〈接续〉
她哄得他们不再谈论战争这个烦人的话题后，便兴致勃勃回到他们目前处境的话题上。
“你们俩又让人家开除回家，这事你们的母亲怎么说？”
弟兄俩立刻显得很不自在，回想起了三个月前被弗吉尼亚大学勒令退学回家后，母亲对他们的态度。
“哼，”斯图尔特说，“她倒还没有说什么，今天一早，汤姆和我们就出门了，汤姆到方丹家去了，我俩就上这儿来了。”
“你俩昨晚回家后，她说什么了吗？”
“我俩昨天晚上真是吉星高照。刚好到家前，妈妈上个月在肯塔基买的那匹种马送到了，家里一下乱成了一锅粥。那畜生又高又大——这马真棒，斯佳丽，你该叫你爸爸快去瞧瞧。送来的路上它居然就把马夫的肉咬了一块下来，还把我妈派去琼斯博罗火车站接站的两个黑小子给踢翻了。就在我们到家前，它正打算把马厩踢倒，我妈原来那匹叫草莓的老种马，也险些被它踢死。我们到家后，见妈妈正在马厩拿着一袋糖哄它吃，想让它安静下来，我妈真了不起。黑小子们躲在马厩栏杆外远远瞧着，眼睛瞪得像牛眼，提心吊胆怕得要命，可我妈却心平气和，对那匹马说话，好像它是个人一样，妈妈还让它从自己手里吃东西，妈妈驯马的办法真是谁都比不了。她一见我们就说：‘天哪，你们四个怎么又回家来了？你们真比埃及的祸水还要坏！’这时，那马又是喷鼻子又是抬起前腿，她便说：‘快滚吧！难道你们看不出这大宝贝不开心吗？明天早上我再跟你们四个算账！’于是我们就去睡觉了，今天一早她还没来得及抓住我们，我们便溜之大吉，只留下博伊德一个人对付她。”
“你觉得她会打博伊德吗？”斯佳丽像县里其他人一样，怎么也看不惯又瘦又小的塔尔顿太太对她早已长大成人的儿子们的教训方式，她甚至有时候还用马鞭抽打他们。
Having maneuvered them away from the boring subject of war， she went back with interest to their immediate situation.
“What did your mother say about you two being expelled again?”
The boys looked unfortable， recalling their mother’s nduct three months ago when they had e home， by request， from the University of Virginia.
“Well，” said Stuart，“she hasn’t had a chance to say anythin and us left home early this morning before she got up， and Tom’s laying out over at the Fontaines’ while we came over here.”
“Didn’t she say anything when you got home last night?”
“We were in luck las before we got home that new stallion Ma got in Kentucky last month was
ought in， and the place was inbig
ute—he’s a grand horse， Scarlett; you must tell your pa to e over and see him right away—he’d already bitten a hunk out of his groom on the way down here and he’d trampled two of Ma’s darkies who met the train a just before we got home， he’d about kicked the stable down and half-killed Strawbe
y， Ma’s ol we got home， Ma was out in the stable with a sackful of sugar smoothing him down and doing it mighty well， too. The darkies were hanging from the rafters， popeyed， they were so scared， but Ma was talking to the horse like he was folks and he was eating out of he ain’t nobody like Ma withwhen she saw us she said:‘In Heaven’s name， what are you four doing home again? You’re worse than the plagues of Egypt!’ And then the horse began snorting and rearing and she said:‘Get out of here! Can’t you see he’s nervous， the big darling? I’ll tend to you four in the morning!’ So we went to bed， and this morning we got away before she uld catch us and left Boyd to handle her.”
“Do you suppose she’ll hit Boyd?” Scarlett， like the rest of the unty， uld never get used to the way smal bullied her grown sons and laid her riding crop on their backs if the occasion seemed to wa
ant it.
以上摘自美国《飘》
SCARLETT不愿意谈论战争，愿意谈论双胞胎兄弟家中发生的琐事，琐事一般只发生于和平年代，也说明了SCARLETT骨子里特喜爱和平。
关于这双胞胎兄弟因不学无术而被学校不止一次开除，SCARLETT对此持完全地站队双胞胎兄弟的立场，对于双胎胎兄弟的母亲对于他们的管教，却持完全否定态度。这也说明，SCARLETT也是不学无术之类，但原著后文中SCARLETT表现出的睿智、勇敢、忠诚、骨子里的诚信和干啥象啥的特质，说明学习的含义不仅限于书本，另一方面也说明，聪明是天定的。
这一节还提到了双胞胎兄弟的母亲对于烈马的驯服手段。人与动物的关系，征服与被征服，方法技巧丰富。但双胞胎母亲征服不了她的宝贝儿子们，即使用马鞭抽打也无效。
双胞胎兄弟遭遇其母亲因恨铁不钢的抽打而并不还手，而是躲着其母亲，其母亲够威严，这是人世间人与人关系的爱恨复杂性。
SCARLETT的不满意可以让双胞胎兄弟闭嘴谈论战争，这也是一种驯服，也是人与人复杂关系的形态之一。
〈待续〉