Very well for a man to love his child but she felt there was

something unmanly in the display of such love. He should be

offhand and careless, as other men were.

"You are making a fool of yourself," she said irritably, "and I

don't see why."

"No? Well, you wouldn't. The reason is that she's the first

person who's ever belonged utterly to me."

"She belongs to me, too!"

"No, you have two other children. She's mine."

"Great balls of fire!" said Scarlett. "I had the baby, didn't I?

Besides, honey, I belong to you."

Rhett looked at her over the black head of the child and smiled

oddly.

"Do you, my dear?"

Only the entrance of Melanie stopped one of those swift hot

quarrels which seemed to spring up so easily between them these

days. Scarlett swallowed her wrath and watched Melanie take the

baby. The name agreed upon for the child was Eugenie Victoria, but

that afternoon Melanie unwittingly bestowed a name that clung, even

as "Pittypat" had blotted out all memory of Sarah Jane.

Rhett leaning over the child had said: "Her eyes are going to be

pea green."

"Indeed they are not," cried Melanie indignantly, forgetting that

Scarlett's eyes were almost that shade. "They are going to be

blue, like Mr. O'Hara's eyes, as blue as--as blue as the bonnie

blue flag."

"Bonnie Blue Butler," laughed Rhett, taking the child from her and

peering more closely into the small eyes. And Bonnie she became

until even her parents did not recall that she had been named for

two queens.

CHAPTER LI

When she was finally able to go out again, Scarlett had Lou lace

her into stays as tightly as the strings would pull. Then she

passed the tape measure about her waist. Twenty inches! She

groaned aloud. That was what having babies did to your figure!

Her waist was a large as Aunt Pitty's, as large as Mammy's.

"Pull them tighter, Lou. See if you can't make it eighteen and a

half inches or I can't get into any of my dresses."

"It'll bust de strings," said Lou. "Yo' wais' jes' done got

bigger, Miss Scarlett, an' dar ain' nuthin' ter do 'bout it."

"There is something to do about it," thought Scarlett as she ripped

savagely at the seams of her dress to let out the necessary inches.

"I just won't have any more babies."

Of course, Bonnie was pretty and a credit to her and Rhett adored

the child, but she would not have another baby. Just how she would

manage this she did not know, for she couldn't handle Rhett as she

had Frank. Rhett wasn't afraid of her. It would probably be

difficult with Rhett acting so foolishly about Bonnie and probably

wanting a son next year, for all that he said he'd drown any boy

she gave him. Well, she wouldn't give him a boy or girl either.

Three children were enough for any woman to have.

When Lou had stitched up the ripped seams, pressed them smooth and

buttoned Scarlett into the dress, she called the carriage and

Scarlett set out for the lumber yard. Her spirits rose as she went

and she forgot about her waist line, for she was going to meet

Ashley at the yard to go over the books with him. And, if she was

lucky, she might see him alone. She hadn't seen him since long

before Bonnie was born. She hadn't wanted to see him at all when

she was so obviously pregnant. And she had missed the daily

contact with him, even if there was always someone around. She had

missed the importance and activity of her lumber business while she

was immured. Of course, she did not have to work now. She could

easily sell the mills and invest the money for Wade and Ella. But

that would mean she would hardly ever see Ashley, except in a

formal social way with crowds of people around. And working by

Ashley's side was her greatest pleasure.

When she drove up to the yard she saw with interest how high the

piles of lumber were and how many customers were standing among

them, talking to Hugh Elsing. And there were six mule teams and

wagons being loaded by the negro drivers. Six teams, she thought,

with pride. And I did all this by myself!

Ashley came to the door of the little office, his eyes joyful with

the pleasure of seeing her again and he handed her out of her

carriage and into the office as if she were a queen.

But some of her pleasure was dimmed when she went over the books of

his mill and compared them with Johnnie Gallegher's books. Ashley

had barely made expenses and Johnnie had a remarkable sum to his

credit. She forbore to say anything as she looked at the two

sheets but Ashley read her face.

"Scarlett, I'm sorry. All I can say is that I wish you'd let me

hire free darkies instead of using convicts. I believe I could do

better."

"Darkies! Why, their pay would break us. Convicts are dirt cheap.