Atticus asks very calmly if the men think that changes anything. Knowing that this means business, Scout races to Atticus, hoping to surprise him. She falters when she sees fear in his eyes and notices that she doesn’t recognize the men, who smell of alcohol. Atticus calmly tells Jem to take Dill and Scout home, but Jem refuses. One man yanks Jem’s collar, so Scout kicks the man in the groin. The men mutter. Scout looks for a friendly face and recognizes Mr. Cunningham. She asks about his entailment and about Walter, which makes him look uncomfortable. Remembering Atticus’s advice to talk to people about what they’re interested in, Scout mentions the entailment again and realizes that everyone, including Atticus, is staring at her openmouthed. She asks what’s wrong. Mr. Cunningham squats, tells Scout he’ll say hi to Walter, and leads the men away.