Scarlett, who was overwhelmed with anger, couldn't hear it, "Because of business reasons, I asked him for a capital injection before, and he told me Go to which account to get it—but then again, maybe he expects me to tell you." She paused, and rarely said sincerely:

"While Rhett may prefer to settle the family relationship himself and come back, I think he also wants you by his side."

And Scarlett couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm leaving for Charleston tonight," she said quietly but firmly, her mind already made up.Bell Watling was taken aback by the softness of the voice.

"Okay." She nodded without saying anything, but her eyes were obviously much friendlier. "I'll get Mrs. Wilkes into the car."

Scarlett let her gracefully climb out of the carriage and walked towards Melanie, but her fingers were tightly closed, and her nails pierced her palms with pain.Rhett Butler, very good, very good—

In the afternoon, after Scarlett sent Melanie home, she went directly to Aunt Pete's house to pack her simple luggage without any unnecessary explanation, and then rushed to the train station, took the nearest train, and went all the way south to Charleston.

The author has something to say: Almost all of Bell’s words are in favor of the captain...