第二章 思嘉初识白瑞德
（中午，绅士们聚集在楼下的大厅里，谈论战争。）
奥哈拉：我们已经受够了讨厌的北佬的气了。现在我们该让他们知道不管他们批不批准，我们都要有奴隶制。如果想让奴隶制脱离佐治亚州，也就是让佐治亚州脱离联邦。
男：对！
奥哈拉：我们南方人也该用武力表现一下自己了。我们在萨默特堡和北方流氓开过火。我们必须打下去，没别的办法。
男1：打，对。打！
男2：让北佬来求和吧。
男3：现在形势很简单。北方伦不懂作战，我们懂。
全体：你说得对！
男：我也这么想，他们每一战都只会扭头就跑。 男1：一个南方人就可对付二十个北方佬。
男二一场战役便可以把他们全收拾了。邪恶不会战胜正义。
男3：对，邪恶不会战胜正义。
奥哈拉：我们的队长怎么看的？
希礼：各位，如果佐治亚州参战。我会为她而战！但象我父亲一样，我希望北方人会让我们和平地独立。
男1：但是希礼……
男2：希礼，他们侮辱了我们。
男3：你不是说你想逃避吧。
希礼：世界上绝大多数痛苦都由战争引起。但是战争一结束，
往往又没人知道当初是为何而战。
奥哈拉：诸位，我听说巴特勒先生曾经北上，巴特勒先生，你同意我的意见吗？
瑞德·巴特勒：各位，我认为纸上谈兵没什么作用。
查尔斯：先生，你这是什么意思？
瑞德：汉密尔顿先生，我的意思是南方根本没有火炮厂。
男：但这个对君子来讲又有什么分别？
瑞德：恐怕这会对许多君子意味着很大的不同。
查尔斯：你是否是想暗示北佬会打赢我们？
瑞德：不，我并不是在暗示。我是在明白地讲，北佬的装备 比我们好，他们有工厂、船坞、煤矿和足以封锁我们的港口，把我们全饿死的舰队。而我们有的只是棉花、黑奴，以及自大。
男：简直是叛逆。
查尔斯：我不想再听任何反叛的言论。
瑞德：如果事实令您不快，我向你道歉。
查尔斯：光道歉可不够，先生。听说你是从西点军校被驱逐的，巴特勒先生。在查尔斯顿，没有一个体面的家庭肯接受你，即使自己家也不例外。
瑞德：我为我所有的缺点再次向您道歉。威尔克斯先生，我可不可以四处走走，参观一下您的家。我似乎在破坏各位对白兰地、雪茄的兴趣，以及…·对胜利的梦想。（瑞德离开大厅。）
男：这就是象瑞德·巴特勒这种人的行事。
奥哈拉：你应该直接叫他出去。
查尔斯：他不敢接受我的挑战。
希礼：并非如此，查尔斯。他不过是不想占你的便宜。
查尔斯：占我的便宜？
希礼：是的，他是全国几个顶尖射手之一。好几次都证明了这点。他的双手和大脑比你稳定、冷静。
查尔斯：我会让他知道厉害。
希礼：不，不，不。别这样，不要再惹他了，还有更重要的 战斗等着你呢，查尔斯。如果你们不介意……巴特勒先生是我的客人，我应该带他四处转转。
（希礼离开了大厅，原本想带瑞德四处走走。但就在这时，思嘉把他叫进了旁边的小房。）
思嘉：希礼！
希礼：思嘉，你在这儿躲谁呢？你想干什么？你为什么不和别的女孩一样在楼上休息呢？怎么？思嘉，什么秘密呀？
思嘉：噢，希礼，希礼，我爱你……
希礼：思嘉……
思嘉：我爱你，真的。
希礼：今天你取得其他所有男人的心这还不够吗？我的心总是你的。
思嘉：不要再耍弄我了。我得到你的心了吗？亲爱的？我爱你，我爱你……
希礼：你千万不要再说了。你会因为我听到这些而恨我的。
思嘉：我永远也不会恨你。我知道你一定是在乎我的，是不是？
希礼：是，我在乎。噢，我们走吧，忘掉这些吧。
思嘉：但是我们怎么能那样呢？你难道不是，难道不是想娶我吗？
希礼：我要和媚兰结婚。
思嘉：但你不能，只要你在乎我就不能。 希礼：噢，亲爱的，为什么你一定逼我说出伤害你的话呢？
我怎么才能让你明白呢？你这么小，你根本不知道什么是婚姻。
思嘉：我知道我爱你，我想做你妻子，你不爱媚兰。
希礼：她就象我一样，思嘉。她是我生命的一部分。我们相互十分理解。
思嘉：但你爱我!
希礼：我怎么能不爱你呢？你有我缺乏的生命热情。但这种爱不足以让你我如此不同的两个人成就一次成功的婚姻。
思嘉：那你怎么不说了？胆小鬼？不敢娶我，你宁可娶那个只会说"是"或"不是"的傻瓜结婚。然后生一堆她那样面青唇白的傻孩子。
希礼：请你不要这样说媚兰。
思嘉：你是谁，敢命令我？你骗我，让我相信你会娶我。
希礼：思嘉，公平点．我从来没有……
思嘉：你是这样的，没错！我恨你到死。真不知该怎么骂你！（希礼离开房间，思嘉恼怒地将一只花瓶扔向墙壁。破碎声惊动了沙发上的瑞德，他坐起身来。）
瑞德：战争开始了？
思嘉：先生，你……你应该让我们知道你在这儿 瑞德：噢，中途打断刚才那美丽的爱情剧吗？那可不理智，是不是？不过别担心．我会为你保密的。
思嘉：先生，你可真不是一个君子。
瑞德：小姐，你也不是淑女。不过我不会以此要挟你的。我对淑女从不感兴趣。
思嘉：你先是不光彩地占我的便宜，还侮辱我。
瑞德：我是想赞美你，而且我希望你从这位高尚的威尔克斯先生的魔咒下解脱后会多多见到你。在我看来，你这样的女孩，他一半也配不上。你那种，什么，生命的热情？
思嘉：你算太大胆了！你连替他擦鞋也不配！
瑞德：而你要恨他一世了。
Chapter 2 Scarlett Meeting Butler
(Noon time, the gentlemen are gathering in the downstair hall,
talking about the war.)
Mr. O'HARA: We've borne enough insults from the "meddling
Yankees. It's time we made them understand we keep our slaves with
or without their approval. Who's to stop them right from the state of
Georgia to ^secede from the Union. MAN: That's right.
Mr. O'HARA: The South must assert ourselves by force of arms.
After we fired on the Yankee rascals at Fort Sumter, we've got to fight.
There's no other way. MAN1: Fight, that's right, fight! MAN2: Let the
Yankee's be the ones to ask for peace. Mr. O'HARA: The situation is
very simple. The Yankees can't fight and we can. CHORUS: You're
right! MANS: That's what I'll think! They'll just turn and run
every time.
MAN1: One Southerner can lick twenty Yankees. MAN2: We'll
finish them in one battle. Gentlemen can always fight better than
rattle. MANS: Yes, gentlemen always fight better than rattle. Mr.
O'HARA: And what does the captain of our troop say? ASHLEY:
Well, gentlemen...if Georgia fights, I go with her. But like my father I
hope that the Yankees let us leave the Union in peace. MAN1: But
Ashley... MAN2: Ashley, they've insulted us. MANS: You can't
mean that you don't want war. ASHLEY: Most of the miseries of the
world were caused by wars. And when the wars were over, no one
ever knew what they were about.
Mr. O'HARA: Now gentlemen, Mr. Butler has been up North I hear.
Don't you agree with us, Mr. Butler? RHETT BUTLER : I think it's
hard winning a war with words, gentlemen.
CHARLES: What do you mean, sir? RHETT: I mean, Mr. Hamilton,
there's not a cannon factory in the whole South.
MAN: What difference does that make, sir, to a gentleman? RHETT:
I'm afraid it's going to make a great deal of difference to a great many
gentlemen, sir. CHARLES: Are you hinting, Mr. Butler, that the
Yankees can lick us?
RHETT: No, I'm not hinting. I'm saying very plainly that the Yankees
are better equipped than we. They've got
factories, shipyards, coalmines... and a fleet to bottle up
our habours and starve us to death. All we've got is cotton,
and slaves and ...arrogance.
MAN: That's treacherous!
CHARLES: I refuse to listen to any renegade talk!
RHETT: Well, I'm sorry if the truth offends you.
CHARLES: Apologies aren't enough sir. I hear you were
turned out of West Point Mr. Rhett Butler. And that you
aren't received in an decent family in Charleston. Not even
your own.
RHETT: I apologize again for all my shortcomings. Mr.
Wilkes,Perhaps you won't mind if I walk about and look
over your place. I seem to be spoiling everybody's brandy
and cigars and...dreams of victory.
(Rhett Butler leaves the hall.)
MAN: Well, that's just about what you could expect from
somebody like Rhett Butler.
Mr. O'HARA: You did everything but call him out.
CHARLES: He refused to fight.
ASHLEY: Not quite that Charles. He just refused to take
advantage of you.
CHARLES: Take advantage of me?
ASHLEY: Yes, he's one of the best shots the country, he's
proved a number of times, against steadier hands and
cooler heads than yours.
CHARLES: Well, I'll show him.
ASHLEY: No, no no, please, don't go tweaking his nose
anymore. You may be needed for more important fighting, Charles.
Now if you'll excuse me, Mr. Butler's our guest... I think I'll just show
him around. (Ashley leaves the hall with intention of walking Butler
around the house. But before he can do this, Scarlett calls him into a
detached room.) SCARLETT: Ashley!
ASHLEY: Scarlett...who are you hiding from here?...What are you
up to? Why aren't you upstairs resting with the other girls? What is
this, Scarlett? A secret? SCARLETT: Well, Ashley, Ashley...! love
you. ASHLEY: Scarlett... SCARLETT: I love you, I do.
ASHLEY: Well, isn't it enough that you gathered every other man's
heart today? You always had mine. You cut your teeth on it.
SCARLETT: Oh, don't tease me now. Have I your heart my darling?
I love you, I love you... ASHLEY: You mustn't say such things.
You'll hate me for hearing them.
SCARLETT: Oh, I could never hate you and, and I know you must
care about me. Oh, you do care, don't you? ASHLEY: Yes, I care. Oh
can't we go away and forget we ever said these things?
SCARLETT: But how can we do that? Don't you, don't you want to
marry me? ASHLEY: I'm going to marry Melanie. SCARLETT: But
you can't, not if you care for me.
ASHLEY: Oh my dear, why must you make me say things that will
hurt you? How can I make you understand? You're so young and I'm
thinking, you don't know what marriage means.
SCARLETT: I know I love you and I want to be your wife. You don't
love Melanie.
ASHLEY: She's like me, Scarlett. She's part of my blood, we
understand each other. SCARLETT: But you love me!
ASHLEY: How could I help loving you? You have all the passion for
life that I lack. But that kind of love isn't enough to make a successful
marriage for two people who are as different as we are.
SCARLETT: Why don't you say it, you coward? You're afraid to
marry me. You'd rather live with that silly little fool who can't open
her mouth except to say "yes", "no",and raise a houseful of mealy-
mouthed brats just like her! ASHLEY: You mustn't say things like
that about Melanie. SCARLETT: Who are you to tell me I mustn't?
You led me on, you made me believe you wanted to marry me!
ASHLEY: Now Scarlett, be fair. I never at any time... SCARLETT:
You did, it's true, you did! I'll hate you till I die! I can't think of
anything bad enough to call you... (Ashley leaves. Scarlett throws a
vase to the wall in anger. The crashing of the vase startles Rhett
Butler. He rises up from the couch in a dark corner of the room.)
RHETT: Has the war started?
SCARLETT: Sir, you...you should have made your presence known.
RHETT: In the middle of that beautiful love scene? That
wouldn't have been very tactful, would it? But don't worry.
Your secret is safe with me.
SCARLETT: Sir, you are no gentleman.
RHETT: And you miss are no lady. Don't think that I hold
that against you. Ladies have never held any charm for
me.
SCARLETT: First you take a low, common advantage of
me, then you insult me!
RHETT: I meant it as a compliment. And I hope to see
more of you when you're free of the spell of the elegant
Mr. Wilkes. He doesn't strike me as half good enough for
a girl of your...what was it...your passion for living?
SCARLETT How dare you! You aren't fit to wipe his boot!
RHETT: And you were going to hate him for the rest of
your life. |
