— But, Ashley, what are you afraid of?
— Mostly of having life suddenly become too real.
I do mind, very much, the loss of the beauty of the old life I loved. And I am fitted for nothing in this world, for the world I belonged in has gone. When the war came, life as it really is thrust itself against me. I saw my boyhood friends blown to bits and heard dying horses scream and learned the sickeningly horrible feeling of seeing men crumple up and spit blood when I shot them. Scarlett, before the war, life was beautiful.
And now it is gone and I am out of place in this new life, and I am afraid.
— Please, don't go! You can't leave, please. I'll never forgive you!
— I'm not asking you to forgive me. I'll never forgive myself. If a bullet gets me, I'll laugh at myself for being an idiot. Thereis one thing I do know, and that is I love you, Scarlett. Inspite of you and meand the world going to pieces, I love you. Because we're alike. Bad lots, both of us. Selfish and shrewd, but able to look things in the eye and call them by name.
— You know I'm sorry for you, Scarlett.
— Sorry for me?
— Yes, sorry for you because you throw away hapiness with both hands and reach out for something that'll never make you happy.
— I don't know what you're talking about.
— If you were free and Melly were dead and you had you precious Ashley, do you think you'd be happy with him? You'd never know him, never even understand his mind... anymore than you understand anything, except money.
Scarlett, look at me. I love you more, than I've ever loved any woman. And I've waited longer for you than any woman. A soldier of the South loves you. Wants your arms around him. Wants to carry the memory of your kisses into battle. Never mind about loving me. You're a woman sending a soldier to his death with a beautiful memory. Scarlett, kiss me.
Ashley, you should've told me years ago that you loved her and not me. And not left me dangling with your talk of honor. But you had to wait till now, now when Melly's dying... to show me that I could never mean any more to you than this Watling woman does to Rhett. And I've loved something that doesn't really exist. But somehow... I don't care. Somehow it doesn't matter! It doesn't matter one bit.
There was a land of Cavaliers and Cotton fields called the Old South...
Here in this pretty world Gallantry took it's last bow. Here was the last ever to be seen of Khights and their Ladies Fair, of Master and of Slave...
Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered.
A Civilization gone with the wind...
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