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Chapter 9
"Don’tpointtheminthehouse,"saidAtticus,whenJemaimedatapictureonthewall.
"You’llhavetoteach‘emtoshoot,"saidUncleJack.
"That’syourjob,"saidAtticus."Imerelybowedtotheinevitable."
IttookAtticus’scourtroomvoicetodragusawayfromthetree.HedeclinedtoletustakeourairriflestotheLanding(IhadalreadybeguntothinkofshootingFrancis)andsaidifwemadeonefalsemovehe’dtakethemawayfromusforgood.
Finch’sLandingconsistedofthreehundredandsixty-sixstepsdownahighbluffandendinginajetty.Fartherdownstream,beyondthebluff,weretracesofanoldcottonlanding,whereFinchNegroeshadloadedbalesandproduce,unloadedblocksofice,flourandsugar,farmequipment,andfeminineapparel.Atwo-rutroadranfromtheriversideandvanishedamongdarktrees.Attheendoftheroadwasatwo-storiedwhitehousewithporchescirclingitupstairsanddownstairs.Inhisoldage,ourancestorSimonFinchhadbuiltittopleasehisnaggingwife;butwiththeporchesallresemblancetoordinaryhousesofitseraended.TheinternalarrangementsoftheFinchhousewereindicativeofSimon’sguilelessnessandtheabsolutetrustwithwhichheregardedhisoffspring.
Thereweresixbedroomsupstairs,fourfortheeightfemalechildren,oneforWelcomeFinch,thesoleson,andoneforvisitingrelatives.Simpleenough;butthedaughters’roomscouldbereachedonlybyonestaircase,Welcome’sroomandtheguestroomonlybyanother.TheDaughters’Staircasewasintheground-floorbedroomoftheirparents,soSimonalwaysknewthehoursofhisdaughters’nocturnalcomingsandgoings.
