“My fillies are feeling their oats this morning,”said Mrs. Tarleton.“They've been kicking up their heels ever since we heard the news this morning about Ashley and that little cousin of his from Atlanta.What's her name?Melanie?Bless the child, she's a sweet little thing, but I can neverremember either her name or her face.Our cook is the broad wife of the Wilkes butler, and he was over last night with the news that the engagement would be announced tonight and Cookie told us this morning.The girls are all excited about it, though I can't see why.Everybody's known for years that Ashley would marry her, that is, if he didn't marry one of his Burr cousins from Macon.Just like Honey Wilkes is going to marry Melanie's brother, Charles.Now, tell me, Mr.O'Hara, is it illegal for the Wilkes to marry outside of their family?Because if—”
Scarlett did not hear the rest of the laughing words. For one short instant, it was as though the sun had ducked behind a cool cloud, leaving the world in shadow, taking the color out of things.The freshly green foliage looked sickly, the dogwood pallid, and the flowering crab, so beautifully pink a moment ago, faded and dreary.Scarlett dug her fingers into the upholstery of the carriage and for a moment her parasol wavered.It was one thing to know that Ashley was engaged but it was another to hear people talk about it so casually.Then her courage flowed strongly back and the sun came out again and the landscape glowed anew.She knew Ashley loved her.That was certain.And she smiled as she thought how surprised Mrs.Tarleton would be when no engagement was announced that night—how surprised if there were an elopement.And she'd tell neighbors what a sly boots Scarlett was to sit there and listen to her talk about Melanie when all the time she and Ashley—She dimpled at her own thoughts and Hetty, who had been watching sharply the effect of her mother's words, sank back with a small puzzled frown.
“I don't care what you say, Mr. O'Hara,”Mrs.Tarleton was saying emphatically.“It's all wrong, this marrying of cousins.It's bad enough for Ashley to be marrying the Hamilton child, but for Honey to be marrying that pale-looking Charles Hamilton—”
“Honey'll never catch anybody else if she doesn't marry Charlie,”said Randa, cruel and secure in her own popularity.“She's never had another beau except him. And he's never acted very sweet on her, for all that they're engaged.Scarlett, you remember how he ran after you last Christmas—”
“Don't be a cat, Miss,”said her mother.“Cousins shouldn't marry, even second cousins. It weakens the strain.It isn't like horses.You can breed a mareto a brother or a sire to a daughter and get good results if you know your blood strains, but in people it just doesn't work.You get good lines, perhaps, but no stamina.You—”
“Now, Ma'm, I'm taking issue with you on that!Can you name me better people than the Wilkes?And they've been intermarrying since Brian Boru was a boy.”
“And high time they stopped it, for it's beginning to show. Oh, not Ashley so much, for he's a good-looking devil, though even he—But look at those two washed-out-looking Wilkes girls, poor things!Nice girls, of course, but washed out.And look at little Miss Melanie.Thin as a rail and delicate enough for the wind to blow away and no spirit at all.Not a notion of her own.‘No, Ma'm!'‘Yes, Ma'm!’That's all she has to say.You see what I mean?That family needs new blood, fine vigorous blood like my red heads or your Scarlett.Now, don't misunderstand me.The Wilkes are fine folks in their way, and you know I'm fond of them all, but be frank!They are overbred and inbred too, aren't they?They'll do fine on a dry track, a fast track, but mark my words, I don't believe the Wilkes can run on a mud track.I believe the stamina has been bred out of them, and when the emergency arises I don't believe they can run against odds.Dry-weather stock.Give me a big horse who can run in any weather!And their intermarrying has made them different from other folks around here.Always fiddling with the piano or sticking their heads in a book.I do believe Ashley would rather read than hunt!Yes, I honestly believe that, Mr.O'Hara!And just look at the bones of them.Too slender.They need dams and sires with strength—”
“Ah-ah-hum,”said Gerald, suddenly and guiltily aware that the conversation, a most interesting and entirely proper one to him, would seem quite otherwise to Ellen. In fact, he knew she would never recover should she learn that her daughters had been exposed to so frank a conversation.But Mrs.Tarleton was, as usual, deaf to all other ideas when pursuing her favorite topic, breeding, whether it be horses or humans.
“I know what I'm talking about because I had some cousins who married each other and I give you my word their children all turned out as pop-eyed as bullfrogs, poor things. And when my family wanted me to marry a secondcousin, I bucked like a colt.I said,‘No, Ma.Not for me.My children will all have spavins and heaves.'Well, Ma fainted when I said that about spavins, but I stood firm and Grandma backed me up.She knew a lot about horse breeding too, you see, and said I was right.And she helped me run away with Mr.Tarleton.And look at my children!Big and healthy and not a sickly one or a runt among them, though Boyd is only five feet ten.Now, the Wilkes—”
“Not meaning to change the subject, Ma'm,”broke in Gerald hurriedly, for he had noticed Carreen's bewildered look and the avid curiosity on Suellen's face and feared lest they might ask Ellen embarrassing questions which would reveal how inadequate a chaperon he was. Puss, he was glad to notice, appeared to be thinking of other matters as a lady should.
Hetty Tarleton rescued him from his predicament.
“Good Heavens, Ma, do let's get on!”she cried impatiently.“This sun is broiling me and I can just hear freckles popping out on my neck.”
