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To Kill a Mockingbird, pages 46 - 66 of the screenplay by Horton Foote

Author: Based on the Novel by Harper Lee

INTERIOR: FINCH KITCHEN. DAY.

Calpurnia is at the sink. Scout and Jem are eating. Dill comes in.

Jean Louise (voice over). School finally ended and summer came . .. and so did Dill.

Dill. Good mornin’.

Calpurnia. Good mornin’. My, you’re up mighty bright and early.

Dili. Oh, I’ve been up since four.

Calpurnia. Four?

Dill. Oh, yes, I always get up at four. It’s in my blood. You see, my daddy was a railroad man till he got rich. Now he flies airplanes. One of these days, he’s just goin’ to swoop down here to Maycomb, pick me up, and take me for a ride.

EXTERIOR: FINCH HOUSE. LATE AFTERNOON.

Atticus sits on the porch reading as Jem comes out with a pitcher of juice. He moves back to Atticus and puts the pitcher . on the chair beside him, then he takes a cookie from a plate on the chair. Atticus lifts his briefcase and starts putting his papers inside.yhe Sheriff's car comes by.

Jem. Who’s that in the car with Sheriff Tate?

Atticus (looking up). Tom Robinson, Son.

Jem. Where’s he been?

Atticus. In the Abbottsville jail.

Jem. Why?

Atticus. The sheriff thought he’d be safer there.

They’re bringin’ him back here tonight because his trial is tomorrow. (He gets up and goes into the house.)

INTERIOR: JEM'S ROOM. NIGHT.

In his room, Jem is lying in bed beside the sleeping Dill. He hears a knock at the screen door.

INTERIOR: LIVING ROOM. NIGHT

Atticus goes to the door and opens it Heck Tate is standing there.

Atticus. Well, good evenin’, Heck.

Tate. Evenin’, Mr. Finch.

Atticus. Come in.

Tate (coming in). The news has gotten ’round the county about my bringin’ Tom Robinson back to the jail. I heard there might be trouble from that bunch out at Old Sarum.

INTERIOR: KITCHEN. NIGHT.

Atticus goes into the kitchen to Calpurnia.

Atticus. Cal, if I need you to stay here tonight, can you do it?

Calpurnia. Yes Sir ... I can.

Atticus. Thank you. I think you better count on stayin’.

Calpurnia. Yes Sir.

(Atticus goes out Calpurnia goes back to work.)

INTERIOR: JEM'S ROOM. NIGHT.

Jem is lying in bed, still awake. Dill is asleep. Atticus comes in and gets., something from the shelf and goes out again. Jem gets out of bed and listens by the door. He gets his clothes from the closet and starts to get dressed.' Dill awakens and sits up in bed. Scout comes into the room.

Dill. What’s going on?

Jem. Sssh. Go back to sleep!

Scout. What’s going on?

Jem; Sssshhh!

(The three of them go out of the room.)

EXTERIOR: FINCH HOUSE NIGHT.

They come outside and walk down the sidewalk toward town.

EXTERIOR: TOWN SQUARE. NIGHT.

-tt is deserted and dark. The stores aroundy

tthe square are dark except for night lights burning back by the safes and cash registers.

Moving shot. The three children walk down the street by Atticus' office. They see his car parked in front of the building. They look in the doorway of the building.

It is dark. Jem tries the knob of the door. It is locked.

Jem. Hey, there’s his car.

(They walk up the sidewalk. They see a solitary light burning in the distance. It is from the jail. As they approach the jail.

they can see the long extension cord Atticus brought from the house running between the bars of the second-floor window and down the side of the building. In the light from its bare bulb they see Atticus propped against the front door. He is sitting on one of the office chairs, and he is reading a newspaper, oblivious of the night bugs hovering above his head.)

See, there he is . . . over there!

(Scout starts to run toward him.)

No, Scout... don’t go to him. He might not like it. I just wanted to see where he was and what he was up to. He’s all right. Let’s go back home. Come on.

(The children start back across the square, taking a shortcut, when they hear a noise and pause. They see four dusty cars come in from the Meridian Highway, moving slowly, in a line. They go around the square, pass the bank building, and stop in front of the jail. Nobody gets out. Atticus looks up from his newspaper, closes it, deliberately folds it drops it in his lap, and pushes his hat to the back of his head. He seems to be expecting the men. Scout, Jem, and Dill run to the cover of some bushes and hide behind them, watching.)

(In ones and twos, the men get out of the cars. They are countrymen. Walter Cunningham, Sr., is among them. They surround Atticus.)

Man. He in there, Mr. Finch?

Atticus. He is. He’s asleep. Don’t wake him.

Cunningham. You know what we want. Get aside from that door, Mr. Finch.

Atticus. Walter, I think you ought to turn right around and go back home. Heck Tate’s around here somewhere.
Kelley. No, he ain’t, Heck’s bunch" is out chasin’ around Ole Sarum lookin’ for us.

Tex. We knowed he was, so we came around the other way.

Kelley. And you hadn’t never thought about that, had you, Mr. Finch?

Atticus. I thought about it.

(The children run over to the car.)

Scout I can’t see Atticus.

(Scout darts out toward the men, Dill behind her, before Jem can reach out and grab them.)

Atticus. Well, that changes things, doesn’t it?

(Scout and Dill run, Jem behind them. They run to the men and pushthemselves through until they reach Atticus,)

Scout. Atticus!

(She smiles up at him, but when she catches the look of fear on his face, she becomes insecure. Scout looks around at the men surrounding her. Most are strangers to her.)

' Hey, Atticus ...

(Atticus gets up from his chair and begins to move slowly, like an old man, toward them.)

Atticus. Jem, go home. /Jnd take Scout and Dill home with you.

(Scout looks up at Jem. She sees he is not thinking of leaving. Jem shakes his head "no." Atticus' fists go to his hips and so do Jem's, and they face each other in defiance.)

Son, I said, “Go home!”

Jem. No Sir!

(Jem shakes his head. A burly man grabs Jem roughly by the collar.)

Man. I’ll send him home!

(The man almost yanks Jem off his feet. Atticus flushes. His fists clench; he reaches for Jem. But before he gets to him, Scout kicks the man swiftly.)

Scout. Don’t you touch him! Let ’im go! Let ’im go!

(The man falls back in pain. Atticus puts his hand on her shoulder.)

Atticus. That’ll do, Scout.

Scout Ain’t nobody gonna do Jem that-a-way.

Man (growling in the back). Now, you get ’em outta here, Mr. Finch.

Atticus. Jem, I want you to please leave.

Jem. No Sir.

Atticus. Jem!

Jem. I tell ya, I ain’t goin’!

(Scout becomes bored by this exchange; she looks back at the men. She sees a man she recognizes. She moves toward him.)

Scout. Hey, Mr. Cunningham . . .

(Walter Cunningham, Sr., does not seem to hear her.)

I said, “Hey,” Mr. Cunningham. How’s your entailment getting along?

(The man biinks and hooks his thumbs into his overall straps. He seems uncomfortable. He dears his throat and looks away. Scout walks a little closer to him.)

Don’t you remember me, Mr. Cunningham? I’m Jean Louise Finch. You brought us some hicko nuts early one morning, remember? We had a talk. I went and got my daddy to come out and thank you. I go to school with your boy. I go to school with Walter. He’s a nice boy. Tell him “hey” for me, won’t you? You know something, Mr. Cunningham, entailments are bad. Entailments ...

(Suddenly, Scout realizes she is the center of everyone's attention: the men, her brother, Dill, Atticus. She becomes self-conscious. She turns to Atticus.)

Atticus, I was just sayin’ to Mr. Cunningham that entailments were bad but not to worry. Takes a long time sometimes . . .

(She begins to dry up. She looks up at the country men staring at her. They are quite still.)

What’s the matter?

(She looks at Atticus. He says nothing. She looks back at Mr. Cunningham.)

I sure meant no harm, Mr. Cunningham.

Cunningham. No harm taken, young lady. (He moves forward and takes Scout by the shoulders.) I’ll tell Walter you said “hey,” little lkdy. (He straightens up and waves a big hand.) Let’s clear outta here. Let’s go, boys.

(As they had come, in ones and twos, the men straggle back into their cars. We hear doors slam; engines cough, and the cars drive off. Scout, Jem, and Dill watch them leave.)

Atticus. Now you go home, all of you. I’ll be there later.

Jem, Come on . . . come on.

(The three children go on down the street. Atticus sits again in the chair, waiting. Tom Robinson calls out from the darkness of the jail.)

Tom (off camera). Mr. Finch . . . they gone?

Atticus. They’ve gone. They won’t bother you any more.

(He sits back in his chair and continues watching.)

EXTERIOR: STREET IN FRONT OF FINCH HOUSE. EARLY MORNING. DAY.

People are coming from all parts of the county for the trial. It is like Saturday.

Wagons carrying country people on the way to the trial stream past the house.

Some men ride horseback. Scout, Jem, and Dill sit on the curb of the sidewalk watching the wagons and the horses go by.

Jem. Morning, Mr. Stevens. How do you do?

(A man rides by on a mule and waves to the children, and they wave back. A wagonload of ladies rides past. They wear cotton sunbonnets and dresses with long sleeves. A bearded man in a wool hat drives them. A wagonload of stern-faced citizens comes by next.)

Scout Did you ever see so many people? Just like on Saturday. . .

(Jem suddenly gets up.)

Where you goin’?

Jem. I can’t stand it any longer. I’m goin’ downtown to the courthouse to watch.

Scout You better not! You know what Atticus said.

Jem. I don’t care if he did. I’m not gonna miss the most excitin’ thing that ever happened in this town!

(They all look at each other and start towardtown.)

EXTERIOR: COURTHOUSE SQUARE. DAY.

It is deserted, as everyone is inside watching the trial. Scout, Jem, and Dill come into the square. They stand looking up at the courthouse. They alt start toward the entrance. Scout, Jem, and Dill go up the stairs toward the entrance.

INTERIOR: ENTRANCE HALL OF COURTHOUSE. DAY

When they get to the entrance, Jem peeks . through the hole of the door. He looks back at the other two. Reverend Sykes, the black Baptist preacher, comes up the stairs. The children go over to him.

Jem. It’s packed solid. They’re standin’ all along the back . . . Reverend!

Sykes. Yes?

Jem. Reverend Sykes, are you goin’ upstairs?

Sykes. Yes, I am.

(He starts up the stairs and they follow him.)

' INTERIOR: COLORED BALCONY OF COURTHOUSE.

Reverend Sykes enters the colored balcony with Jem, Dill, and Scout. He leads them among the black people in the gallery.

Four blacks in the front row get up and give them their seats when they see them come in.

Sykes. Brother John, thanks for holding my seat.

(They sit down and peer over the balcony. The colored balcony runs along three walls of the courtroom like a second-story veranda, and from it the children see everything.)

(The jury sits to the left under long windows. Sunbun. , lanky, they are nearly all farmers, but this is only natural. Townfoik rarely sit on juries. They are either struck or excused. The circuit solicitor and another man, Atticus, and Tom Robinson sit at tables with their backs to the children. Just inside the railing, which divides the spectators from the court, the witnesses sit in cowhide-bottomed chairs. Judge Taylor is on the bench, looking like a sleepy old shark.)

(Jem, Scout, Dill, and Reverend Sykes are listening intently.)

Bailiff. This court is now in session. Everybody rise.

(The Judge bangs his gavel.)

INTERIOR: COURTROOM. LATER.

The solicitor Mr. Gilmer is questioning the sheriff Heck Tate.

Tate. On the night of August twenty-first I was just leavin’ my office to go home when Bob . . . Mr. Ewell . . . come in, very excited, he was. And he said, get to his house quick as I could . . . that his girl had been raped. I got in my car and went out there as fast as I could. She was pretty well beat up. I asked her if Tom Robinson beat her like that. She said, “Yes, he did.” I asked if he’d taken advantage of her and she said, “Yes, he did.” That’s all there was to it.

Gilmer. Thank you.

(Atticus is sitting behind his table, his chair skewed to one

side, his legs crossed, and one arm is resting on the back of

the chair.)

Judge. Any questions, Atticus?

Atticus. Yes Sir. Did anybody call a doctor, Sheriff?

Tate. No Sir.

Atticus. Why not?

Tate. Well, I didn't think it was necessary. She was pretty well beat up. Something sho’ happened. It was obvious.

Atticus. Now, Sheriff, you say that she was mighty beat up. In what way?

Tate. Well, she was beaten around the head. There were bruises already cornin' on her arms. She had a black eye startin' an'...

Atticus. Which eye?

Tate. Let's see . . . (Blinks and runs his hand through his hair. He points to an invisible person five inches in front of him.) It was her left.

Atticus. Well, now, was that, was her left facing you ... or lookin’ the way that you were?

Tate. Oh, yes ... that... would make it her right eye. It was her right eye, Mr. Finch. Now I remember. She was beaten up on that side of her face.

(Heck Tate blinks again and then turns and looks at Tom Robinson as if something had been made dear to him at the same time. Tom Robinson raises his head. Something has been made dear to Atticus, too, and he gets to his feet. He walks toward Heck Tate.)

Atticus. Which side, again, Heck?

Tate. The right side. She had bruises on her arms and she showed me her neck. There were definite finger marks on her gullet.

Atticus. All around her neck? At the back of her throat?

Tate. I’d say they were all around.

(Atticus nods to Mr. Gilmer as he sits down. Mr. Gilmer shakes his head at the Judge. The Judge nods to Tate, who rises stiffly and steps down from the witness stand.)

Judge. Witness may be excused.

Bailiff (booming out). Robert E. Lee Ewell. . .

(Bob Ewell rises and struts to the stand. He raises his right hand, puts his left on the Bible, and is sworn in as a witness.)

Place your hand on the Bible, please. Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothin’ but the truth, so help you God?

Eweli. I do.

Bailiff. Sit down.

(Mr. Gilmer addresses Ewell.)

Gilmer. Now, Mr. Ewell . . . will you tell us, just in your own words, what happened on August twenty-first.

Ewell. Well, that night I was cornin’ in from the woods with a load of kindlin’, and I heard Mayella screamin’ as I got .to the fence. So I dropped my kindlin’, and I run into the fence. But when I got loose, I run up to the window and I seen him with my Mayella!

(The rest of the testimony is drowned out by the people in the courtroom, who begin to murmur with excitement Judge Taylor begins to bang his desk with his gavel. Heck Tate goes to the aisle, trying to quiet the crowd. Atticus is on his feet, whispering to the Judge. The spectators finally quiet down, and Mr. Gilmer continues.)

Gilmer. What did you do after you saw the defendant?

Ewell. T ran around the house tryin’ to get in, but he done run through the front door just ahead o’ me. But I seen who it was, all right. I seen him. And I run in the house and po* Mayella was layin’ on the floor squallin’. Then I run for Mr.’ Tate just as quick as I could.

Gilmer. Uh huh. Thank you, Mr. Ewell.

(Mr. Gilmer sits down. Atticus rises and goes to the stand

and faces Ewell.)

Atticus. Would you mind if I just' ask you a few questions, Mr. Ewell?

Ewell. No Sir, Mr. Finch, I sho* wouldn’t.

Atticus. Folks were doin’ a lot of runnin’ that night. Let’s see, now, you say that you ran to the window, you ran inside, you ran to Mayella, and you ran to the sheriff. Now, did you, during ail the runnin’, run for a doctor?

Ewell. There weren’t no need to. I seen who done it.

Atticus. Now, Mr. Ewell... you’ve heard the sheriff’s testimony. Do you agree with his description of Mayella’s injuries?

Ewell. I agree with everything Mr. Tate said. Her eye was blacked. She was mighty beat up . . . mighty.

Atticus. Now, Mr. Ewell, can you . . . er . . . can you read and write?

Ewell. Yes Mr. Finch. I can read and I can write.

Atticus. Good . . . then will you write your name, please. Write there, and show us?

(Atticus takes paper and pen out of his coat. He hands them

to Ewell. Ewell looks up and sees Atticus and Judge Taylor

looking at him intently.)

Ewell. Well, what’s so interestin’?

Judge. You’re left-handed, Mr; Ewell.

(Ewell turns angrily to the Judge.)

Ewell. Well, what’s that got to do with it, Judge? I’m a God-fearin’ man. That Atticus Finch is tryin’ to take advantage of me. You got to watch lawyers like Atticus Finch.

Judge (banging his gavel). Quiet! Quiet, Sir! Now the witness may take his seat.

(Ewell sullenly leaves the witness stand.)

Bailiff. Mayella Violet Ewell. . .

(A silence comes over the court as Mayella Ewell walks to

the witness stand. She is a thick-bodied girl, accustomed to

strenuous labor.)

Put your hand on the Bible, please. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?

(Mayella nods. Mr. Gilmer rises and begins to question her.)

Gilmer. Now, Mayella, suppose you tell us just what happened, huh?

Mayella (clearing her throat). Well, Sir... I was sittin’ on the porch, and... and he comes along. Uh, there’s this old chifforobe in the yard . .. and I... I said, "You • come up here, boy, and bust up this chifforobe, and I’ll give you a nickel.” So he ... he come on in the yard and I go into the house to get him the nickel and I turn around, and ’fore I know it, he’s on me ... and I fought and hollered ... but he had me around the neck, and he hit me again and again, and the next thing I knew, Papa was in the room, a-standin’ over me, hollerin’, “Who done it, who done it?”

Gilmer. Thank you, Mayella. Your witness, Atticus.

(Gilmer walks away. Atticus gets up smiling. He opens his

coat, hooks his thumbs in his vest, walks slowly across the

room to the windows.)

Atticus. Miss Mayella, is your father good to you? I mean, is he easy to get along with?

Mayella. He does tol’able . . .

Atticus. Except when he’s drinking?

(A pause. She glares at Atticus.)

When he’s riled, has he ever beaten you?

(Mayella looks in Ewell's direction.)

Mayella. My pa’s never touched a hair o’ my head in my life.

(Atticus'. glasses slip a little and he pushes them back on his

head.)

Atticus. Now, you say that you asked Tom to come in and chop up a . . . what was it?

Mayella. A chifforobe.

Atticus. Was this the first time that you ever asked him to come inside the fence?

Mayella (acting confused and shrugging). Yes.

Atticus. Didn’t you ever ask him to come inside the fence before?

Mayella (evasively). I mighta.

Atticus. But can you remember any other occasion?

Mayella (shaking her head). No!

Atticus. You say, “He caught me and he choked me and he took advantage of me,” is that right?

(Mayella nods her head.)

Do you remember his beating you about the face?

Mayella (hesitating). No, I don’t recollect if he hit me. I . . . mean . . . yes! He hit me ... he hit me!

Atticus (turning). Thank you! Now, will you identify the man who beat you?

Mayella (pointing to Tom). I most certainly will . . . sittin’ right yonder.

Atticus. Tom, will you stand up, please? Let’s let Mayella have a good look at you.

(Tom Robinson rises to his feet It is our first good look at him. He is thirty. Atticus goes to the table and picks up a water glass.)

Tom, will you please catch this?

(Atticus throws the glass. Tom is standing at the defense table. He catches the glass with his right hand.)

Thank you.

(Atticus walks to Tom and takes the glass.)

Now then, this time will you please catch it with your left hand?

Tom. I can’t, Sir.

Atticus. Why can’t you?

Tom. I can’t use my left hand at all. I got it caught in a cotton gin when I was twelve years old. All my muscles were torn loose.

(There are murmurs from the crowd in the courtroom. The Judge pounds his gavel.)

Atticus. Is this the man who raped you?

Mayella'. He most certainly is.

Atticus. How?

Mayella. I don’t know how.' He done . . . it. . . (She starts to sob.) He just done it.

Atticus. You have testified that he choked you and he beat you. You didn’t say that he sneaked up behind you and knocked you out cold, but that you turned and there he was. Do you want to tell us what really happened?

Mayeiia. I got somethin’ to say. And then I ain’t gonna say no more. (She looks in Tom's direction.) He took advantage of me.

(Atticus glances in Mayella's direction with a grim expression. She shouts and gestures with her hands as she speaks.)

An5' if you fine, fancy gentlemen ain’t gonna do nothin’ about it, then you’re just a bunch of lousy, yellow, stinkin’ cowards, the . .. the whole bunch of you, and your fancy airs don’t come to nothin’. Your Ma’am’in’ and your Miss Mayellarin’—it don’t come to nothin’, Mr. Finch. Not. . . no . . .

' (She bursts into real tears. Her shoulders shake with angry heaving sobs. Atticus has hit her in a way that is not clear to him, but he has had no pleasure in doing it He sits with his head down. Mayella runs as Ewell and a man grab her.)

Ewell. You sit down there!

Man. Come on, girl.

(Ewell holds Mayella's arms and starts for his seat Ewell helps Mayella to her seat. She hides her head as Ewell sits down.)

(The Judge looks in Atticus' direction.)

Judge. Atticus? Mr. Gilmer?

Gilmer (rising). The State rests, Judge.

Bailiff. Tom Robinson, take the stand.

(Tom stands up and goes to the witness chair.) 1

Put your hand on the Bible.

(Tom puts his hand on the Bible.)

Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?

Tom. I do.

Bailiff. Sit down!

(The Bailiff turns away as Tom starts to sit. Atticus starts toward the Judge and Tom.)

Atticus. Tom, were you acquainted with Mayella Violet Ewell?

Tom. Yes Sir. I had to pass her place goin’ to and from the field every day.

Atticus. Is there any other way to go?

Tom (shaking his head). No Sir. None’s I know of.

Atticus. Did she ever speak to you?

Tom. Why, yes Sir. I’d tip m’hat when I’d go by, and one day she ask me to come inside the fence and ' bust up a chifforobe for her. She give me the hatchet and I broke it up and then she said, “I reckon I’ll hafta give you a nickel, won’t I?” And I said, “No Ma’am, there ain’t no charge.” Then I went home. Mr. Finch, that was was last spring, way over a year ago.

Atticus. And did you ever go on the place again?

Tom. Yes Sir.

Atticus. When?

Tom. Well, I went lots of times. Seemed like every time I passed by yonder, she’d have some little somethin’ for me to do . . . choppin’ kindlin’, totin’ water for her.

Atticus. What happened to you on the evening of August twenty-first of last year?

Tom. Mr. Finch, I was goin’ home as usual that evenin’ and I passed the Ewell place. Miss Mayella were on the porch like she said she were.

(The spectators; white and colored, all lean forward. It is very

quiet in the room.)

An’ she said for me to come there and help her a minute. Well, I went inside the fence and I looked aroun’ for some kindlin’ to work on, but I didn’t see none. An’ then she said to come in the house, she . .. she has a door needs fixin’ ... so I follow her inside an’ looked at the door an’ it looked all right, an’ she shut the door. All the time I was wonderin’ why it was so quiet like ... an’ it come to me, there was not a child on the place, an’ I said to Miss Mayella, where are the chil’ren? An’ she said, they all gone to get ice cream. She said it took her a slap year to save seb’m nickels, but she done it, an’ they all gone to town.

{Tom runs his hands over his face. He is obviously very

uncomfortable.)

Atticus. What did you say then?

Tom. Oh, I ... I said somethin’ like, “Why Miss Mayella, that’s right nice o’ you to treat ’em.” An’ she said, “You think so?” Well, I said I best be goin' I couldn’t do nothin’ for her; an’ she said, oh, yes I could. An’ I ask her what, and she said to jus’ step on the chair yonder an’ git that box down from on top of the chifforobe. So I done what she told me, and I was reachin’ when the next thing I knew she . . . grabbed me aroun’ the legs. She scared me so bad I hopped down an’ turned the chair oven That was the only thing, only furniture ’sturbed in that room, Mr. Finch, I swear; when I left it.

Atticus. And what happened after you turned the chair over?

(Tom comes to a dead stop. He glances at Atticus, then at

the jury.)

Tom? You’ve sworn to tell the whole truth. Will you do it? What happened after that?

Tom (running his hand nervously over his mouth). Mr. Finch, I got down off the chair, and I turned around an* she sorta jumped on me. She hugged me aroun’ the waist. She reached up an’ kissed me on the face. She said she never kissed a grown man before an’ she might as well kiss me. She says for me to kiss her back.

(Tom shakes his head with his eyes dosed, as he reacts to

this ordeal.)

And I said, Miss Mayella, let me outta here, an’ I tried to run, when Mr. Ewell cussed at me from the window an’ says he’s gonna kill her.

Atticus. And what happened after that?

Tom. I was runnin’ so fast, I don’t know what happened.

Atticus. Tom, did you rape Mayella Ewell?

Tom. I did not, Sir.

Atticus. Did you harm her in any way?

Tom. I... I did not, Sir.

(Atticus turns and walks to his desk. Gilmer rises and goes to the witness chair.)

Gilmer. Robinson, you’re pretty good at bustin’ up chifforobes and kindlin’ with one hand,' aren’t you? Strong enough to choke the breath out of a woman and sling her to the floor?

Tom (meekly). I never done that, Sir.

Gilmer. But you’re strong enough to.

Tom. I reckon so, Sir.

Gilmer. Uh huh. How come you’re so all-fired anxious to do that woman’s chores?

(Tom hesitates. He searches for an answer.)

Tom. Looks like she didn’t have nobody to help her. Like I said ...

Gilmer. With Mr. Ewell and seven children on the place? You did all this choppin’ and work out of ■sheer goodness, boy? You’re a mighty good fella, it seems. Did all that for not one penny.

Tom. Yes, Sir. I felt right sorry for her. She seemed . . .

Gilmer. You felt sorry for her? A white woman? You felt sorry for her?

(Tom realizes his mistake. He'shifts uncomfortably in his chair.)

DMU Timestamp: March 07, 2019 02:52





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