“Ashley，how could you refuse her？And after all she's done for us！How ungrateful you make us appear！And she so helpless now with the bab—How unchivalrous of you！She helped us when we needed help and now you deny her when she needs you！”
Scarlett peeped slyly at Ashley and saw surprise and uncertainty plain in his face as he looked into Melanie's dark indignant eyes.Scarlett was surprised，too，at the vigor of Melanie's attack，for she knew Melanie considered her husband beyond wifely reproaches and thought his decisions second only to God's.
“Melanie ...”he began and then threw out his hands helplessly.
“Ashley，how can you hesitate？Think what she's done for us—for me！I'd have died in Atlanta when Beau came if it hadn't been for her！And she—yes，she killed a Yankee，defending us.Did you know that？She killed a man for us.And she worked and slaved before you and Will came home，just to keep food in our mouths.And when I think of her plowing and picking cotton，I could just—Oh，my darling！”And she swooped her head and kissed Scarlett's tumbled hair in fierce loyalty.“And now the first time she asks us to do something for her—”
“You don't need to tell me what she has done for us.”
“And Ashley，just think！Besides helping her，just think what it'll mean for us to live in Atlanta among our own people and not have to live with Yankees！There'll be Auntie and Uncle Henry and all our friends，and Beau can have lots of playmates and go to school.If we went North，we couldn't let him go to school and associate with Yankee children and have pickaninnies in his class！We'd have to have a governess and I don't see how we'd afford—”
“Melanie，”said Ashley and his voice was deadly quiet，“do you really want to go to Atlanta so badly？You never said so when we talked about going to New York.You never intimated—”
“Oh，but when we talked about going to New York，I thought there was nothing for you in Atlanta and，besides，it wasn't my place to say anything.It's a wife's duty to go where her husband goes.But now that Scarlett needs us so and has a position that only you can fill we can go home！Home！”Her voice was rapturous as she squeezed Scarlett.“And I'll see Five Points again and Peachtree road and—and—Oh，how I've missed them all！And maybe we could have a little home of our own！I wouldn't care how little and tacky it was but—a home of our own！”
Her eyes blazed with enthusiasm and happiness and the two stared at her，Ashley with a queer stunned look，Scarlett with surprise mingled with shame.It had never occurred to her that Melanie missed Atlanta so much and longed to be back，longed for a home of her own.She had seemed so contented at Tara it came to Scarlett as a shock that she was homesick.
“Oh，Scarlett，how good of you to plan all this for us！You knew how I longed for home！”
As usual when confronted by Melanie's habit of attributing worthy motives where no worth existed，Scarlett was ashamed and irritated，and suddenly she could not meet either Ashley's or Melanie's eyes.
“We could get a little house of our own.Do you realize that we've been married five years and never had a home？”
“You can stay with us at Aunt Pitty's.That's your home，”mumbled Scarlett，toying with a pillow and keeping her eyes down to hide dawning triumph in them as she felt the tide turning her way.
“No，but thank you just the same，darling.That would crowd us so.We'll get us a house—Oh，Ashley，do say Yes！”
“Scarlett，”said Ashley and his voice was toneless，“look at me.”
Startled，she looked up and met gray eyes that were bitter and full of tired futility.
“Scarlett，I will come to Atlanta I cannot fight you both.”
He turned and walked out of the room.Some of the triumph in her heart was dulled by a nagging fear.The look in his eyes when he spoke had been the same as when he said he would be lost forever if he came to Atlanta.
After Suellen and Will married and Carreen went off to Charleston to the convent，Ashley，Melanie and Beau came to Atlanta，bringing Dilcey with them to cook and nurse.Prissy and Pork were left at Tara until such a time as Will could get other darkies to help him in the fields and then they，too，would come to town.
The little brick house that Ashley took for his family was on Ivy Street directly behind Aunt Pitty's house and the two back yards ran together，divided only by a ragged overgrown privet hedge.Melanie had chosen it especially for this reason.She said，on the first morning of her return to Atlanta as she laughed and cried and embraced Scarlett and Aunt Pitty，she had been separated from her loved ones for so long that she could never be close enough to them again.
The house had originally been two stories high but the upper floor had been destroyed by shells during the siege and the owner，returning after the surrender，had lacked the money to replace it.He had contented himself with putting a flat roof on the remaining first floor which gave the building the squat，disproportionate look of a child's playhouse built of shoe boxes.The house was high from the ground，built over a large cellar，and the long sweeping flight of stairs which reached it made it look slightly ridiculous.But the flat，squashed look of the place was partly redeemed by the two fine old oaks which shaded it and a dusty-leaved magnolia，splotched with white blossoms，standing beside the front steps.The lawn was wide and green with thick clover and bordering it was a straggling，unkempt privet hedge，interlaced with sweet-smelling honeysuckle vines.Here and there in the grass，roses threw out sprangles from crushed old stems and pink and white crêpe myrtle bloomed as valiantly as if war had not passed over their heads and Yankee horses gnawed their boughs.
Scarlett thought it quite the ugliest dwelling she had ever seen but，to Melanie，Twelve Oaks in all its grandeur had not been more beautiful.It was home and she and Ashley and Beau were at last together under their own roof.
