Scarlett's mind went back through the years to the still hot noon at Tara when grey smoke curled above a blue-clad body and Melanie stood at the top of the stairs with Charles' sabre in her hand. Scarlett remembered that she had thought at the time: 'How silly! Melly couldn't even heft that sword!' But now she knew that had the necessity arisen, Melanie would have charged down those stairs and killed the Yankee - or been killed herself.

I was right when I said I'd never look back. It hurts too much, it drags at your heart till you can't ever do anything else except look back.

All you have done is to be different from other women and you have made a little success of it. This is unforgivable sin in any society. The mere fact that you have succeed to run the mill is an insult to everyman who hasn't succeed.

God help the man who ever really loves you.

Babies, babies, babies. Why did God make so many babies? But no, God didn't make them. Stupid people made them.

It had been so long since she had seen him and she had lived on memories until they were worn thin.

Death, taxes and childbirth! There's never any convenient time for any of them.