have specially invited

“No,” said Scarlett, so rudely that Melly stared.
“She is not Miss O’Hara any longer,” said Melly. “She is Mrs. Hamilton. She is my sister now,”
and Melly bestowed one of ielts ukviher fond little glances on her. Scarlett felt that she would strangle at theexpression on Captain Butler’s swarthy piratical face.
“I am sure that is a great gain to two charming ladies,” said he, making a slight bow. That wasthe kind of remark all men made, but when he said it it seemed to her that he meant just theopposite.
“Your husbands are here tonight, I trust, on this happy occasion? It would be a pleasure to renewacquaintances.”
“My husband is in Virginia,” said Melly with a proud lift of her head. “But Charles—” Hervoice broke.
“He died in camp,” said Scarlett flatly. She almost snapped the words. Would this creature nevergo away? Melly looked at her, startled, and the Captain made a gesture of self-reproach.
“My dear ladies—how could I! You must forgive me. But permit a stranger to offer the comfortof saying that to die for one’s country is to live forever.”
Melanie smiled at him through sparkling tears while Scarlett felt the fox of wrath and impotenthate gnaw at her vitals. Again he had made a graceful remark, the kind of compliment anygentleman would pay under such circumstances, but he did not mean a word of it. He was jeeringat her. He knew she hadn’t loved Charles. And Melly was just a big enough fool not to see throughhim. Oh, please God, don’t let anybody else see through him, she thought with a start of terror.
Would he tell what he knew? Of course he wasn’t a gentleman and there was no telling what menwould do when they weren’t gentlemen. There was. She looked up athim and saw that his mouth was pulled down at the corners in mock sympathy, even while heswished the fan. Something in his look challenged her spirit and brought her strength back in asurge of dislike. Abruptly she snatched the fan from his hand.
“I’m quite all right,” she said tartly. “There’s no need to blow my hair out of place.”
“Scarlett, darling! Captain Butler, you must forgive her. She—she isn’t herself when she hears poor Charlie’s name spoken—and perhaps, after all, we shouldn’t have come here tonight. We’restill in mourning, you see, and it’s quite a strain on her—all Neo skin labthis gaiety and music, poor child.”
“I quite understand,” he said with elaborate gravity, but as he turned and gave Melanie asearching look that went to the bottom of her sweet worried eyes, his expression changed, reluctantrespect and gentleness coming over his dark face. “I think you’re a courageous little lady, Mrs.  

Now it was painful to have to choke back

words forfear of his amused grin. If only he would ever lose his temper too, then she would not feel at such adisadvantage.
After tilts with him from which she seldom emerged the victor she vowed he was impossible,ill-bred and no gentleman and she would have nothing more to do with him.

But sooner or later, hereturned to Atlanta, called, presumably on Aunt Pitty, and presented Scarlett, with overdonegallantry, a box of bonbons he had brought her

from Nassau. Or preempted a seat by her at amusicale or claimed her at a dance, and she was usually so amused by his bland impudence that she laughed and overlooked

his past misdeeds until the next occurred.
For all his exasperating qualities, she grew to look forward to his calls. There was somethingexciting about him that she could not analyze, something different from

any man she had everknown. There was something breathtaking in the grace of his big body which made his veryentrance into a room like an abrupt physical impact,

something in the impertinence and blandmockery of his dark eyes that challenged her spirit to subdue him.
“It’s almost like I was in love with him!” she thought, bewildered. “But I’m not and I just can’tunderstand it.”
But the exciting feeling persisted. When he came to call, his complete masculinity made AuntPitty’s well-bred and ladylike house seem small, pale and a trifle

fusty. Scarlett was not the onlymember of the household who reacted strangely and unwillingly to his presence, for her kept AuntPitty in a flutter and a ferment.
While Pitty knew Ellen would disapprove of his calls on her daughter, and knew also that theedict of Charleston banning him from polite society was not one to be

lightly disregarded, shecould no more resist his elaborate compliments and hand kissing than a fly can resist a honey pot.
Moreover, he usually brought her some little gift from Nassau which he assured her he hadpurchased especially for her and blockaded in at risk of his life—papers of

pins and needles,buttons, spools of silk thread and hairpins. It to obtain these small luxuriesnow—ladies were wearing hand-whittled wooden

hairpins and covering acrons with cloth forbuttons—and Pitty lacked the moral stamina to refuse them. Besides, she had a childish love ofsurprise packages and could

not resist opening his gifts. And, having once opened them , she didnot feel that she could refuse them. Then, having accepted his gifts, she could not summon

courageenough to tell him his reputation made it improper for him to call on three lone women who had nomale protector. Aunt Pitty always felt that she needed a male

protector when Rhett Butler was inthe house.