"Then at last we are agreed on something. What about a white stucco with wrought-iron work like these Creole houses here?"
"Oh, no, Rhett. Not anything old fashioned like these New Orleans houses. I know just what I want. It's the newest thing because I saw a picture of it in--let me see--it was in that Harper's Weekly I was looking at. It was modeled after a Swiss chalet."
"A Swiss what?"
"A chalet."
"Spell it."
She complied.
"Oh," he said and stroked his mustache.
"It was lovely. It had a high mansard roof with a picket fence on top and a tower made of fancy shingles at each end. And the towers had windows with red and blue glass in them. It was so stylish looking."
"I suppose it had jigsaw work on the porch banisters?"
"Yes."
"And a fringe of wooden scrollwork hanging from the roof of the porch?"
"Yes. You must have seen one like it."
"I have--but not in Switzerland. The Swiss are a very intelligent race and keenly alive to architectural beauty. Do you really want a house like that?"
"Oh, yes!"
"I had hoped that association with me might Improve your taste. Why not a Creole house or a Colonial with six white columns?"
"I tell you I don't want anything tacky and old-fashioned looking. And inside let's have red wall paper and red velvet portieres over all the folding doors and oh, lots of expensive walnut furniture and grand thick carpets and--oh, Rhett, everybody will be pea green when they see our house!"
"It is very necessary that everyone shall be envious? Well, if you like they shall be green.
But Scarlett, has it occurred to you that it's hardly in good taste to furnish the house on so lavish a scale when everyone is so poor?"
"I want it that way," she said obstinately. "I want to make everybody who's been mean to me feel bad. And we'll give big receptions that'll make the whole town wish they hadn't said such nasty things."
"But who will come to our receptions?"
"Why, everybody, of course."
"I doubt it. The Old Guard dies but it never surrenders."
"Oh, Rhett, how you run on! If you've got money, people always like you."
"Not Southerners. It's harder for speculators' money to get into the best parlors than for the camel to go through the needle's eye. And as for Scalawags--that's you and me, my pet--we'll be lucky if we aren't spit upon. But if you'd like to try, I'll back you, my dear, and I'm sure I shall enjoy your campaign intensely. And while we are on the subject of money, let me make this clear to you. You can have all the cash you want for the house and all you want for your fal-lals. And if you like jewelry, you can have it but I'm going to pick it out. You have such execrable taste, my pet. And anything you want for Wade or Ella. And if Will Benteen can't make a go of the cotton, I'm willing to chip in and help out on that white elephant in Clayton County that you love so much. That's fair enough, isn't it?"
"Of course. You're very generous."
"But listen closely. Not one cent for the store and not one cent for that kindling factory of yours."
"Oh," said Scarlett, her face falling. All during the honeymoon she had been thinking how she could bring up the subject of the thousand dollars she needed to buy fifty feet more of land to enlarge her lumber yard.
"I thought you always bragged about being broad minded and not caring what people said about my running a business, and you're just like every other man--so afraid people will say I wear the pants in the family."
"There's never going to be any doubt in anybody's mind about who wears the pants in the Butler family," drawled Rhett. "I don't care what fools say. In fact, I'm ill bred enough to be proud of having a smart wife. I want you to keep on running the store and the mills. They are your children's. When Wade grows up he won't feel right about being supported by his stepfather, and then he can take over the management. But not one cent of mine goes into either business."
"Why?"
"Because I don't care to contribute to the support of Ashley Wilkes."
"Are you going to begin that again?"
"No. But you asked my reasons and I have given them. And another thing. Don't think you can juggle books on me and lie about how much your clothes cost and how much it takes to run the house, so that you can use the money to buy more mules or another mill for Ashley. I intend to look over and carefully check your expenditures and I know what things cost. Oh, don't get insulted. You'd do it. I wouldn't put it beyond you. In fact, I wouldn't put anything beyond you where either Tara or Ashley is concerned. I don't mind Tara. But I must draw the line at Ashley. I'm riding you with a slack rein, my pet, but don't forget that I'm riding with curb and spurs just the same."