Ill she's been. When she gets back from Tara she will start again

hammer and tongs with the store and those mills which I wish

devoutly would explode some night. I fear for her health, Miss

Melly."

"Yes, she does far too much. You must make her stop and take care

of herself."

He laughed.

"You know how headstrong she is. I never even try to argue with

her. She's just like a willful child. She won't let me help her--

she won't let anyone help her. I've tried to get her to sell her

share in the mills but she won't. And now, Miss Melly, I come to

the business matter. I know Scarlett would sell the remainder of

her interest in the mills to Mr. Wilkes but to no one else, and I

want Mr. Wilkes to buy her out."

"Oh, dear me! That would be nice but--" Melanie stopped and bit

her lip. She could not mention money matters to an outsider.

Somehow, despite what he made from the mill, she and Ashley never

seemed to have enough money. It worried her that they saved so

little. She did not know where the money went. Ashley gave her

enough to run the house on, but when it came to extra expenses they

were often pinched. Of course, her doctors bills were so much, and

then the books and furniture Ashley ordered from New York did run

Into money. And they had fed and clothed any number of waifs who

slept in their cellar. And Ashley never felt like refusing a loan

to any man who'd been in the Confederate Army. And--

"Miss Melly, I want to lend you the money," said Rhett.

"That's so kind of you, but we might never repay it."

"I don't want it repaid. Don't be angry with me, Miss Melly! Please

hear me through. It will repay me enough to know that Scarlett will

not be exhausting herself driving miles to the mills every day. The

store will be enough to keep her busy and happy. . . . Don't you

see?"

"Well--yes--" said Melanie uncertainly.

"You want your boy to have a pony don't you? And want him to go to

the university and to Harvard and to Europe on a Grand Tour?"

"Oh, of course," cried Melanie, her face lighting up, as always, at

the mention of Beau. "I want him to have everything but--well,

everyone is so poor these days that--"

"Mr. Wilkes could make a pile of money out of the mills some day,"

said Rhett. "And I'd like to see Beau have all the advantages he

deserves."

"Oh, Captain Butler, what a crafty wretch you are!" she cried,

smiling. "Appealing to a mother's pride! I can read you like a

book."

"I hope not," said Rhett, and for the first time there was a gleam

In his eye. "Now will you let me lend you the money?"

"But where does the deception come in?"

"We must be conspirators and deceive both Scarlett and Mr. Wilkes."

"Oh, dear! I couldn't!"

"If Scarlett knew I had plotted behind her back, even for her own

good--well, you know her temper! And I'm afraid Mr. Wilkes would

refuse any loan I offered him. So neither of them must know where

the money comes from."

"Oh, but I'm sure Mr. Wilkes wouldn't refuse, if he understood the

matter. He is so fond of Scarlett."

"Yes, I'm sure he is," said Rhett smoothly. "But just the same he

would refuse. You know how proud all the Wilkes are."

"Oh, dear!" cried Melanie miserably, "I wish-- Really, Captain

Butler, I couldn't deceive my husband."

"Not even to help Scarlett?" Rhett looked very hurt. "And she is

so fond of you!"

Tears trembled on Melanie's eyelids.

"You know I'd do anything in the world for her. I can never, never

half repay her for what she's done for me. You know."

"Yes," he said shortly, "I know what she's done for you. Couldn't

you tell Mr. Wilkes that the money was left you in the will of some

relative?"

"Oh, Captain Butler, I haven't a relative with a penny to bless

him!"

"Then, if I sent the money through the mail to Mr. Wilkes without

his knowing who sent it, would you see that it was used to buy the

mills and not--well, given away to destitute ex-Confederates?"

At first she looked hurt at his last words, as though they implied

criticism of Ashley, but he smiled so understandingly she smiled

back.

"Of course I will."

"So it's settled? It's to be our secret?"

"But I have never kept anything secret from my husband!"

"I'm sure of that, Miss Melly."

As she looked at him she thought how right she had always been

about him and how wrong so many other people were. People had said

he was brutal and sneering and bad mannered and even dishonest.

Though many of the nicest people were now admitting they had been

wrong. Well! She had known from the very beginning that he was a

fine man. She had never received from him anything but the kindest

treatment, thoughtfulness, utter respect and what understanding!

And then, how he loved Scarlett! How sweet of him to take this

roundabout way of sparing Scarlett one of the loads she carried!

In an impulsive rush of feeling, she said: "Scarlett's lucky to

have a husband who's so nice to her!"

"You think so? I'm afraid she wouldn't agree with you, if she

could hear you. Besides, I want to be nice to you too, Miss Melly.

I'm giving you more than I'm giving Scarlett."

"Me!" she questioned, puzzled. "Oh, you mean for Beau."

He picked up his hat and rose. He stood for a moment looking down

at the plain, heart-shaped face with its long widow's peak and

serious dark eyes. Such an unworldly face, a face with no defenses

against life.

"No, not Beau. I'm trying to give you something more than Beau, if

you can imagine that."

"No, I can't," she said, bewildered again. "There's nothing in the

world more precious to me than Beau except Ash--except Mr. Wilkes."

Rhett said nothing and looked down at her, his dark face still.

"You're mighty nice to want to do things for me, Captain Butler,

but really, I'm so lucky. I have everything in the world any woman

could want."

"That's fine," said Rhett, suddenly grim. "And I intend to see

that you keep them."

When Scarlett came back from Tara, the unhealthy pallor had gone

from her face and her cheeks were rounded and faintly pink. Her

green eyes were alert and sparkling again, and she laughed aloud

for the first time in weeks when Rhett and Bonnie met her and Wade

and Ella at the depot--laughed in annoyance and amusement. Rhett

had two straggling turkey feathers in the brim of his hat and

Bonnie, dressed in a sadly torn dress that was her Sunday frock,

had diagonal lines of indigo blue on her cheeks and a peacock

feather half as long as she was in her curls. Evidently a game of