Up in the balcony, I wondered if she had good sense to tell the truth.
Mayella answered Mr. Gilmer’s question. “Well sir, I was on the porch and – and he came along and, you see, there was this old chiffarobe in the yard Papa’d brought to chop up for kindlin ’ – Papa told me to do it while he was off in the woods but I wadn’t feelin’ strong enough then, so he came by –“
“Who is ‘he’?”
Mayella pointed to Tom Robinson.
“Then what happened?”
“I said, ‘Come here, n****r, and bust up this chiffarobe for me.’ I gotta nickel and I turned around and ‘fore I knew it he was on me. Just run up behind me, he did. He got me round the neck cussin’ me an’ sayin’ dirt – I fought n’ hollered , but he had me round the neck. He hit me agin an’ agin –“
Mr. Gilmer waited for Mayella to get ahold of herself. She then waited for Mr. Gilmer to ask another question and when he didn’t she said, “He threw me on the floor an’ choked me n’ took advantage of me.”
“Did you scream?” asked Mr. Gilmer “Did you scream and fight back?”
“Reckon I did, hollered for all I was worth, kicked and hollered loud as I could.”
“Then what happened?”
“I don’t remember too good, but next thing I knew Papa was in the room a’standing over me hollerin’, ‘Who done it, who done it?’ Then I sorta fainted an’ the next thing I knew Mr. Tate was pullin’ me up off the floor and leadin’ me to the water bucket.”
