Walter Cunningham comes over for lunch one day. He asks for a pitcher of syrup, which Calpurnia quickly delivers to him. He dumps syrup all over the food on his plate, including meat, vegetables, and all. Scout is appalled by this. She wonders aloud why anyone would do such a thing. Calpurnia calls her away from the table and into the kitchen.
Calpurnia is furious with Scout. Scout had been rude to Walter because...
Walter Cunningham comes over for lunch one day. He asks for a pitcher of syrup, which Calpurnia quickly delivers to him. He dumps syrup all over the food on his plate, including meat, vegetables, and all. Scout is appalled by this. She wonders aloud why anyone would do such a thing. Calpurnia calls her away from the table and into the kitchen.
Calpurnia is furious with Scout. Scout had been rude to Walter because of the syrup, and Calpurnia had raised her to be polite. Calpurnia scolds Scout over the whole incident:
When [Calpurnia] squinted down at [Scout] the tiny lines around her eyes deepened. "There's some folks who don’t eat like us," she whispered fiercely, "but you ain't called on to contradict 'em at the table when they don't. That boy’s yo' comp'ny and if he wants to eat up the table cloth you let him, you hear?" (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 3).
Scout protests. She does not think Walter Cunningham is company. She considers him to be a boy from school who happened to come home for lunch. Calpurnia is firm with Scout. She tells Scout that anyone who enters the house is company and should be treated accordingly. Calpurnia lets Scout know that if she cannot treat Walter properly, she can eat inside the kitchen. After that, "Calpurnia [sends Scout] through the swinging door to the diningroom with a stinging smack." Scout gets her plate to go back to the kitchen to eat.
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