Chapter 11 Summary

A week later, Scarlett returns home from the hospital exhausted from her nursing duties and frustrated after being lectured by Mrs. Merriweather for sitting on a soldier's bedside. Scarlett asks Melanie and Aunt Pittypat to excuse her from doing their regular calling, and heads upstairs.

After everyone leaves, she sneaks into Melanie's room to read the most recent letter from Ashley. Though Melanie often shares portions of the letters with Scarlett and Aunt Pitty, the parts that Melanie keeps to herself raises Scarlett's curiosity too much to bear. Therefore, Scarlett had taken to periodically sneaking into Melanie's room to read the letters. For a brief moment, Scarlett feels guilty about what her mother might think, but her curiosity is too strong.

Scarlett reads over the letter from Ashley. It is mostly questions about why the South is fighting, and there is much wondering...