as the tarleton twins were her eyes were  green and her skin was that soft white skin  

which southern women valued so highly and  covered so carefully from the hot georgia sun  

with hats and gloves on that  bright april afternoon of 1861  

sixteen-year-old scarlet sat in the cool shadows  of the house at tara her father's plantation  

stewart and brent tarlton sat each side  of her they were friendly young men  

with deep red brown hair and were clever in the  things that mattered in north georgia at that time  

growing good cotton riding well shooting  straight and behaving like a gentleman  

don't you two care about being sent home from the  university of georgia for bad behavior scarlett  

was saying the war will start soon said brent  you didn't think we'd stay in university with  

a war going on did you there isn't going to be a  war said scarlet looking bored ashley wilkes and  

his father told paw just last week that our  men in washington will come to an agreement  

with mr lincoln about the confederacy anyway  the yankees are too frightened of us to fight  

and if you say war once more i'll go inside the  house and shut the door they looked across the red  

earth of gerald o'hara's land which stretched away  as far as the eye could see the white house was  

like an island sitting in a wild red sea the earth  blood colored after the reigns of recent weeks  

scarlet you'll promise to dance with us  at the party at 12 oaks tomorrow won't you  

said brent if you do we'll tell you a secret  said stuart what secret asked scarlett  

who told you miss pity pat hamilton ashley  wilkes's cousin who lives in atlanta  

charles and melanie hamilton's aunt said  stuart she said that we'll hear news of  

a wedding tomorrow night at the party  said brent oh i know that said scarlet  

disappointed it's about charlie hamilton and honey  wilkes everyone knows they'll get married someday  

no it's about ashley said stuart he's going  to marry charlie's sister miss melanie

scarlet's face did not change but her lips went  white like a person who was in the first moments  

of shock they weren't going to marry until next  year said stuart but with all the talk of war  

both families think it will be better if they're  married soon he smiled now scarlett you must  

promise to eat supper with us at the party  of course i will said scarlett automatically  

and give us plenty of dances yes she spoke as if  in a dream and sit with us at lunch too said brent  

what said scarlett oh yes of course the  twins were unable to believe their good luck  

they talked on about the dance and ashley wilkes  and melanie hamilton they laughed and joked  

and waited for scarlett to invite them  to supper and it was some time before  

they realized she was not listening to  them scarlett watched the twins ride away

ashley was going to marry melanie hamilton oh  it couldn't be true it was all a mistake ashley  

was in love with her not melanie mamie came out of  the house she was a big old negro who loved ellen  

o'hara and her family are the gentleman gone she  asked why didn't you ask them to stay to supper  

i didn't want to listen to them talking to paw  about the war all through supper said scarlet  

you just ain't polite miss scarlet said  mammy now come into the house before you get  

cold i want to watch the sun go down said  scarlet i'll sit here until paul comes home  

just fetch me a light coat mammy mammy went back  into the house and scarlett made a sudden decision  

i'll go and meet paw she thought he'll be coming  back from 12 oaks soon and he'll know about ashley

as a child scarlett had not given ashley  wilkes a single thought but two years ago  

he had arrived home after touring europe riding  up to tara with the sun so bright on his fair hair  

that it shone like silver you've grown up scarlet  he had said kissing her hand and from that moment  

on she wanted him as simply as she wanted food to  eat and horses to ride and a soft bed to sleep in  

for two years he took her to dances and suppers  

and a week did not go past without ashley calling  at tara it was true he never spoke to her of love  

and his clear gray eyes never burned with that  hot light scarlet knew so well in other men but  

she was sure that he loved her she saw him looking  at her sometimes in that sad strange way of his  

scarlet heard the sound of gerald o'hara's horse  and saw him coming across the fields at full speed  

gerald was 60 years old a small  man with silver white hair  

and hard little blue eyes he was surprised to  see her how is everyone at 12 oaks she asked him  

they're all talking about the war he said and  uh did they speak about the party scarlett  

asked quickly yes i think they did said gerald  miss melanie hamilton and her brother charles  

have come from atlanta and oh so she did come  scarlett's heart became heavy was ashley there too  

yes he was gerald looked closely at his  daughter that's why you came to meet me isn't it  

why didn't you say so before now what's all  this about you and ashley there's nothing pa  

she said has he asked to marry you no said  scarlet quietly and he won't said gerald  

john wilkes says that ashley is to marry  miss melanie they'll tell everyone tomorrow  

a pain cut across scarlet's heart and she  found it hard to breathe her father watched her  

and looked uncomfortable if you run  after a man who's not in love with you  

no said scarlet you're lying said  gerald then went on in a kind way  

there are lots of other young men scarlet i want  you to be happy and you wouldn't be happy with him  

oh i would i would the wilks are different from  other people said gerald they marry their cousins  

and keep their strangeness in the family look how  they read books and go to boston and new york to  

see paintings and hear music nobody rides a horse  better than ashley said scarlett oh yes ashley  

can ride and drink with the best of men but he  cares nothing about those things said gerald  

now listen there are other fine boys to marry  scarlet and when i'm gone i'll leave tara to you  

and i don't want tara cried scarlet angrily  plantations don't mean anything when she  

was going to say when you don't have the  man you want but gerald shout stopped her  

not mean anything land is the only thing in  the world that does mean anything he cried  

it will come to you scarlet this love of the  land it's in your blood and there's no denying it  

he held her arm as they walked towards the house  

i'll not worry your mother with this enormous  you they met ellen o'hara at the door  

she was carrying the black bag in which she  always kept the medicines she used for the slaves  

mammy was with her and did not look pleased mr  o'hara ellen said a baby is dying at the slattery  

house and mammy and i are going to see what we can  do the slatteries shouted gerald those white trash  

she is always nursing negroes and white trash who  could look after themselves said mammy annoyed  

take my place at supper scarlet said ellen  touching her daughter's cheek she was a tall woman  

with a quiet gentle voice and a warm smile  that charmed everyone there was something  

magical about her mother's touch thought  scarlet and for a moment forgot all about ashley  

but later an idea came to her ashley doesn't know  i love him she thought he thinks i love brent or  

stuart and he's marrying melanie because  he thinks he can't have me i must tell him  

then we can run off to jonesborough and get  married by this time tomorrow night i might be  

mrs ashley wilkes early the next morning gerald  told his plantation manager jonas wilkerson  

to pack his things and leave jonas ellen had  discovered was the father of emmy slattery's dead  

baby and now ellen would not have him working at  tara jonas was a yankee and hated all southerners  

and he was angry at losing the best  manager's job in the neighborhood  

ellen told gerald that she was  not going to the party at 12 oaks  

i must check jonas's figures in the plantation  books she said mammy will stay and help me  

so gerald rode on his horse beside  the carriage that took scarlett  

and her two sisters down the road to 12 oaks  scarlett thought about her plans to marry ashley  

no one must suspect anything she thought  so i'll flirt with every man there from old  

frank kennedy to shy charlie hamilton it will be  cruel to ashley but it will make him want me more  

i don't know why you look so happy this morning  said her sister sue ellen looking at scarlet  

you know ashley's going to marry melanie said so  and i know you love ashley sue ellen that's not  

true said karine the youngest of the  three it's brent that scarlett cares about  

the whole family knew that kareem loved brent  tarlton but he never gave her a thought except  

to scarlet's baby sister i don't care about brent  said scarlett smiling and he doesn't care about me  

he's waiting for you to grow up karine went red  in the face oh scarlet is he really she said  

they went over the hill and saw 12 oaks the  house was white and beautiful under the blue sky  

lunch was going to be served outside and scarlett  saw the tarleton twins with their two brothers  

boyd and tom and alex and tony fontaine  and the two calvert boys rayford and cade  

good everyone is here thought scarlet john wilkes  stood on the entrance steps a silver-haired man  

with a quiet charm that was as warm as a summer  sun next to him was his daughter honey wilkes  

his other daughter india was nowhere to be seen  and scarlett guessed that she was in the kitchen  

giving final orders to the servants  poor india thought scarlett  

she's been so busy looking after 12 oaks since  her mother died that she's had no time to catch  

any man except stuart tarleton and it's not  my problem if he thinks i'm prettier than her

john wilkes helped scarlet from the carriage and  frank kennedy hurried to give a helping hand to  

sue ellen who went red but looked delighted frank  was 40 with a thin red beard he was nervous with  

women and was surprised when scarlett remembering  her plan gave him one of her best smiles stuart  

and brent tarlton moved towards her and scarlett  looked around as she talked and laughed with them  

suddenly she noticed a stranger standing  alone he looked at least 35 and was tall  

and strong with a black mustache scarlett  went red as he stared at her with a cool  

smile then he turned away as someone called red  red butler rhett butler did she know the name  

scarlett's thoughts turned to ashley and she  forgot about the smiling man i must go and  

comb my hair she told stuart and brent you boys  wait for me and don't run off with any other girl  

as she went up the wide stairs a  shy voice behind her called her name  

scarlett turned and saw charles hamilton  a nice looking boy with soft brown hair  

and deep brown eyes she gave him her biggest smile  

why charles hamilton you handsome old thing i'm  sure you came all the way from atlanta just to  

break my poor heart charles almost fainted this  was the way girls talk to other boys not to him  

now you wait here until i come back said  scarlet and don't talk to those other girls  

or i'll be very jealous uh i won't he said  scarlett saw rhett butler a few feet away  

he was smiling again and had a strange  look in his eye as he stared at her  

scarlett went red again and hurried on up the  stairs kathleen calvert was in the bedroom  

kathleen said scarlett who is that nasty man  butler my dear don't you know whispered kathleen  

excitedly he's from charleston but his family  won't speak to him really said scarlett why  

he took a girl out riding in a carriage one  afternoon and they stayed out nearly all night  

when they finally arrived home he said that the  horse ran away and that they got lost in the  

forest and guess what tell me said scarlett hoping  for the worst he refused to marry her the next day  

oh said scarlet disappointed he said that he  did nothing to her but her brother invited him  

to fight and mr butler shot him well after that mr  butler had to leave charleston did she have a baby  

whispered scarlet no said kathleen  but no one will ever marry her now  

i wish ashley would stay out all night with me  thought scarlett he's too much of a gentleman not  

to marry me afterwards scarlett sat under a large  tree with her lunch on a plate in front of her  

but although there were seven handsome young men  sitting around her ashley was not one of them  

and she was not happy he was sitting on the  grass with melanie hamilton talking quietly and  

smiling the slow lazy smile that scarlett loved  melanie had dark hair and a heart-shaped face  

she was small but seemed older than her 17 years  scarlett saw fred butler talking to john wilkes he  

looked at her and laughed and she had the feeling  that this nasty man knew her true feelings about  

ashley and was amused it was two o'clock and the  sun was warm scarlett was just wondering if india  

would suggest that the ladies went into the house  when she heard gerald arguing with john wilkes  

hope for peace with the yankees gerald  was shouting no the south must show that  

it's strong and ready for a fight other men  joined in the discussion of course we'll fight  

yankee thieves one southerner can fight 20 yankees  charles hamilton found himself alone with scarlet  

as the others moved away miss o'hara he  said if i go to fight will you be sorry  

scarlett thought men were stupid to think  women were interested in these things  

but she answered i'll cry into my pillow  every night not meaning a word of it  

miss o'hara i must tell you something said  charles suddenly feeling brave i i love you  

i want to marry you scarlett wanted to tell  charles he looked silly but said automatically  

this is so sudden i don't know what to say  

i'll wait forever cried charles scarlet noticed  that ashley was now with the group of men  

if georgia fights i'll go with her ashley was  saying but most of the sadness in the world  

was caused by wars and when they were  over no one knew what they were about  

more arguing burst out after this until rhett  butler spoke gentlemen he said can i say a word