〈接续〉
自从那次集会以后，斯图尔特在印第亚面前就不自在了。这倒并不是因为他如此轻率地移情别恋，受到了印第亚的指责，她就连眼神里、动作中都没有流露过一丝的责怪。她太有教养了。可是斯图尔特跟她在一起总感到内疚和不安。他明白是他让印第亚爱上了自己，他也明白印第亚到现在还爱着他，他心里深深感到自己这事做得不够君子。他依旧十分喜欢她，敬重她那种沉稳的教养、学识和她具备的所有优点。但是，真见鬼，她老是那么淡而无味，使人兴趣索然，而且一成不变。而斯佳丽却活泼开朗，具有不断变化的魅力。跟印第亚在一起，你忘不了自己身在何处，而跟斯佳丽在一起，你会把这事忘到九霄云外。对于一个男人来说，这足够教他心猿意马了，不过这种感觉确有魅力。
“好了，咱们去凯德·卡尔弗特家吃晚饭吧。斯佳丽说凯瑟琳从查尔斯顿回来了。也许她会有些关于苏姆特堡的消息，我们一直没有听到过那里的消息。”
“凯瑟琳不行。我敢打赌，她连这个堡子在港口上这回事都不知道呢，更别提那里曾经住满了北佬，后来让我们用大炮全给轰跑了。她只知道她去过的那些舞会，还有她招引的那些公子哥儿。”
“嗨，听听她唠叨也挺有意思呀。再说也总算是个藏身的地方吧，等到妈妈睡了觉，咱再回家。”
“哼，见鬼！我是喜欢凯瑟琳，她的确很有意思，我也愿意听听凯罗·瑞德说话，听听查尔斯顿人聊天，但是要让我再和她那北佬后妈一块儿吃顿饭，我就不是人。”
“别对她那么狠，斯图尔特。她可是个好心人。”
“我不是对她狠，我是替她感到难过。但是，谁让我替他感到难过，我就不喜欢谁。再说，她老是大惊小怪的，老想把事情做对，好让你感觉自在，结果却总是正好说错话，做错事。一句话，她让我烦躁不安！而且她还觉得南方人都是粗鲁的野蛮人。她甚至对妈妈这么说过。她害怕南方人。只要我们去了她那儿，就见她吓得要命。她让我联想起了一只皮包骨的母鸡卧在椅子上，眼睛倒是明亮却无神，露出惊恐的神色，一见哪个人稍有动静，就会立刻狂拍翅膀，咯咯尖叫。”
Since the day of the speaking， Stuart had been unfortable in India’ that India ever reproached him or even indicated by look or gesture that she was aware of his a
uptly change was too much ofStuart felt guilty and ill at ease wit knew he had made India love him and he knew that she still loved him and， deep in his heart， he had the feeling that he had not played th still liked her tremendously and respected her for her ol good
eeding， her book learning and all the sterling qualities sh， damn it， she was just so pallid and uninteresting and always the same， beside Scarlett’s
ight and changeabl always knew where you stood with India and you never had the slightest notion wit was enough to drive a man to distraction， but it had its charm.
“Well， let’s go over to Cade Calvert’s and hav said Cathleen was home fro she’ll have some news about Fort Sumter that we haven’t heard.”
“No’ll lay you two to one she didn’t even know the fort was out there in the ha
or， much less that it was full of Yankees until we shelled the she’ll know about is the balls she went to and the beaux she llected.”
“Well， it’s fun to hear her ga
le. And it’ll be somewhere to hide out till Ma has gone to bed.”
“Well， hell! I like Cathleen and she is fun and I’d like to hear about Caro Rhett and the rest of the Charleston folks; but I’m damned if I can stand sitting through another meal with that Yankee stepmother of hers.”
“Don’t be too hard on her，means well.
“I’m not being hard o so
y for her， but I don’t like people I’ve got to feel so
she fusses around so much， trying to do the right thing and make you feel at home， that she always manages to say and do just exactly the wron gives me the fidgets! And she thinks Southerners are wild ba
even told Ma so. She’s afraid o we’re there she always looks scared t reminds me of a skinny hen perched on a chair， her eyes kind of
ight and blank and scared， all ready to flap and squawk at the slightest move anybody makes.”
以上摘自美国《飘》
以上这段文字，描述了双胞胎兄弟与Scarlett的关系。兄弟俩此前都有喜欢的女孩子的，但后来被Scarlett的魅力给吸引了过来。Scarlett的最大魅力是活力及与众不同。
美国南北战争爆发前夕的美国南方社会，男女青年之间互相爱慕恋爱是比较宽松的，男女青年之间可以自由追求。
这段文字中还提到一个美国南方和北方发生纠份的某个城堡地，许多南方青年，特别是男青年，都关心这事，也就是都关心南方和北方的关系，但许多都是人云亦云，独立思考的不多。而南方的女青年中，不少人并不关心这些。
再有，由于当时美国南方和北方越来越对立，一些与北方关联较深的但生活于南方的人，其感觉很微妙的。在人类社会，立场问题永远是个永恒话题和现实事情。