It sleeted the next day,but as the wintry twilight drew on the icy particles stopped falling and a cold wind blew.Wrapped in her cloak,Melanie went bewilderedly down her front walk behind a strange negro coachman who had summoned her mysteriously to a closed carriage waiting in front of the house.As she came up to the carriage the door was opened and she saw a woman in the dim interior.
Leaning closer,peering inside,Melanie questioned:“Who is it?Won't you come in the house.It's so cold—”
“Please come in here and set with me a minute,Miz Wilkes,”came a faintly familiar voice,an embarrassed voice from the depths of the carriage.
“Oh,you're Miss—Mrs.—Watling!”cried Melanie.“I did so want to see you!You must come in the house.”
“I can't do that,Miz Wilkes.”Belle Watling's voice sounded scandalized.“You come in here and set a minute with me.”
Melanie entered the carriage and the coachman closed the door behind her.She sat down beside Belle and reached for her hand.
“How can I ever thank you enough for what you did today!How can any of us thank you enough!”
“Miz Wilkes,you hadn't ought of sent me that note this mornin'.Not that I wasn't proud to have a note from you but the Yankees might of got it.And as for sayin'you was goin'to call on me to thank me—why,Miz Wilkes,you must of lost your mind!The very idea!I come up here as soon as 'twas dark to tell you you mustn't think of any sech thing.Why,I—why,you—it wouldn't be fittin'at all.”
“It wouldn't be fitting for me to call and thank a kind woman who saved my husband's life?”
“Oh,shucks,Miz Wilkes!You know what I mean!”
Melanie was silent for a moment,embarrassed by the implication.Somehow this handsome,sedately dressed woman sitting in the darkness of the carriage didn't look and talk as she imagined a bad woman,the Madam of a House,should look and talk.She sounded like—well,a little common and countrified but nice and warm hearted.
“You were wonderful before the provost marshal today,Mrs.Watling!You and the other—your—the young ladies certainly saved our men's lives.”
“Mr.Wilkes was the wonderful one.I don't know how he even stood up and told his story,much less look as cool as he done.He was sure bleedin'like a pig when I seen him last night.Is he goin'to be all right,Miz Wilkes?”
“Yes,thank you.The doctor says it's just a flesh wound,though he did lose a tremendous lot of blood.This morning he was—well,he was pretty well laced with brandy or he'd never have had the strength to go through with it all so well.But it was you,Mrs.Watling,who saved them.When you got mad and talked about the broken mirrors you sounded so—so convincing.”
“Thank you,Ma'm.But I—I thought Captain Butler done mighty fine too,”said Belle,shy pride in her voice.
“Oh,he was wonderful!”cried Melanie warmly.“The Yankees couldn't help but believe his testimony.He was so smart about the whole affair.I can never thank him enough—or you either!How good and kind you are!”
“Thank you kindly,Miz Wilkes.It was a pleasure to do it.I—I hope it ain't goin'to embarrass you none,me sayin'Mr.Wilkes come regular to my place.He never,you know—”
“Yes,I know.No,it doesn't embarrass me at all.I'm just so grateful to you.”
“I'll bet the other ladies ain't grateful to me,”said Belle with sudden venom.“And I'll bet they ain't grateful to Captain Butler neither.I'll bet they'll hate him just this much more.I'll bet you'll be the only lady who even says thanks to me.I'll bet they won't even look me in the eye when they see me on the street.But I don't care.I wouldn't of minded if all their husbands got hung.But I did mind about Mr.Wilkes.You see I ain't forgot how nice you was to me durin'the war,about the money for the hospital.There ain't never been a lady in this town nice to me like you was and I don't forget a kindness.And I thought about you bein'left a widder with a little boy if Mr.Wilkes got hung and—he's a nice little boy,your boy is,Miz Wilkes.I got a boy myself and so I—”
“Oh,you have?Does he live—er—”
“Oh,no'm!He ain't here in Atlanta.He ain't never been here.He's off at school.I ain't seen him since he was little.I—well,anyway,when Captain Butler wanted me to lie for those men I wanted to know who the men was and when I heard Mr.Wilkes was one I never hesitated.I said to my girls,I said,‘I'll whale the livin'daylights out of you all if you don't make a special point of sayin'you was with Mr.Wilkes all evenin'.’”
“Oh!”said Melanie,still more embarrassed by Belle's offhand reference to her “girls.”“Oh,that was—er—kind of you and—of them,too.”
“No more'n you deserve,”said Belle warmly.“But I wouldn't of did it for just anybody.If it had been that Miz Kennedy's husband by hisself,I wouldn't of lifted a finger,no matter what Captain Butler said.”
“Why?”
“Well,Miz Wilkes,people in my business knows a heap of things.It'd surprise and shock a heap of fine ladies if they had any notion how much we knows about them.And she ain't no good,Miz Wilkes.She kilt her husband and that nice Wellburn boy,same as if she shot them.She caused it all,prancin'about Atlanta by herself,enticin'niggers and trash.Why,not one of my girls—”
“You must not say unkind things about my sister-in-law.”Melanie stiffened coldly.
Belle put an eager placating hand on Melanie's arm and then hastily withdrew it.
“Don't freeze me,please,Miz Wilkes.I couldn't stand it after you been so kind and sweet to me.I forgot how you liked her and I'm sorry for what I said.I'm sorry about poor Mr.Kennedy bein'dead too.He was a nice man.I used to buy some of the stuff for my house from him and he always treated me pleasant.But Miz Kennedy—well,she just ain't in the same class with you,Miz Wilkes.She's a mighty cold woman and I can't help it if I think so....When are they goin'to bury Mr.Kennedy?”
“Tomorrow morning.And you are wrong about Mrs.Kennedy.Why,this very minute she's prostrated with grief.”