Chapter 17
Rhett did not speak. He stood there, one hand gripped firmly over the wooden knob on the door. Instead he glared at Scarlett, his eyes boring into hers in blatant irritation.
"What is it?" asked Scarlett, surprised and puzzled by his sudden appearance.
"I seem the to have overlooked one room on this upper floor. I don't know how I walked past it. But the door was ajar and I had a look. Scarlett, what do you think you are doing? You don't know what you are up against!"
Scarlett walked past him to the stairwell landing. She opened the door and walked down the long corridor and opened another door to a long room. Inside the room, there was a long heavily varnished and polished wooden table and several chairs drawn on all sides. The sole ornament in the walls was a picture. The picture of the Democrats newest hero, a Mr. Baxter who has been prophesied to end the Reconstruction era.
"I thought you didn't give a damn about anything I did-" she said, quietly. "Besides, I am not doing anything wrong. I have to get into the good graces of the people of Atlanta and if this is the only way, then so be it. I met Dr. Meade a month back and I met a few of the young boys too. Young boys planning to be good soldiers in the coming war. Oh yes, I know all about it. I am not as ignorant as I used to be. I know that something serious is afoot and I did use your name to get Dr. Meade's attention. You see, Rhett.. they are all holding meetings and the saloons and local halls aren't safe anymore to plan things. So, I graciously offered them a place to meet."
"They will burn this house to the ground!"
"Perhaps. Do you care?"
Rhett angrily began to descend the stairs. He looked up at her. "No, I don't care. A thing like this is too crazy for me to get mixed up in!. Just what do you think you are doing? You don't know anything about people. And you are going to learn things the hard way. You don't know how crazy a group of people can get when they work themselves up to a war frenzy. I know. I've seen things. You don't know, my poor simpleton. You will be crushed. This is a serious move in the conflict between the Republicans and the Democrats. There is going to be a bloodbath somewhere. And if you want to step into it, then let me warn you that it will crush you."
Scarlett heard him slamming the front door. She ran to the window and saw him ordering Pork about angrily. She smiled to herself.
That evening Scarlett was at Ashley's house. India Wilkes was there too. After Melanie's death, she had been so broken-hearted and repentant that Ashley had invited her back to his home to keep house and take care of Beau when he was back from school. Scarlett found Ashley in a small, narrow study, hunched in a deep chair by the fire, reading a large book. His long fingers, gently and respectfully turned the pages and his eyes ran engrossed along the tiny printed lines.
Ashley was slowly recovering from Melanie's death. The hair on his head was as gray as ever but he looked healthier now. India had been taking good care of him. There were lesser visitors now. But the house looked more cheerful what with Beau dragging in his friends whenever he came home for a holiday. Beau had many friends.
Ashley seemed pleased when Scarlett spoke to him about Rhett. He looked genuinely happy for Scarlett. "I told you once before that Rhett and I were similar-" said Ashley, with a smile. "We had been brought up with the same ideals yet we chose different paths. I embraced the ideals and Rhett.. well, I suppose non-conformity appealed to him."
"What's that?" asked Scarlett, sipping her cup of tea.
"Non-conformity is to go against the rule. Scarlett, don't you see.. we are both lost. I have lost my world of ideals and Rhett.. when the world we knew went, there are no clear rules. How could he follow non-conformity when there was nothing...no rules.. to measure up against?"
Scarlett looked dumbstruck. "But he sympathizes with you-"
"He probably realized his own illusion only now-"
"Ashley, how can you tell-"
Ashley gazed at her affectionately. "Scarlett, I find it easy to read other men. I can tell what they are thinking but I don't voice my ideas because it doesn't make things any pleasant. I like my life to be pleasant and harmonious-"
"Ashley, how did you know-"
"Rhett Butler has always followed non-conformity. Think about it yourself and you will see the pattern. When your daughter, Bonnie Blue died, he didn't even want to bury her because she was afraid of the dark. But I think that's where he realized that somewhere in life, he must conform. No one gets buried above the ground in a well-lit place. Such a thing is for fairy tales. We all have to descend into darkness, into the narrow crevice in the ground. For once, he couldn't go against the tide. His own motto worked against him."
Ashley spoke on, but Scarlett did not hear the words. Her hands turned chill and she felt a heavy cloak of dread descending upon her. She wanted to scream.