登陆注册
893600000145

第145章

Chapter 23

After Prissy had gone, Scarlett went wearily into the downstairs halland lit a lamp. The house felt steamingly hot, as though it held in its walls all the heat of the noontide.Some of her dullness was passing now and her stomach was clamoring for food.She remembered she had had nothing to eatsince the night before except a spoonful of hominy, and picking up the lamp she went into the kitchen.The fire in the oven had died but the room was stiflingly hot.She found half a pone of hard corn bread in the skillet and gnawed hungrily on it while she looked about for other food.There was some hominy left in the pot and she ate it with a big cooking spoon, not waiting to put it on a plate.It needed salt badly but she was too hungry to hunt for it.After four spoonfuls of it, the heat of the room was too much and, taking the lamp in one hand and a fragment of pone in the other, she went out into the hall.

She knew she should go upstairs and sit beside Melanie. If anything went wrong, Melanie would be too weak to call.But the idea of returning to that room where she had spent so many nightmare hours was repulsive to her.Even if Melanie were dying, she couldn't go back up there.She never wanted to see that room again.She set the lamp on the candle stand by the window and returned to the front porch.It was so much cooler here, even though the night was drowned in soft warmth.She sat down on the steps in the circle of faint light thrown by the lamp and continued gnawing on the corn bread.

When she had finished it, a measure of strength came back to her and with the strength came again the pricking of fear. She could hear a humming of noise far down the street, but what it portended she did not know.She could distinguish nothing but a volume of sound that rose and fell.She strained forward trying to hear and soon she found her muscles aching from the tension.More than anything in the world she yearned to hear the sound of hooves and to see Rhett's careless, self-confident eyes laughing at her fears.Rhett would take them away, somewhere.She didn't know where.She didn't care.

As she sat straining her ears toward town, a faint glow appeared above the trees. It puzzled her.She watched it and saw it grow brighter.The dark sky became pink and then dull red and, suddenly above the trees, she saw a huge tongue of flame leap high to the heavens.She jumped to her feet, her heart beginning again its sickening thudding and bumping.

The Yankees had come!She knew they had come and they were burning the town. The flames seemed to be off to the east of the center of town.They shot higher and higher and widened rapidly into a broad expanse of red before her terrified eyes.A whole block must be burning.A faint hot breeze that hadsprung up bore the smell of smoke to her.

She fled up the stairs to her own room and hung out the window for a better view. The sky was a hideous lurid color and great swirls of black smoke went twisting up to hang in billowy clouds above the flames.The smell of smoke was stronger now.Her mind rushed incoherently here and there, thinking how soon the flames would spread up Peachtree Street and burn this house, how soon the Yankees would be rushing in upon her, where she would run, what she would do.All the fiends of hell seemed screaming in her ears and her brain swirled with confusion and panic so overpowering she clung to the window sill for support.

“I must think,”she told herself over and over.“I must think.”

But thoughts eluded her, darting in and out of her mind like frightened hummingbirds. As she stood hanging to the sill, a deafening explosion burst on her ears, louder than any cannon she had ever heard.The sky was rent with gigantic flame.Then other explosions.The earth shook and the glass in the panes above her head shivered and came down around her.

The world became an inferno of noise and flame and trembling earth as one explosion followed another in ear-splitting succession. Torrents of sparks shot to the sky and descended slowly, lazily, through blood-colored clouds of smoke.She thought she heard a feeble call from the next room but she paid it no heed.She had no time for Melanie now.No time for anything except a fear that licked through her veins as swiftly as the flames she saw.She was a child and mad with fright and she wanted to bury her head in her mother's lap and shut out this sight.If she were only home!Home with Mother.

Through the nerve-shivering sounds, she heard another sound, that of fear-sped feet coming up the stairs three at a time, heard a voice yelping like a lost hound. Prissy broke into the room and, flying to Scarlett, clutched her arm in a grip that seemed to pinch out pieces of flesh.

“The Yankees—”cried Scarlett.

“No'm, it's our gempmums!”yelled Prissy between breaths, digging her nails deeper into Scarlett's arms.“Dey's buhnin'de foun’ry an’de ahmy supply depots an’de wa’houses an’,fo’Gawd, Miss Scarlett, dey done set off dem sebenty freight cabs of cannon balls an’gunpowder an’,Jesus, we's all gwineter buhn up!”

She began yelping again shrilly and pinched Scarlett so hard she cried out in pain and fury and shook off her hand.

The Yankees hadn't come yet!There was still time to get away!She rallied her frightened forces together.

“If I don't get a hold on myself,”she thought,“I'll be squalling like a scalded cat!”and the sight of Prissy's abject terror helped steady her. She took her by the shoulders and shook her.

“Shut up that racket and talk sense. The Yankees haven't come, you fool!Did you see Captain Butler?What did he say?Is he coming?'”

Prissy ceased her yelling but her teeth chattered.

“Yas'm, Ah finely foun'him. In a bahroom, lak you told me.He—”

“Never mind where you found him. Is he coming?Did you tell him to bring his horse?”

“Lawd, Miss Scarlett, he say our gempmums done tuck his hawse an'cah'ige fer a amberlance.”

“Dear God in Heaven!”

“But he comin'—”

“What did he say?”

Prissy had recovered her breath and a small measure of control but her eyes still rolled.

同类推荐
  • 小约翰

    小约翰

    《小约翰》这部颇具深意、意象开阔的哲理小说,用通透纯净、轻柔明快的语言,描绘了一个美轮美奂的大自然的天堂。一个叫小约翰的孩子穿梭在大自然奇幻的世界里,听花儿说话,和萤火蚯蚓谈心,和蝴蝶共舞,和鳗鱼同游,和鸽子并排飞过天空……他一心寻找那本解答人生疑问的“真理之书”。这本小说看似是写给孩子的,但即便对大人来说,其内容和意境都充满深刻睿智的哲学思辨。书中真实与幻象重生,羁绊与别离共存,时光与生死相伴,爱与求知交缠,传递了人们对世界,对人生价值、意义、理想和责任的深刻思考与追问。
  • 清代世情小说:绿野仙踪(套装共5册)

    清代世情小说:绿野仙踪(套装共5册)

    《绿野仙踪》以写神仙异迹为线索,描写了明嘉靖年间落第士子于冰不肯攀附权贵严嵩,又亲眼目睹朝廷忠良被害、授业恩师病故等,看破官场腐败,于是决心出家,遁入玄门,只求寻仙问道、捉怪除妖。在寻仙问道的过程中,于冰路遇“法力高深”道人化身并经其考验,最终拜入门墙,终于学得呼风唤雨、召神遣将的本事。学成下山后,开始游历天下,扶危济困。并发挥降妖除魔的本事,解救被涂汰的生灵,先后结缘狐女、农夫金不换、浪子温如玉等,并协助忠良铲除奸相严嵩,后被皇帝敕封普惠真人,得道成仙的故事。
  • 青春无悔

    青春无悔

    《青春无悔》是程贤章著名获奖作品,作者用第一人称的写法,将笔触深入到主人公杨洋的心灵深处,通过他与三位女性的交往与爱,展示了一个特定年代青年人的特定的爱情以及人物因情而爱而发自心灵的火花生活历程。小说的创作颇具客家地方文化特色,本文从小说创作艺术角度进行研究。
  • 情天情海情深深

    情天情海情深深

    谈恋爱这回事,大家并不陌生。古往今来,最不缺的话题就是爱情。从情窦初开时,那如小鹿撞般的砰砰心跳,到暗送秋波你的情意我尽收眼底;从患难相依,甘苦与共的感动到生死缠绵,天人永隔的凄惨,偶用一张键盘,尽述天下爱情传奇,嬉笑打闹间的可爱单纯;感天动地的断场肠情史;说不清道不明的另一番悲情滋味;新鲜另类独特的爱情缠绵,尽在您的眼前展现
  • 寡人有疾

    寡人有疾

    三段黑色幽默的故事,三种绝妙隐喻。《寡人有疾》一共有三个故事,第一个故事叫《诗人与医院》,讲唐朝诗人卢照邻,得了麻风病,遇到医圣孙思邈,虽然治不好病,但诗人信奉孙思邈的哲学;第二个故事叫《蒙古兵和瘟疫》,蒙古入侵开封之前,开封城里闹瘟疫,名医李东皋控制住了瘟疫,蒙古兵随后杀进了城;第三个故事的背景在民国时期,名字叫《父与子》,一个从美国留学回来的医生,用现代化的医疗手段,治死了他的父亲。
热门推荐
  • 天行

    天行

    号称“北辰骑神”的天才玩家以自创的“牧马冲锋流”战术击败了国服第一弓手北冥雪,被誉为天纵战榜第一骑士的他,却受到小人排挤,最终离开了效力已久的银狐俱乐部。是沉沦,还是再次崛起?恰逢其时,月恒集团第四款游戏“天行”正式上线,虚拟世界再起风云!
  • 最后的异邦人

    最后的异邦人

    这是一个危险的世界,有毒的钢雾侵蚀了大陆和海洋,边界之外有未知的怪物游荡。只剩下大陆的一角还有人类栖息。但对邓肯而言,最危险的并非钢雾,而是世界仅存的国家里,警察、冲锋队、安全部、情报处都在追捕和他一样的异邦来客。
  • 酷小子也认栽

    酷小子也认栽

    莫名其妙被拉进定向运动社,莫名其妙被缠上——死缠着不放那种!可为何,他却在这不情愿中,找到了失去已久所谓笑容的东西?也许,他真的能重燃对快乐的信心。在一群伙伴的包围下,在定向运动中寻找胜利的源头,哈,竟是如此的畅快淋漓!感谢她,感谢定向运动的各位伙伴!他,终于再次找到了属于自己的快乐!--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 冷心仙草

    冷心仙草

    我本是一株仙草,对,我是一颗草,我入了轮回,见了孟婆婆,重生为人,我是一颗草。
  • 现实Online

    现实Online

    一颗名为Fancy的彩色彗星突然毫无预兆的开始出现在地球大气层外,在围绕地球转动的第二天,整个世界开始了蜕变,各种异能仿佛做梦般的出现在了人类的身上,当喜悦还没褪尽的时候,Fancy给了人类一个更大的礼物。
  • 无上脉神

    无上脉神

    我听说神创世的时候,手里一定要有一把手枪,能够创世!
  • 假如你年少有为不自卑

    假如你年少有为不自卑

    女生角度下的男生成长日记,迷茫患者的自救指南,总有一些道理振奋你的心。
  • 天行

    天行

    号称“北辰骑神”的天才玩家以自创的“牧马冲锋流”战术击败了国服第一弓手北冥雪,被誉为天纵战榜第一骑士的他,却受到小人排挤,最终离开了效力已久的银狐俱乐部。是沉沦,还是再次崛起?恰逢其时,月恒集团第四款游戏“天行”正式上线,虚拟世界再起风云!
  • 全能战神在都市

    全能战神在都市

    他是全民男神,他是完美主义者,他还是都市战神,天赋异禀,几乎精通所有技能,可为了帮助已战死的兄弟,他成了赘婿者,他接受打压,但不接受侮辱!
  • 幽冥电话之幽途

    幽冥电话之幽途

    幽冥电话开启异界空间。人世悲欢离合,生死岂能阻断?