“Don’t fret, Jem. Things are never as bad as they seem.”
Indoors, when Miss Maudie wanted to say something lengthy she settled her fingers on her knees and settled her bridgework. This she did, and we waited.
“I simply wanted to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father’s one of them.”
– Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 22. Atticus Finch has just lost the Tom Robinson trial and faces some isolation and backlash from his town. Neighbor Miss Maudie brings the children to her house for cake and offers them some encouragement and wisdom. She is one of the few locals who stands against racism and behind Atticus’s decision to defend Tom Robinson.