It doan do no good."

"Miss Scarlett--"

Mammy straightened.

"Miss Melly, you knows Miss Scarlett well's Ah does. Whut dat

chile got ter stan', de good Lawd give her strent ter stan'.

Disyere done broke her heart but she kin stan' it. It's Mist'

Rhett Ah come 'bout."

"I have so wanted to see him but whenever I've been there, he has

either been downtown or locked in his room with-- And Scarlett has

looked like a ghost and wouldn't speak-- Tell me quickly, Mammy.

You know I'll help if I can."

Mammy wiped her nose on the back of her hand.

"Ah say Miss Scarlett kin stan' whut de Lawd sen', kase she done

had ter stan' a-plen'y, but Mist' Rhett--Miss Melly, he ain' never

had ter stan' nuthin' he din' wanter stan', not nuthin'. It's him

Ah come ter see you 'bout."

"But--"

"Miss Melly, you got ter come home wid me, dis evenin'." There was

urgency in Mammy's voice. "Maybe Mist' Rhett lissen ter you. He

allus did think a heap of yo' 'pinion."

"Oh, Mammy, what is it? What do you mean?"

Mammy squared her shoulders.

"Miss Melly, Mist' Rhett done--done los' his mine. He woan let us

put Lil Miss away."

"Lost his mind? Oh, Mammy, no!"

"Ah ain' lyin'. It's de Gawd's truff. He ain' gwine let us buhy

dat chile. He done tole me so hisseff, not mo'n an hour ago."

"But he can't--he isn't--"

"Dat's huccome Ah say he los' his mine."

"But why--"

"Miss Melly, Ah tell you eve'ything. Ah oughtn' tell nobody, but

you is our fambly an' you is de onlies' one Ah kin tell. Ah tell

you eve'ything. You knows whut a sto' he set by dat chile. Ah

ain' never seed no man, black or w'ite, set sech a sto' by any

chile. Look lak he go plumb crazy w'en Doctah Meade say her neck

broke. He grab his gun an' he run right out an' shoot dat po' pony

an', fo' Gawd, Ah think he gwine shoot hisseff. Ah wuz plumb

'stracted whut wid Miss Scarlett in a swoon an' all de neighbors in

an' outer de house an' Mist' Rhett cahyin' on an' jes' holin' dat

chile an' not even lettin' me wash her lil face whar de grabble cut

It. An' w'en Miss Scarlett come to, Ah think, bress Gawd! Now dey

kin comfo't each other."

Again the tears began to fall but this time Mammy did not even wipe

them away.

"But w'en she come to, she go inter de room whar he settin', holin'

Miss Bonnie, an' she say: 'Gimme mah baby whut you kilt.'"

"Oh, no! She couldn't!"

"Yas'm. Dat whut she say. She say: 'You kilt her.' An' Ah felt

so sorry fer Mist' Rhett Ah bust out cryin', kase he look lak a

whup houn'. An' Ah say: 'Give dat chile ter its mammy. Ah ain'

gwine have no sech goin's on over mah Lil Miss.' An' Ah tek de

chile away frum him an' tek her inter her room an' wash her face.

An' Ah hear dem talkin' an' it lak ter tuhn mah blood cole, whut

dey say. Miss Scarlett wuz callin' him a mudderer fer lettin' her

try ter jump dat high, an' him sayin' Miss Scarlett hadn' never

keered nuthin' 'bout Miss Bonnie nor none of her chillun. . . ."

"Stop, Mammy! Don't tell me any more. It isn't right for you to

tell me this!" cried Melanie, her mind shrinking away from the

picture Mammy's words evoked.

"Ah knows Ah got no bizness tellin' you, but mah heart too full ter

know jes' whut not ter say. Den he tuck her ter de unnertaker's

hisseff an' he bring her back an' he put her in her baid in his

room. An' w'en Miss Scarlett say she b'long in de pahlor in de

coffin, Ah thought Mist' Rhett gwine hit her. An' he say, right

cole lak: 'She b'long in mah room.' An' he tuhn ter me an' he

say: 'Mammy, you see dat she stay right hyah tell Ah gits back.'

Den he light outer de house on de hawse an' he wuz gone tell 'bout

sundown. W'en he come t'arin' home, Ah seed dat he'd been drinkin'

an' drinkin' heavy, but he wuz cahyin' it well's usual. He fling