Chapter 44

Scarlett felt the sun on her shoulders as she was handed out of the carriage by Pork. The crowd around the saloon was immense and people were looking out of their houses and standing atop carriage blocks, straining to hear the words being fired at the front of the throng. Upon Scarlett's prompt, Pork made his way through the crowd and when some Yankee soldiers stopped him, he began to speak in reply. As he waved his hands and explained, the captain of the guard took a long look at Scarlett standing near her carriage, her fingers twisting her handkerchief and peering anxiously forward and he nodded for Pork to take Rhett.

"Take him elsewhere. If he stays here, I'm sure one of those drunken varmints will stick a bullet in him!" bellowed the guard. Pork rushed forward and pulled up Rhett by the right arm. Scarlett took a few steps forward when Dr. Meade who had been standing at the far end, called out to her to stay near the carriage. The guards arrested a few other drunks and were dragging them along. The crowds parted for Pork and suddenly Rhett's eyes fell on Scarlett.

Suddenly Rhett began to laugh. He held on to Pork and laughed hard. He was completely and disgustingly drunk. Scarlett blushed furiously from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She blushed hard because instantly she realized Rhett was one step ahead of her as always. He knew at once that she had thought herself the "angel of mercy" when she came here and he laughed at her for her attempts to outwit him and to drive him into a corner. And finally she blushed because everyone was watching and Rhett was making a fool out of himself.

Yet, Scarlett could not step back in the carriage. She could not drive away. Pork's eyes pleaded with her to control her temper as he struggled with Rhett's weight. They did their best to hurry him into the coach but Rhett decided he would give a speech.

He pushed past Pork and threw up his hands in drunken comical effort. He seemed to address everyone as he slowly , drunkenly drawled,"

"Now that I have no shame, I will proclaim it.

Given the chance, I will go where the people are,

Tell everybody; if you shut me here, I will move the very woods and rocks to pity."

Rhett turned and took a long look of contempt and malicious humour at Scarlett. She shuffled in fear and horror and wished the ground would open up and swallow her. Anything to get away from the crowd.

"The air of Heaven will hear, and any god, If there is any god in Heaven, will hear me."

The captain of the guard laid a firm hand on Rhett's shoulder but he flung it away. "Of course, I haven't married Procne but Philomela. But her treatment has been the same. I thought I cut out her tongue but here she is."

Rhett triumphantly and staggeringly stomped over to Scarlett and dragged her out to the crowd by the arm. "This is my wife, gentlemen and she has come to rescue me from you all- Such a caring, loving wife. She took a huge risk for me and even if she doesn't win my heart, she will win all of yours. For no one but a lady would come after her husband to such a place as this with such an unselfish attitude of humility, love and mercy-" Rhett nodded at everyone and laughed openly at Scarlett. His eyes devilishly mocked the tears in her eyes. Then drawing his voice to a loud whisper he said, "The only problem, my dear is the gods took pity and turned us all into birds- You don't want to be a bird, do you?"

"Pork, get him inside the carriage!" cried Scarlett, her hands trembling and her knees shaking and turning to jelly. The sun was too hot and she was sweating unnaturally. "I'll follow later- Take him... take him to the house-"

The carriage door was shut and it began to move. Scarlett swayed for a moment on her feet and then she found herself falling slowly to the ground.