How It All Goes Down
- After night passes, they wake up and go on with the journey.
- They get to a neighbor's plantation, but it's deserted.
- Prissy is largely useless, worrying about ghosts and generally whining, so Scarlett curses at her and even beats her. It seems like we're supposed to think this is justified.
- Melanie is very sick and can barely move, and she doesn't have milk, so her baby can't eat.
- But finally they get to Tara. The family is there, but Ellen has died of typhoid.
- Pork, Gerald's servant, tells her that some of the slaves have run away; Pork calls them "trashy." The Yankees have taken most of the food, but Scarlett gets Pork to dig up yams and she remembers where some whisky is hidden as well.
- Gerald explains that the house was left standing because the Yankees used it as a headquarters.
- There was a Yankee captain who agreed not to burn the house since there were sick women inside; he helped care for Scarlett's sisters as well.
- Scarlett gets her father drunk so he'll go to sleep, and drinks a good bit herself.
- Dilcey is still there, and feeds Melanie's baby.
- Mammy comes, and Scarlett is relieved to see her and at the same time compares her to a monkey, because even in the most extreme of trials, she can't put down her racism for even a moment.
- Mammy tells Scarlett about Ellen, who apparently caught typhoid fever while caring for the Slatterys.
- Mammy says that Ellen died calling Philippe's name.
- Scarlett decides she will persevere and keep Tara and protect everyone—she's all grown up now, after her trial.