How It All Goes Down
- Scarlett is upset that she's missing a party, and starts crying about it.
- Pittypat and Melly think she's crying for Charlie, though of course she doesn't care about Charlie at all.
- Basically Scarlett's whole life and everything she says and does is a lie. That doesn't seem like it can turn out well.
- Mrs. Merriwether and Mrs. Elsing come and say that Scarlett and Melanie are needed to help at the party for the soldiers even though they're in mourning.
- Scarlett pretends it's a sacrifice to go out, and Melanie agrees to come along.
- They go to the party and Scarlett is happy, though she still wishes she could dance.
- She suddenly realizes she doesn't actually care about the Southern Cause at all; instead she's jealous that she's a widow and isn't allowed to go out and dance and flirt.
- She's still only seventeen, remember.
- Eventually Rhett comes in and sees her and realizes she wants to dance. He looks at her boldly, because he's that kind of romantic hero.
- Rhett seems to admire Melanie's courage in suffering while her husband is away; he knows Scarlett didn't love her husband, and teases her about it obliquely.
- Dr. Meade gets up and asks the women of the Confederacy to give away their jewelry to sell to raise money for the troops.
- Scarlett gives away her wedding ring because she doesn't care about Charles anyway, and Melanie gives away hers because she is so brave.
- More bantering from Rhett to show how truthful and unconventional and attractively unprincipled he is.
- He is a blockade runner, which means people think he's bravely dodging Yankees, but mostly he just bribes folks.
- Dr. Meade scandalously arranges an auction for dancers so that the men will bid and give money to the Confederacy.
- Rhett bargains for Scarlett, so she gets to dance; everyone thinks she's brave and doing it to get money for the Confederacy, but she just wants to dance.
- People are still scandalized.