When she finally came to his door beaming, ready to tell him that Scarlett's condition had improved, she was stunned by what she saw. On the table next to the bed was a half-drunk bottle of whiskey, and the room was full of alcohol. He looked up at her, his bright eyes like a mist. Despite gritting his teeth, the muscles at the corners of his mouth trembled.

"She's Dead Key"

"Oh, no. She's much better. ”

He said, "Wild, my God," and he covered his face with his hands. She saw his broad shoulders twitch as if he were swinging. She looked at him with pity, and when she saw that he was weeping, her pity suddenly turned to fear. Melanie had never seen a man cry, and she never expected a man like Ritter, who was gentle and teased, and who could always hold on to herself, would hug her head and cry.

She was really startled when she heard a desperate choke from his mouth. At first, she thought he was drunk, and she couldn't help but panic a little, because Melanie had always been afraid of anyone who would get drunk and go crazy. But when he looked up, she caught a glimpse of his eyes and realized that he was not drunk, so she hurried into the house, closed the door gently, and walked over to him. Although she had never seen a big man cry bitterly, she had coaxed many crying children and helped them wipe the tears from their faces. No sooner had she rested a hand on his shoulder than his arms suddenly grabbed her skirt. Before she could react, she sat on the edge of the bed, and he knelt on the floor, buried his head in her knees, and clung to her with both hands as if he were frantically clutching her.

She gently stroked his head full of black hair, and comforted: "It's okay! All right! Don't do this! She'll be fine soon. ”

At hearing this, his hands tightened, and he began to speak breathlessly, hoarsely, and babbling as if he were speaking to a tomb that would never reveal its secrets. For the first time in his life, he took out his inner words, ruthlessly dissected himself, and exposed his thoughts to Melanie. At first, Melanie didn't understand what he was talking about, but listened quietly like a loving mother. He buried his head deep between her knees, tugging desperately at the folds of her skirt, speaking in a choppy, incoherent manner. His words were sometimes slurred and his voice was low, but sometimes they were so clear that the words were in her ears. These are harsh, painful words of repentance and humility. He talked about things that a woman had never mentioned in front of her, and these secret things made her face flush with shame, but fortunately he was talking about them with his head down.

She patted him on the head like she did to Bob, don't say anything, Captain Butler! You shouldn't have told me about this! Now that you're not feeling well, don't say it! But he continued to ramble on, still clutching her skirt as if that was the hope of his life.

He kept blaming himself, but these were things she couldn't understand. He vaguely mentioned Belle Watling, then shook her desperately, shouting that I killed Scarlett, that I killed her. You won't understand. She didn't want this child, it was one"

"Say no more! You're crazy! Don't want kids? What woman doesn't want one"

"Nope! No! You want children. But she just didn't want it. Didn't want my child one"

"Don't say that!"

"You don't understand. She didn't want to have children, I forced her to have them. This child is all my fault. It's been a long time since we've been in bed."

"Shhhh Captain Butler! This will not be one"

"I was drunk and dizzy that day, and I wanted nothing more than to hurt her because she hurt me. I think I did the same, but she didn't want me. She never wanted me. She never wanted me, I tried hard, I tried a lot, but I didn't want me."

"Oh, don't talk about it!"

"I didn't know she was pregnant until she fell downstairs that day. She didn't know where I was, and she couldn't write to me to tell me that if she knew where I was, she wouldn't write to me. If I had known about it beforehand, I would have rushed home immediately, whether she wanted me or not......"

"Oh yes, I know you'll be back right away!"

"Oh my God, what stupid things I've been doing these past few weeks! All day long, drunk! When she told me about the child on the stairs that day, guess what I did? What was said? I laughed and said to her, 'Don't be discouraged. Maybe you'll have a miscarriage. 'And she's one'"

Melanie lowered her head, and saw Butler's black-haired head writhing painfully on her knees, and her face turned pale with fright, and her eyes widened. The afternoon sun poured through the open window, and she seemed to notice for the first time that his hands were so big, so black, so strong and powerful, and the black hair on the back of the hand was so thick. She involuntarily shrank back. These hands looked so fierce, so cruel, but now they were clutching her skirt, looking so weak and powerless.

Could it be that the ridiculous rumors about Scarlett and Ashley really reached his ears and were taken seriously by him, thus making him jealous? Yes, he left the city as soon as the gossip broke, but he didn't run away because of it. Captain Butler has always been in a hurry, and he just said he was leaving. He would never believe the gossip. He's smart. If that's the problem, then why didn't he try to shoot Ashley? At the very least, he should ask Ashley for an explanation, right?

No, it's not like that. He was only drunk and extremely nervous that he became ill, and his mind was full of nonsense, like a delirious man, who was talking nonsense. Men are not as tolerant of extreme tension as women. He was probably provoked by something, maybe it was just a small quarrel with Scarlett, and he took it too seriously. Some of the terrible things he said may be true, but not all of them. Oh, that last sentence will never be true, absolutely not! No man who loved Scarlett as deeply as he would ever say such a thing to the woman he loved. Melanie had never seen anything evil, she had never seen anything cruel, and now, for the first time in her life, she faced them squarely, and felt that all of them were unimaginable and unbelievable. He must have been drunk and sick. And for the sick child, he can only persuade with kind words.

"That's it! All right! She said euphemistically, "Don't say it." I know. ”

He jerked his head up and stared at her with bloodshot eyes, as he shook her hands away.

"No, my God, you don't understand! You can't get it either! You are too kind-hearted to understand this. You don't believe me, but everything I say is true. I'm a dog. Do you know why I did that? I'm crazy, I'm going crazy with jealousy. She has never been ruthless and unrighteous to me. I thought I could make her change her mind, but she was still the same. She doesn't love me. She never loved me. What she loves is one"

When his passionate, drunken gaze met hers, he suddenly stopped talking, his mouth still open, as if he had just realized who he was talking to. Her face was pale and nervous, but her gaze was still so calm and kind, full of pity and a look of unbelief. Her gentle brown eyes shone with a serene light, and the innocence in the depths of her gaze was no less than a loud slap in the face to him, knocking out a lot of alcohol from his head at once, and knocking back the crazy words that were about to blurt out. He muttered a few words, and then hung his head, avoiding her gaze, blinking vigorously as hard as he could.

"I'm a vile little man," he snorted, his head falling to her lap again, "but I'm not incorrigibly vile. You wouldn't believe what I just told you, would you? Because you are too kind-hearted to believe me. I've never met a truly nice person like you. You're not going to take my word for it, are you? ”

"Yes, I won't believe it," Melanie reassured him as she began to stroke his hair again, "and she'll be fine soon." Don't cry, Captain Butler! Don't cry! She'll be fine soon. ”

A month later, Ritter put Scarlett on a train to Jonesboro. Scarlett was pale and weak. Wade and Ella walked with her. Faced with the mother's lifeless, extremely pale face, the two children were cramped and silent. They were all snuggled up to Prissey, small as they were, but deep down they sensed something terrible in the cold, emotionless atmosphere between mother and stepfather.

Despite her physical weakness, Scarlett insisted on returning to Tara's hometown. She had been exhausted lately, and though she knew it was useless, she was still thinking over and over again the predicament in which she was deeply trapped, and she felt that even one more day in Atlanta would suffocate her. She was weak and sad, like a lost child, standing alone in a wilderness that only comes from nightmares, unable to find any familiar signs to guide her out of the maze.

Just as she had fled Atlanta when the Yankees had attacked the city, this time she had fled the city, leaving all her worries and worries behind, and using her usual magic weapon again: I don't think about it now. I can't stand it anymore. I'll think about it when I get to Tara tomorrow. Tomorrow is a new day after all. It seems that as long as she can return to the quiet environment of her hometown, in the green cotton fields, all her troubles will disappear, and she will have a way to straighten out her broken thoughts and find a pillar to live on.

Ritter watched the train move away until it disappeared. His face was full of sorrow, unhappiness, and his heart was heavy and painful. With a long sigh, he sent the carriage away, then mounted his mount and galloped down Ivy Street toward Melanie's house.

Chapter 220: Mei Lan's Death

So she hurriedly shouted that the courtyard no! No! Oh, Meilan, you stop! ”

As she leaned out of the window, there was a terrible cracking sound of wood cracking and Ritter's hoarse cry, and she saw a ball of blue velvet spread on the ground, and "Mr. Butler" was on all fours. Then the pony rolled over and stood up, and trotted away with an empty saddle.

On the third night after Meilan's death, Black's mother staggered slowly up the kitchen steps of Melanie's house.

"Miss Lanny, Mr. Ritter, he's insane. He refused to bury the little lady. ”

"Insanity! Oh black mama, he won't! ”

"I'm not talking nonsense. This is absolutely true. He wouldn't allow us to bury the child. He said this to me himself, and it had been less than an hour. ”

"Miss Lanny, let me tell you all. I shouldn't say that to anyone. But you're your own, I can say to you. I'll tell you all about it. You know how much he values that kid. I've never seen a man, black or white, think as much about children as he does. As soon as Dr. Mead said that the child's neck was broken, he immediately went crazy. He grabbed his gun, ran outside, and killed the poor pony. Seeing him like that, I'm really afraid he'll beat him to death. Miss Scarlett fainted, and all the neighbors came, and there were people inside and out. Mr. Ritter became insane, and kept holding the child, even if I had to wash the child's little face, and wipe the blood that came out of the scratched place. When Miss Scarlett woke up, I thought, God forbid! Now they can comfort each other. ”

"But as soon as she woke up, she went into the room where he was holding Miss Meilan, and said to him, 'You killed my daughter, and you gave my daughter back.'" ”

"Oh no! She wouldn't say that! ”

"Yes. That's what she said. She said, 'You killed her.' I felt so sorry for Mr. Rhitter that I burst into tears at once, for he looked like a whipped hound. I said, 'Give the baby to Mother Black, and let me cook for the little lady.' I took the baby from him and carried her into her room to wash her face. I heard them arguing, and what they said really chilled me. Miss Scarlett scolded him for being a murderer, and deliberately let Miss Meilan jump so high on the railing; He said that Miss Scarlett never cared about Miss Meilan, nor did she care about her other children......"

"Say no more, Black Mom! Say no more. You shouldn't have said that to me! Melanie exclaimed. Her heart twitched at the sight Black Mother had described.

"I know I shouldn't tell you this, but I have so many words in my mind that I can't figure out what not to say. Later, Mr. Rhett took the child to the funeral officer, and then carried her back and put her in her little bed in his room. When Miss Scarlett said that the child should be put in the coffin and parked in the drawing-room, I saw that Mr. Scarlett was in a posture as if he was going to go over and hit her. He said coldly, 'The child has to be in my room.' Then he turned to me and said, 'Black mother, I have to go out now, and you must keep her here all the time.' Then he mounted his horse and went out of the house, and did not return until the sun went down. When he came home, I saw that he had drunk a lot, but he was not so drunk as usual. He rushed in the door, and without saying a word to Miss Scarlett, Miss Petty, and the visiting wives, ran up the stairs, and opened the door of his room, and then called out to me, and I hurried up, and saw him standing by the bed, but because the blinds had been drawn, and the room was dark, I could not see clearly what expression was on his face.

"He said to me viciously, 'Open the blinds, it's too dark in here.'" I quickly opened the blinds, and he stared at me. Oh my God, Miss Lanny, my legs were so stiff that I almost didn't go paralyzed, because he looked so scary. Then he said, 'Bring the lamp.' Bring more lamps and keep them on. It is not allowed to close the curtains, nor to close the blinds. Don't you know that Miss Meilan is afraid of the dark? ，”

Melanie's horrified gaze met that of Mother Black, who nodded sadly.

"That's what he said. Miss Meilan is afraid of the dark. ”

Black Mom snorted.

"I took a dozen candles and he said, 'Get out!' Then he locked the door, and sat alone with the little lady. Even Miss Scarlett knocked on the door and shouted at him, but he wouldn't open the door. He's been like this for two days. He didn't even mention anything about the burial. Early in the morning he locked the door, rode into the city, and did not return drunk until the sun went down, and then he locked himself in the house again, without eating or sleeping. Now that his mother, Mrs. Butler, had come from Charleston for the funeral, and Miss Suelen and Mr. Will had come from Tara Manor, Mr. Kerrett had paid no attention to anyone. Hi Miss Lannie, this sucks! And it's going to get worse and worse, and people are going to talk about it.

"Tonight," said Mother Black, after a pause and wiping her nose with the back of her hand, "tonight, when he returned, Miss Scarlett stopped him in the upstairs hallway, followed him into the house, and said, 'The funeral is scheduled for tomorrow morning. But he said, "If you dare to bury me, I will kill you tomorrow." ”

"Well, he must be crazy!"

"Absolutely. Later, they spoke a little lower, and I didn't hear them all, but I heard him say that Miss Mei Lan was afraid of the dark, and that the grave was very dark. After a while, Miss Scarlett said, 'You can kill the child yourself and be so arrogant and domineering.' He said: 'Do you have no mercy at all?' ''I don't even have a child, what compassion is there?'' I can't bear what you did after Meilan's death. Now the whole city is talking about you. You're drunk all day, and if you think I don't know where you're fooling around these days, you're a fool. I know you've been at Belle Watling's house for the past few days. ”

"Oh, Black Mom, it won't."

That's what Miss Scarlett said. And, Miss Lannie, it's true, too. There are many things that we blacks know faster than whites. I know where Mr. Rhett has gone, but I haven't missed a word. He himself does not deny it. He said, 'Yes, I'm with her, you don't have to get excited, because you don't care at all.' This side of the house has become hell, and * home is naturally heaven. Moreover, Bell's heart is also good. She never nagged that I had killed my own child. ，”

"Ahh Melanie cried out in pain.

Because she herself lived so happily and peacefully, and the people around her were full of kindness and love for her, she couldn't understand or believe it when she heard Mother Black say these words. Suddenly, she remembered something, but then hurried to chase it away, just as she chased away the thought of someone's nakedness. It turned out that Ritter did mention Belle Watling when he put his head on her knees and wept bitterly that day. But he really is Escarlett's. There was no way she could have been wrong that day. Of course, Scarlett also loves him. So how did they get it like this? How can husband and wife be so tense and incompatible?

Mother Black continued with a heavy heart.

After a while, Miss Scarlett came out of the room. Her face was pale, and her chin did not move, as if she had made up her mind. When she saw me standing there, she said to me, 'Tomorrow burial, Black Mother.' With that, she walked past me like a ghost. As soon as I heard this, my heart jumped with judgment, for Miss Scarlett's words counted. Mr. Kratt's words also count. He said that if she buried the child, he would kill her. Now I'm completely confused, Miss Lannie, for I've always felt guilty in my heart, and I'm upset. Miss Lannie, Miss Lannie's fear of the dark is all scared out of me. ”

"Oh, but, Black Mother, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter now."

"It's a big deal. Bad is bad here. I think I'd better explain this to Mr. Rhett, even if he kills me, for I'm ashamed. So, I slipped in while he hadn't locked the door yet. I said, 'Mr. Ritter, I have come to confess my sins to you. He turned around and shouted to me like a madman: 'Get out!' 'Oh my God, it really scared the hell out of me!' But I still said to the court, 'Mr. Rhett, please listen to me.' The little lady was scared out of me because she was afraid of the dark, so if you want to kill me, kill me. With that, Miss Lanny, I bowed my head and waited for him to come and beat me. But he didn't say a word. And I said, 'I didn't have any ill will at the time. It's just that, Mr. Rhett, that kid is too bold to be afraid of anything. When everyone else was asleep, she always had to get out of bed and run around the house barefoot. I was worried, afraid she would bump into it. So I scared her and told her that there were ghosts and monsters in those dark places. ’

"Listen to me, Miss Lanny, do you know what's wrong with him? His face immediately became kind, and he walked up to me and put his hand on my arm, and it was the first time he had been so affectionate to me. He said, 'She's very brave, isn't she?' She is not afraid of anything but the dark. When I heard this, I wept. He patted me and said, 'Alright, Black Mommy, all right, Black Mommy, don't cry.' I'm glad you can tell me that. I know you're Miss Ame. You told her that because you loved her, so it didn't matter. The important thing is to see whether a person's heart is good or not. When he said this, I was glad and boldly said, 'Mr. Ritter, what about the burial?' All of a sudden, he turned his face again, like a madman, and looked at me with two eyes flickering and said, 'Oh my God, I thought that if others didn't understand me, you would always understand!' Since my child is so afraid of the dark, do you think I will bury her? I now feel like I hear her screaming as she wakes up in the dark. I'm not going to scare her. Miss Lanny, when I heard him say that, I knew he was really crazy. He only drank, did not sleep, did not eat, and that was not enough. He's just crazy. He shoved me out the door, yelling, 'Get out of here!' ’

"I had to go downstairs, thinking that he said that he could not be buried, but Miss Scarlett said that she must be buried tomorrow morning, but he said that if he did, he would kill her. The relatives and neighbors of the family are all messing around like guinea fowl and don't know what to do. That's when I thought of you, Miss Lannie. You've got to help us. ”

"Oh, Black Mom, I can't meddle in this!"

"If you can't meddle, then who else can?"

"But what should I do, Black Mother?"

"Miss Lannie, I don't know. But you'll always have a way. You can talk to Mr. Rhett first, maybe he'll listen to you. He's always held you in high esteem, Miss Lannie. Maybe you don't know it yourself, but he does respect you. I've heard him say many times that of all the young ladies and ladies he knows, you are the most virtuous. ”

"But-"

Melanie stood up in a panic, for the thought of dealing with Ritter face-to-face made her feel timid. She shuddered at the thought of trying to persuade a man who had gone mad with grief as Mother Black had described, and the thought of going into the candle-lit room where the corpse of the girl she loved so much was kept. What can she do? What could she say to Rhett to ease his grief and bring him back to his senses? She stood there, hesitating for a moment, and at that moment, Bo's laughter came from the closed dining room. Like a cold sharp knife piercing her heart, she suddenly thought that her little Bo was dead. What would her little Bo think if she was lying upstairs cold and stiff and couldn't laugh happily anymore?

"Oh!" Startled, she couldn't help but shout loudly, and in her imagination, she hugged Xiaobo tightly in her arms. She suddenly understood Rhett. If her little Bo died, how could she be willing to bury him, leaving him alone in the dark to let the raging storm ravage?

"Oh, poor, poor Captain Butler!" She shouted, "Okay, I'll go to him now, right away." ”

She hurried back to the dining room, whispered a few words to Ashley, and then hugged Xiaobo tightly, and kissed his fisted hair emotionally, which startled the child.

She didn't wear a hat, and she hurried out of the house with a napkin still in her hand, leaving her elderly black mother far behind. Walking into the antechamber of Scarlett's house, she nodded slightly to the crowd gathered in the library, the frightened Miss Pettipat, the dignified Old Lady Butler, and Will and Suelen, and walked briskly up the stairs, followed by the panting Black Mother. She stopped for a moment outside Scarlett's closed door, but Mother Black gasped and said hoarsely, "Nobe, don't go in." ”

Lannie walked down the aisle as she slowed her pace. When she reached the door of Rhett's room, she stopped and hesitated for a moment, as if she wanted to turn back and run away. Then, with her determination, like a young recruit who had thrown herself into battle, she knocked on the door and called softly, "Wild, please let me in, Captain Butler." I'm Mrs. Welkes. I want to see Meilan. ”

Soon the door opened, and the black mother hurried into the dark part of the hallway, only to see Rhett's huge figure come out of the bright lights of the room. He staggered and couldn't stand on his feet, and Mama Black could smell the whiskey in his mouth. He looked down at Lanny for a moment, then grabbed her hand, pulled her into the room, and closed the door.

The black mother sneaked over to a chair by the door and sat down tiredly, her fat body filling the chair to the brim. She sat motionless, silently weeping tears as she prayed, occasionally lifting the fruffs of her skirt to wipe her eyes. Despite her nervous pricking up of her ears, she didn't hear a word of what was being said in the room, only a soft, staccato hum.

After a long, long time, the door opened a crack, revealing Lannie's pale, nervous face.

"Grab a pot of coffee and some sandwiches."

In case of emergency, Mother Black's movements can be as agile as a sixteen-year-old girl, and now she really wants to go into Ritter's room to see, so she moves faster. However, Lannie only opened the door a small crack and took the tray in, which turned Black Mother's hopes into disappointment. Although she pricked up her sensitive ears and listened nervously for a long time, she could discern nothing but the clatter of silver knives and forks against the porcelain plate, and the soft voice of Melanie's lowered voice. After a few moments, she heard a heavy body slam down on the bed, the bed creaking, followed by the sound of boots clattering on the floor. After a few more moments, Melanie appeared at the door. Black Mama wanted to look in from her, but the door was so blocked that she couldn't see anything. Melanie looked tired, tears glistening on her eyelashes, and a serene look on her face returned.

"Go tell Miss Scarlett, and I'll say that Captain Butler has agreed to have a funeral tomorrow morning." She whispered.

"Thank God!" Black Mom suddenly shouted, "What the hell are you?"

With a snap, he was about to fall asleep. Also, Mother Black, tell Miss Scarlett that I'm staying here tonight and won't go back, so please get me some coffee and bring it here. ”

"To this room?"

"Yes, I promised Captain Butler that if he would sleep, I would sit here for the night and keep vigil for the young lady. Go tell Miss Scarlett so she doesn't worry any more. ”

Black Mom walked down the aisle, the floor being trampled. Her sorrow was dispelled, and she sang "Hallelujah!" in her heart. Alleluia! Walking outside Scarlett's door, she paused and thought for a moment, filled with gratitude and curiosity.

"I don't know how Miss Lannie managed to convince Mr. Rhett. I guess the angels were on her side and helped her. I will tell Miss Scarlett about the burial to-morrow, but I think it would be best for Miss Lanny to keep her vigil for Miss Scarlett. Miss Scarlett wouldn't like that. ”