Mrs. Merriweather nodded wisely. Her voice soared over the clink of coffee cups and the soft bovine sounds of the ladies munching their dainties. Gertrude, she said, I tell you there are some good but misguided people in this town. Good, but misguided. Folks in this town who think theyre doing right, I mean. Now far be it from me to say who, but some of em in this town thought they were doing the right thing a while back, but all they did was stir em up. Thats all they did. Mightve looked like the right thing to do at the time, Im sure I dont know, Im not read in that field, but sulky . . . dissatisfied . . . I tell you if my Sophyd kept it up another day Id have let her go. Its never entered that wool of hers that the only reason I keep her is because this depressions on and she needs her dollar and a quarter every week she can get it.

His food doesnt stick going down, does it?

Miss Maudie said it. Two tight lines had appeared at the corners of her mouth. She had been sitting silently beside me, her coffee cup balanced on one knee. I had lost the thread of conversation long ago, when they quit talking about Tom Robinsons wife, and had contented myself with thinking of Finchs Landing and the river. Aunt Alexandra had got it backwards: the business part of the meeting was blood-curdling, the social hour was dreary.

Maudie, Im sure I dont know what you mean, said Mrs. Merriweather.

Im sure you do, Miss Maudie said shortly.

She said no more. When Miss Maudie was angry her brevity was icy. Something had made her deeply angry, and her gray eyes were as cold as her voice. Mrs. Merriweather reddened, glanced at me, and looked away. I could not see Mrs. Farrow.

Aunt Alexandra got up from the table and swiftly passed more refreshments, neatly engaging Mrs. Merriweather and Mrs. Gates in brisk conversation. When she had them well on the road with Mrs. Perkins, Aunt Alexandra stepped back. She gave Miss Maudie a look of pure gratitude, and I wondered at the world of women. Miss Maudie and Aunt Alexandra had never been especially close, and here was Aunty silently thanking her for something. For what, I knew not. I was content to learn that Aunt Alexandra could be pierced sufficiently to feel gratitude for help given. There was no doubt about it, I must soon enter this world, where on its surface fragrant ladies rocked slowly, fanned gently, and drank cool water.

But I was more at home in my fathers world. People like Mr. Heck Tate did not trap you with innocent questions to make fun of you; even Jem was not highly critical unless you said something stupid. Ladies seemed to live in faint horror of men, seemed unwilling to approve wholeheartedly of them. But I liked them. There was something about them, no matter how much they cussed and drank and gambled and chewed; no matter how undelectable they were, there was something about them that I instinctively liked . . . they werent

Hypocrites, Mrs. Perkins, born hypocrites, Mrs. Merriweather was saying. At least we dont have that sin on our shoulders down here. People up there set em free, but you dont see em settin at the table with em. At least we dont have the deceit to say to em yes youre as good as we are but stay away from us. Down here we just say you live your way and well live ours. I think that woman, that Mrs. Roosevelts lost her mindjust plain lost her mind coming down to Birmingham and tryin to sit with em. If I was the Mayor of Birmingham Id

Well, neither of us was the Mayor of Birmingham, but I wished I was the Governor of Alabama for one day: Id let Tom Robinson go so quick the Missionary Society wouldnt have time to catch its breath. Calpurnia was telling Miss Rachels cook the other day how bad Tom was taking things and she didnt stop talking when I came into the kitchen. She said there wasnt a thing Atticus could do to make being shut up easier for him, that the last thing he said to Atticus before they took him down to the prison camp was, Good-bye, Mr. Finch, there aint nothin you can do now, so there aint no use tryin. Calpurnia said Atticus told her that the day they took Tom to prison he just gave up hope. She said Atticus tried to explain things to him, and that he must do his best not to lose hope because Atticus was doing his best to get him free. Miss Rachels cook asked Calpurnia why didnt Atticus just say yes, youll go free, and leave it at thatseemed like thatd be a big comfort to Tom. Calpurnia said, Because you aint familiar with the law. First thing you learn when youre in a lawin family is that there aint any definite answers to anything. Mr. Finch couldnt say somethins so when he doesnt know for sure its so.