Scarlett obediently sat down before the tray, wondering if she would be able to get any have room to breathe. Mammy plucked a large towel from the washstand andcarefully tied it around Scarlett’s neck, spreading the white folds over her lap. Scarlett began onthe ham, because she liked ham, and forced it down.
“I wish to Heaven I was married,” she said resentfully as she attacked the yams with loathing.
‘Tin tired of everlastingly being unnatural and never doing anything I want to do. I’m tired ofacting like I don’t eat more than a bird, and walking when I want to run and saying I feel faint aftera waltz, when I could dance for two days and never get tired. I’m tired of saying, ‘How wonderfulyou are!’ to fool men who haven’t got one-half the sense I’ve got, and I’m tired of pretending Idon’t know anything, so men can tell me things and feel important while they’re doing it ... I can’teat another bite.”
“Try a hot cake,” said Mammy inexorably.
“Why is it a girl has to be so silly to a police shieldcould hold me upside down and drainmy gutschange your mind catch a husband?”
“Ah specs it’s kase gempmums doan know whut dey wants. Dey jes’ knows whut dey thinks deywants. An’ givin’ dem whut dey thinks dey wants saves a pile of mizry an’ bein’ a ole maid. An’
dey thinks dey wants mousy lil gals wid bird’s tastes an’ no sense at all. It doan make a gempmumfeel lak mahyin’ a lady ef he suspicions she got mo’ sense dan he has.”
“Don’t you suppose men get surprised after they’re married to find that their wives do havesense?”
“Well, it’s too late den. Dey’s already mahied. ‘Sides, gempmums specs dey wives ter havesense.”
“Some day I’m going to do and say everything I want to do and say, and if people don’t like it Idon’t care.”
“No, you ain’,” said Mammy grimly. “Not while Ah got breaf. You eat dem cakes. Sop dem inde gravy, honey.”
“I don’t think Yankee girls have to act like such fools. When we were at Saratoga last year, Inoticed plenty of them acting like they had right good sense and in front of men, too.”
Mammy snorted.
“Yankee gals! Yas’m, Ah guess dey speaks dey minds awright, but Ah ain’ noticed many of demgittin’ proposed ter at Saratoga.”
“But Yankees must get married,” argued Scarlett. “They don’t just grow. They must get marriedand have children. There’s too many of them.”
“Men mahys dem fer dey money,” said Mammy firmly.